Good Neighbor Podcast: Union

Designing Spaces That Inspire with Wayne Stephens

• Mike • Season 3 • Episode 37

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Unlock the secrets of innovative home transformation with Wayne Stephens, a seasoned veteran with 37 years of experience in the cabinetry world. Wayne opens the doors to his Fort Mitchell, Kentucky showroom, where over 30 stunning displays showcase a myriad of design possibilities. Discover how his expert team guides clients from uncertainty to satisfaction, crafting designs that cater to every style and budget, while ensuring that each kitchen emanates the client's vision through custom finishes and thoughtful design.

Explore the magic behind turning traditional kitchens into open-concept marvels. Wayne's team starts with an in-home consultation to dive deep into client dreams, transforming them into reality with structural integrity and style in mind. Learn how they break down the design process into digestible storyboards that simplify decision-making, from color palettes to material selections. By embracing flexibility, they ensure that each design iteration brings clients closer to their dream kitchen, transforming what could be an overwhelming journey into a smooth and rewarding experience.

Wayne's impact extends beyond cabinetry; he's a pillar of his community, creating spaces that enhance lives. Discover how word-of-mouth has been the cornerstone of his business's success, fueled by the high-quality craftsmanship and client satisfaction he and his team deliver. With a focus on free consultations and a welcoming showroom, Wayne and his daughter Katie, who brings fresh contemporary insights, continue to enrich homes from kitchens to libraries. Celebrate Wayne's dedication and the profound trust the community places in him, underscoring the essence of what it means to be a good neighbor.

Charlie McDermott:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Mike Murphy.

Mike Murphy:

Thanks, charlie. Yes, I am Mike Murphy, host of the Good Neighbor Podcast. We interview local business owners and influencers here in northern Kentucky so that you can get to know them as humans and not just logos that you might see on a truck or the side of a building or on their business card. So the human that I am interviewing today so that you can get to know him is Wayne Stevens with W Stevens Cabinetry Design, and he's going to tell you about his business and we're going to get to know Wayne a little bit better. So, Wayne, welcome to the show. Thanks for having me, you're welcome. So, w Stevens, Cabinetry and Design many of us as we drive through. Is it Fort Mitchell proper? Is that where you're located?

Wayne Stephens:

Yes, we're located at 2497 Dixie Highway, which is on the corner of Dixie Highway and Orphanage Road, right across from the Greyhound Tavern.

Mike Murphy:

Okay, I've driven past the building many, many times without knowing what's inside, and I'm sure a lot of people are the same way. I have since come to know all about what's inside, but today we're going to let people know the good news coming out of your building and everything that you can do for the community. So why don't you explain to us all about W Stevens Cabinetry and Design?

Wayne Stephens:

Yes, well, this is my 37th year of doing this type of work. I've been very fortunate, very supported by the community. I started my own business many years ago and we started in Fort Mitchell and then, in 2016, we relocated to the location that we're at now. We remodeled this building and made it very conducive for displaying and designing and working with customers in the design field.

Mike Murphy:

So when somebody walks into your showroom, what do they see?

Wayne Stephens:

Well, when they walk in they see a lot of intricate architectural design features. We have over 30 displays of different cabinetry. We have a selection room with all of the different door styles, all of the different colors that are available and they can be matched and matched to get just hundreds of thousands of different design profiles that you know would uniquely satisfy pretty much any customer that we have.

Mike Murphy:

you know would uniquely satisfy pretty much any customer that we have. Okay, so, to that end, when somebody walks in and they don't really know what they want, what they need, they just know that what they have is old and ready for a refurb, but they don't really know the trends today. They don't know what they don't know. So if somebody comes in and says I have no idea what I want, help me. So how do you help them in those moments?

