A California Closets Fisherman’s Sanctuary

I recently installed for Ken R, a retired software engineer living in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and delivered a system that exceeded his expectations. In his retirement, Mr. R enjoys tying fly-fishing lures and building custom-made fishing poles, but hadn’t had the space to fulfill his passions.

Luckily, Mr. R called California Closets in Southdale Center, Edina and our design consultant, Staci Steinman, re-purposed a bedroom into a fly fisherman’s dream workshop.

Upon my arrival, Ken was incredibly kind to me, Michael and Caleb – his California Closets installers. Installers feed off the energy our clients provide and Mr. R had plenty of positive energy. Even as we were assembling the Belissima White boxes that would eventually become his fly-tying room, Ken would pop in to say “It’s looking great guys, keep it up.”

Ken checked in on our progress regularly, and even when we had tools and drills sprawled out, he would say “Looks awesome guys, keep it up.” While his compliment was much appreciated, I took Ken’s comments as motivation to deliver a great product.

Mr. R’s system required the largest counter top I had ever handled. Once the counter top was installed I realized that Mr. R wasn’t just building a hobby room — he was building a fisherman’s sanctuary. The counter tops danced like a stream bottom and the surrounding flip-up doors with Eco-Resin inserts, shivered like cattails in a soft breeze. Together, they created the ambiance of an afternoon casting hand-tied flies . If you can’t be on the water, why not FEEL like you’re on the water?

I enjoyed building this hobby space but maybe even more, I enjoyed the intriguing conversation provided by Mr. R. We rambled on about fishing equipment, fishing spots, fishing techniques, types of fish — you name it, we talked about it. Ken even talked me into helping him hang a wrought-iron trout-shaped fishing rod holder on his wall, which I was happy to do.

Ken and I had conversed so much that he witnessed more than 60% of the install and approved 100% of what he saw. It was great to walk him through the final product – the soft-close drawers, 180-degree doors and pop-up outlets.

Mr. R is, and always will be, a client that I will remember. Not only for his kind spirit, but for the smile he had when we walked him through the completed California Closets custom fisherman’s sanctuary.

Written by Sam Wigness, California Closets Installation Technician

Designed by Staci Steinman, California Closets Design Consultant

The California Closets team lights up a repeat client’s home with a custom designed Media Center complete with a built-in fireplace.

As an installer, I find myself in a position similar to the clients I serve. Successful installations don’t happen on accident — they are the result of a coordinated effort by the entire California Closets team. From the Client Liaisons and the Design Consultants, to the Plan Engineer and all the way to the production team at our manufacturing facility in Bloomington, MN, it takes a small army to organize peoples’ lives.

Trust plays a major role in our process, and as the “last line of defense,” I find myself – like our clients – trusting that my coworkers have been thoughtful and diligent with each project.

“I loved the entertainment center so I decided to put a matching hutch next to it, and then moved on to the kitchen,” Terry said. “They’ve all turned out so beautiful and the process goes so smooth.”

Terry has had several other contractors work in his condo before and said our installers are the only ones that consistently show up on time and always finish in the given time frame.

Several months ago, while Adam and I installed in the few rooms Terry didn’t already have systems in, I overheard him on the phone asking Adrianne about installing an electric fireplace. Terry had visited our recently opened studio in the Southdale Center and fell in love with our Prince tribute

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bookcase that features a purple-flamed fireplace. I certainly don’t blame him for wanting one in his bedroom, but I hadn’t pictured myself installing a fireplace while working for California Closets.

Our time at Terry’s home went seamlessly. A lot goes into each project we complete and this successful project all began with Adrianne’s incredible design. The Client Liaisons in our Southdale Studio scheduled ample time for Eric Bucnis and I to install the systems. Our Plans Engineer, Drew Wigness (my brother), worked closely with our production crew to manufacture spot-on materials, and our install manager, Jason Kockx, stopped out to assist us installing the fireplace.

When the install was complete I took a load of equipment out to the van and returned to find Terry literally shrieking with joy. The California Closets system was gorgeous and had a little bit of everything – desktops with pop-up outlets, push-to-open aluminum framed glass doors, file drawers with acrylic high gloss drawer fronts, lighting and, of course, the fireplace where Terry would later hang a large television above. While I’m certainly proud of the system we created, I’m even more proud of the level of trust we earned and sustained with Terry and how we have positively impacted his life.

“It is the difference of night and day in here since I started,” Terry said. “I now have the complete set – the living room, dining room, office, both bathrooms and the bedrooms. I had a vision but Adrianne surpassed it.”