Letting their work do the talking

Gipman Millwork + Design Ltd., known for its high-quality custom designs, has relocated to a larger facilty

Gipman Millwork + Design Ltd.'s four workshops can now be found under one roof. — Kris Lindblad photo

Gipman Millwork + Design Ltd. has been manufacturing cabinets and countertops for 23 years. For many years, the business operated out of four low-key shops in Cranbrook, relying on word-of-mouth; nonetheless, it has built a reputation for high-quality, locally produced furnishings. Big changes occurred this year when the four shops merged into one large showroom and workshop, situated in the Industrial Park.

"The new facility will give us the added bonus of quicker lead times—that’s always been one of our strong points because we manufacture the products locally," said Garold Gipman, who owns the business with his wife, Carole. "It’s a lot easier to get in the raw material—provided we don’t already have it in stock—and produce the product, rather than ordering it from out of town and risking it coming in damaged."

Carpentry has been a part of the Gipman family for Garold's entire life; his father and grandfather were carpenters and he has always enjoyed building things for people. After apprenticing in the field, he started his own business, working under the simple philosophy of "Just build it and build it right."

Planning, building and relocating to the new facility has been more than two years in the making, and Gipman said it is one of the business's greatest accomplishments. Prior to relocation, one shop produced cabinets, one shop manufactured cabinet doors and two created countertops. Construction of the 1,300-square-metre building began in January of 2010 and is now, in Gipman's words, 99 per cent complete.

"We're offering more for the customer," said Gipman. "We manufacture and produce post-form countertops now, something that nobody else in the area is doing."