Wayne Stephens:

Okay, that's a great question, actually, and that's our specialty. Our design ability is what we're known for. You know you can buy cabinetry at different places, but you know, getting the design from real architectural designers that have been doing this for many, many, many years and have the architectural background and education in this, that's something you don't find very often and we're really, really proud of that. If a customer comes in and they say, well, I would like to redo my kitchen, I don't know where to start, don't know where to go, and I'm like well, you've come to the right place. We have a lot of different designers that work for us. We have different designers for different folks. You know that some may like a younger designer, an older designer, you know. So we have someone to suit just about everyone. And when someone comes in they say, well, I don't really know what I want, can you help us? We say absolutely so. We have so many different displays, so many different design theories. We walk them through the showrooms, we show them benefits and features of all the different cabinet lines. And someone may say you know, I want to spend not much, or I want to spend a lot, or we have something for every budget, no matter if somebody's doing an apartment or somebody's doing a $2 million house, we have products and design features for them. You know, and we're proud of the fact that we have something for everyone. And I always tell folks, you know, we don't care what you pick, just please buy something and tell someone. That's that's what we tell folks often, you know.

Wayne Stephens:

And then another thing that we do if somebody comes in they don't know what they want, we have a large selection room with all of the different door styles. If somebody wants a shaker door, somebody wants a traditional door, a transitional door, a modern door, a contemporary door, we have all of those different features and we have, you know, painted finishes, stained finishes. We have laminate finishes. You know people will come in and they'll want to do mid-century, modern design. So we have those veneer flat doors that work well.

Wayne Stephens:

Design theory you know, a lot of what we do in today's time is the transitional look is what you see in most homes, the look that people are going for right now. We've moved away from the traditional door style, but the transitional is really pretty and we can just do so much with that. The design trends that we're seeing now is, you know, we're seeing a lot of painted finish and any Sherwin Williams color that's in the Sherwin Williams paint deck, we can actually create that finish. And then we have a lot of other finishes that are standard finishes and we have hundreds and hundreds of those. So whatever somebody wants to create, we can help them find that.

Wayne Stephens:

And then, as far as not knowing what they want, we start with, okay, you know, do you, do you, what kind of budget do you have? And we talk to them there. We show them, you know, something to fit in their budget so that they're not like picking something that's way more than they want to spend. It doesn't matter to us what they spend, as long as they buy something. Then that's how we kind of get our get. Get get.

Wayne Stephens:

Our reward is just by making satisfied that a significant amount of the folks that come in and actually sit down and design with us we actually end up doing the job. Sometimes it takes two to three years for them to actually do it, but we're very fortunate we do get to do that. So, and walking them through the design process, that's what we're kind of proud of, and we'll help them pick door styles and colors and then the design layout. You know, working with someone based on ergonomics or maybe some significant desires or wants that they may have, we can work with that. You know, each kitchen is specifically and uniquely designed for that individual person, so we take a lot of pride in that.

Mike Murphy:

Well, I can tell how much pride you take in it just by the last few minutes that you've talked. You know your stuff. You're used to people coming in and saying Wayne, help me.

Wayne Stephens:

And a funny thing that we've had. We have actually had people come in and say and it's people that we've worked with in the past, obviously, and they know about us and how we work but we've actually had folks come in and say here's my key, go, do your thing. I'm going to Florida for the winter. I'll be back in the spring.

Wayne Stephens:

And I'll say well, that's a that's a big responsibility. How about I go do my thing and then we get together that some way, you know via the internet or a phone call or or you know Facebook or something, and I show you kind of how it's going to look, what it's going to look like and how we go from there, cause you know, I wouldn't want somebody to come home and say, oh no, that wasn't what I was thinking. So we have actually had people do that and they've actually turned out great.

Mike Murphy:

Okay, Well, that's. That's a lot of trust that they're placing in you. Well, but I think that it says a lot about your reputation, though.

Wayne Stephens:

The kitchen is the kind of the hub of the home, for sure. And so you know people, you know they cook there and they prepare their meals there. But they also congregate there, they socialize there, they do homework, you know they do things together, they have family conversations, they sit down and have dinner. You know the formal dining room is kind of a thing of the past. Most of the people they make the food eat the food all in the same room and so we kind of designed on that. A big thing we do is people will call us, you know, and they love their neighborhood, they love their house. They've been there for many years but it kind of came with a builder grade kitchen and now they know they want to stay and they want to spend the money to make it more, more usable for their family, grandkids, you know, and they have the people's families have grown tremendously since they bought their house. So one thing we do is a kitchen. Sometimes you'll have a smaller kitchen and a dining room next door, smaller kitchen and dining room next door, and we'll take the wall out between the kitchen and the dining room and make the make it just a large eat in kitchen. That's a big thing right now. And so you know, we know how to design that way and we look at walls and we know what can move and what can't move, and and that's just such a different thing from the old days when people would go to a big box store and you would take your measurements. Then they would shove it into a computer and whatever it spit out, you would say OK, you would pay the money and sometimes it would fit, sometimes it wouldn't.

