Who says you can’t afford a new kitchen?
You can have the kitchen you’ve always wanted, all for a very reasonable price, when you shop at Kitchen and Bath Emporium (4422 Avenue N, 718-692-2550).
That’s because co-owner Keith Manfre and his business partner decided a while back that, “There are more hard-working, middle class people than rich.” With this philosophy in mind, their goal was to see that the middle class would be able to afford a quality kitchen.
For those who want to splurge and get something extra special, they also offer a custom line.
Just how reasonable are their prices? We’re talking about $5,000-$10,000, and that includes “a quality all-wood product, with granite,” said Manfre. He assures, “We’ve never lost a customer over pricing.”
The cabinets are imported from China, are all wood construction, and include popular oak, maple, and white birch. There are a variety of finishes and styles such as redwood, spiced maple, antique brown, Princeton-red cherry, and light natural oak, just to name a few. Cabinet door styles include Cathedral, Contemporary, and Frameless.
“We bring the granite,” says Manfre, and many are “pre-fabs.” This means “pre-fabricated, a way of saving the consumer money because the labor has already been done by the manufacturer,” says Manfre. “We just have to make the hole for the sink. People choose the pre-fabs because they’re relatively inexpensive.” There are 28 different colors from which customers can choose.
If you want to be able to select your own edge or design, Kitchen Bath and Emporium will purchase an entire slab for you, and cut to your order. There are 150 different colors from which to choose.
The turnaround time is fast. “You can get your kitchen within a week,” says Manfre. This is because they have “over 1,000 kitchens in stock in our own warehouse,” says Manfre. “We have three warehouse locations, three factories, and seven showrooms.”
They also have a team of certified, licensed contractors who they can recommend so that your new kitchen will be in good hands. “There are five or six contractors we use on a regular basis,” explains Manfre. “They go with a set price, and they work for us every day.”
These contractors have an enormous amount of experience. “We just did 1400 kitchens in Manhattan,” says Manfre. “Now we’re working on 2,400.”
But don’t think they are too big for your home. “We do big and little projects,” Manfre assures. “We can accommodate the consumer and the contractor. Everybody gets the same courtesy, respect, and service.”
When it comes to bathrooms, one of the newest additions to the showroom is a steam and shower unit with multi jets that provide a body massage, says Manfre. It also creates steam, has a built-in CD player, a radio, and contains a foot massage. Among its attractions, is that it provides a “rain forest” shower experience.
It’s set up in the showroom, and “People are amazed,” says Manfre. His partner spent more than three years researching this unit, traveling back and forth overseas to make sure the electricity and plumbing were in accordance to U.S. standards, says Manfre. “We just got the shipment three weeks ago, and it’s already in people’s homes.”
The unit is relatively easy to install because “it slips right on to an existing tub,” he says. If this exciting piece is something you’d like to start each morning with, prices range “from $1,500-$3,000, depending on the size of the unit,” he says.
Shop with confidence. Manfre has been a Marine Park resident all his life. He’s not going anywhere, and he and his partner have been friends since childhood. He says he’s seen too many people “get ripped off,” in this profession which is one of the reasons why he went into the business in the first place — he’s one of the good guys who provides the quality service to the neighborhood and beyond.
Contact Kitchen and Bath Emporium Mondays through Fridays, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. (Thursday night until 8 p.m.); and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Further information may be found at these websites: www.ltkitchen.com and www.americanstonenj.com