Wayne Stephens:

We actually, after we talk to you and introduce ourselves and show you a little bit about us, then we come out to your house, we measure everything. We talked to you about your job and I usually say, before I corrupt you in any way, please tell me what you're thinking, because we like to get the person to get what they want and as long as it's engineeringly possible, then we do it. So we go out to the house, we measure the job, we come back, we create the design for them. Then they come back into our office and they look at the selections and things that they previously looked at and they can reconsider and make changes. And then we show them our design and basically what we have where and what all the features are the cabinets and rollout trays and garbage cans and all those things that we built in and crown mold treatments.

Wayne Stephens:

A big thing is taking out the old soffits and taking the cabinets up higher and then doing like a nice crown treatment to the ceiling. So a lot of times when the people come in for that first visit, you know they look at everything and sometimes are like, nope, that's exactly what I want, let's do it. And then sometimes it's like, hey, can I change this a little? Can I change that a little? And I always hold up a pencil and eraser and I always say it's only pencil and eraser, we can absolutely take it for you.

Mike Murphy:

And then we make changes as needed and then the process starts and we get things ordered and, you know, move down the road from there, do people come walking into a showroom with, say, maybe, a photo they've torn out of a magazine or something they've printed off online, or hold up their phone and say this is what I want. Can you do this? Absolutely.

Wayne Stephens:

We get people that come in often with Pinterest or pictures out of a magazine, and a lot of times it'll be for more door styles and colors, which that's so easy for us because we have so different lines that we go to and we're like, ok, you like this color? Well, here are four or five colors that are in that range. You know, here they are live, and so you can actually see them on wood. What do you think? And so then they'll pick some and then we'll give them any that they pick to take home and look at them in their own light also so that they can see if that color works good in the light that they have in their room.

Wayne Stephens:

So, and then a lot of times you know, something they bring in might have a particular door style. You know you can do full overlay doors and inset doors and all of that. So, and then we'll pull door styles down for them and we'll put it all together. And then we'll actually pull countertop samples and put it all together for them. So by the time we do the design and we've been out to measure and they come back, we have a total storyboard for them of designs, elevations, color selections and door selections and countertop selections based on what they like, and then you know there may be two or three that they've picked and they haven't narrowed it down, but then at that point they narrow it down. So that's kind of how we do that. It's a pretty easy process for us. People are definitely sometimes overwhelmed when they come in, but when they come back for that second visit.

Wayne Stephens:

That all just goes away for them.

Mike Murphy:

Okay. So when people come to you, education is a big part of it. You educate them Because, like I said earlier, people don't know what they don't know, so you make sure to do some of the thinking for them in a good way though. Yes, to make sure that they're not doing something that's maybe not appropriate or isn't going to work or whatever.

Wayne Stephens:

Yes, so we actually see that. We see that and folks will have done a kitchen, you know, redone a kitchen and it hasn't worked out the way they thought it would. And they'll come to us and say, well, can you come and check this out? And we always say, of course and I always talk about folks, you know, we get pretty much all of our business by word of mouth and I'm very thankful for that. Most of the time it is, hey, my friend used you and said you were great, can you come out? And I'm like, well, sure, I can, but every great once, once in a while, we get the hey, my friend didn't use you and she's really sorry about that. And she told me and that's probably the biggest compliment that I can get right there yeah, because every job you do you're making a billboard for your company, you know.

Mike Murphy:

And every time people get the point and say Wayne did that and you go see Wayne. Go see Wayne, because this is what the experience I had, is what you're looking for, so go see Wayne.

Wayne Stephens:

Right, it's a very personal thing and you know our pride that we take in what we do. You know, with all the designers that work with me, I, you know they're all the same and that's a big deal for us. We take a lot of pride in what we do.

Mike Murphy:

How many people do you have working with you, Like? How many designers do you have? Who's on your team?

Wayne Stephens:

Actually we have. You know, we have five different folks that do design work with us and they all have their unique skillset and they're all good at things. You know, one person that works with me is my oldest daughter. Her name is Katie and she is a fantastic designer and she definitely has appeal for that younger generation and that more contemporary styling. Just, she's very, very talented. Of course, you know I'm her dad, but I'm also really proud of how well that she has done.

Wayne Stephens:

And then Mark Prince that works with us. Mark and I have been friends for over 25 years and we have worked together long before I started my own company. And then, after I started my own company for a little while, mark came and said, hey, I really like the way that you used to do things. I have my customers that I need to take care of and I'd like to come and do that with you. And I'm like, absolutely. And he came and so and we have another young designer and she's fantastic. And then we have another person that just does fantastic work. So you know, I'm pretty proud of our staff and the folks that work with us and, like I said, we have someone to fit with everyone. If someone comes in and look at me and says well, you're an old guy, I don't want you. I'm like well, just follow me, I got somebody right here for you.

Mike Murphy:

So yeah, if you're if you're too old for their taste, you just take them over to introduce them to Katie.

Wayne Stephens:

Yeah, but you know I take a lot of pride that I can design just about for anyone. So yeah, yeah.

Mike Murphy:

There's a lot of knowledge in that noggin of yours. I'm sure People just have to take the time to seek, seek and ask and you'll gladly share with them. You know, one thing that I've noticed in talking to you during this interview is you are passionate about what you do. I can see it in your face, I can hear it in your voice. You have a lot of knowledge and we've barely scratched the surface of it in your face. I can hear it in your voice. You have a lot of knowledge and we barely scratched the surface of it in this interview. And so I think anybody who is watching this or listening to this that's thinking about a remodel in their home. You have a lot of knowledge, not just for kitchens and cabinets and countertops and whatnot. But do you, can you help people in other places in their house?

Wayne Stephens:

Oh, absolutely we. You know we do bathrooms, we do libraries, we do lower bar bars lower bars, you know pretty much any place that has cabinetry and casework. We have knowledge and the ability to do it. When I started off as a young person, I used to draw house plans for folks. So you know, I would draw house plans and you know, and then I would help the folks, I would help them with building materials and then we kind of, as we went along, we discovered that our niche was cabinetry and countertop and interior spacescapes and you know, getting the proportional dynamics of that room and the architectural flow, the feeling that that room gives off, that's a niche for us and we just work really hard at getting that and we're proud of those spaces.

Wayne Stephens:

The most that we do so that's what we focus on is anything that has cabinetry or casework we can do. Some folks come to us and they're like, hey, you know, I don't want to spend a whole bunch, but I just need a facelift, what can I do? And we're like, well, you know, we could add an island, we can add a buffet, or sometimes the kitchen's really small and we can't really do a lot with the cabinetry. It's like, hey, we could change out your countertops and do quartz tops and stone tops and things like that. So we help folks in all of those different ways. Or even sometimes people just want a little adjustment and so we're like, okay, well, how about new hardware, you know? So we have all of that right here in our showroom for folks to look at Okay.

Mike Murphy:

So if people want to take a little bit of a peek behind your curtain before coming to visit your showroom and meet you in person, usually people will pick up their phone or they'll sit at their computer and they'll go to a website. So when they go to your website I'm assuming, being in the business that you're in People can get a lot of ideas there as well. I noticed that, as we've talked about here in this interview, the consultation is a big part of what you do. That consulting, that initial consultation that's free Is that correct?

Wayne Stephens:

Yes, that the initial consultation is free. We get our customers usually will either get a phone call at the office or we will get a. Someone will ask for information or a call or a call back via our Web site at W Stevens dot com and there's a little thing you click for, you know, to fill out your name and number and we'll give you a call. That's how folks come to us most of the time. Sometimes they just stop by the showroom and they walk in and we're like, hey, how you doing? And we get somebody and we help them. You know there's always somebody here to give them a hand. We're open six days a week.

Wayne Stephens:

But when they look at our website, it's a really nice website. There are videos on there of jobs and things like that. There are tons of photographs of jobs that we've done. There are testimonials from customers. There's a little blurb about all of our staff members. We've had people get on there and look at the staff members and say you know, read about the staff members and say I want that person. You know we're like, okay, well, we'll get that person for you and it's great if people call ahead to schedule a time because we like to take an hour or so, even if they're just the initial visit, to show them the products, walk them through the showroom, get to know them, because an important part of the design process is getting to know the needs of each individual person, because every person is different.

Wayne Stephens:

You know that's for sure, and doing it all these years that's what I found out. No job is exactly the same. You know we don't do cookie cutter kitchens and you know we don't service large. You know production builder we do. We're very fortunate to have two very nice home builders that build custom homes that I have worked for for over 25 years with both of them, and that's something in these days when you keep a customer that long. And then we have lots of customers that have come back and I have worked for four and five times. They just moved to different places and that's how we kind of get most of our business and keep it going. But if folks check out our website they can get a lot of ideas and see a lot of our work on there. So they know kind of a little bit about us before they come in. But a call asking for an appointment is always the best.

Mike Murphy:

Okay, so the website is wstevenscom and that's S-T-E-P-H-E-N-S, correct? Yes, wstevenscom. Yes, very good, and the phone number would be 859-394-8066. Is that correct?

Wayne Stephens:

Actually that's my cell number, the office number People can actually call that if they want, because I wear hearing aids, but the office number is 859-331-8100.

Mike Murphy:

8100. Okay, I'm glad I asked that. Yeah, we don't need people blowing up your cell phone. But if they call you on your cell I'm sure you're not going to. You're not going to mind that either.

Wayne Stephens:

Cell phone numbers on my business cards, and I do wear hearing aids, and so that's an easy way for me to communicate with people.

Mike Murphy:

Okay, well, very good. Well, you know what, wayne? Our time is ended together here today. We could have talked another Lord only knows how long, certainly at least another half an hour. But we'll have to have a second podcast together where maybe we can talk a little more personal stuff about you know, like your family, and where you like to vacation and what do you do for fun, that sort of thing.

Mike Murphy:

But for now I just want to say that I have been struck by your passion for what you do, and I've always said that the best compliment one guy can give another is to say he's a good guy. He's a good guy and, wayne, you are a good guy. I can tell that you are a good guy, and so I encourage people to come and meet with you, come see the showroom, come get to know Wayne and, as you say, buy something, buy something, and you've got a lot to offer people. So I want people to go visit with you. So is there anything else we haven't covered, wayne, that you want to make sure you get to say to the people before we sign off today?

Wayne Stephens:

I would just like people to know that.

Wayne Stephens:

You know there's a lot of folks out there that sell cabinetry and a lot of folks say that they're good at selling cabinetry but they don't really have the passion for design and that's the most important thing. You can buy cabinets at a big box store, for sure, but that design is the most important thing and you know I I don't like to boast or anything else, but I will say that our design ability and the folks that work here with me, I will put their ability up against anyone. And you know and some folks say, well, you know, all that makes things more expensive. But what I have found out and people have told me, when you compare what a job from us to a job from someone else that has less ability or something like that, the service that we provide, if you compare apples to apples, we're our prices right there. Our pricing is very reasonable for what we do. You know we're not getting, we're not getting rich off of every job, but you know we just want to do enough just to make sure we're here in 10 years.

Mike Murphy:

Yeah, well, that's a good way to look at it. You know, people aren't just coming to see you to make you know, to get a pretty kitchen, let's say. They're also increasing the value of their home. They're also making a decision for, in many cases, the people that are going to own the home after they sell it. Yes, so you're making a decision not just for your family, but for some other unnamed family in the future. Yes, so it's worth doing right.

Wayne Stephens:

Yes, it is, it's worth doing right. Yes, it is it's worth doing right and we definitely do it right and we have a lot of passion about what we do. But I would like folks to know, most of all, you know, give us a chance and look at what we have, because if you compare to what some folks are doing out there I guarantee it's my personal you'll get more with us for sure.

Mike Murphy:

Okay, well, that means a lot. Well, wayne, thanks for spending time with us today. This has been, in essence, a great 30-minute commercial that we've just recorded here together and I'm proud to have you on the podcast, and I just want to let everybody out there know that you sometimes you know you've said today you don't like to toot your own horn, but I came to know you because there are many people in the community that love tooting your horn, so that means a lot to me personally, and I know anyone that comes to see you and use you for your services. They're in great hands. So, having said that, we're going to sign off today and this is the Good Neighbor Podcast, so I'll always tell people out there everyone be good to your neighbor and until next time, everyone out there, have a great day.

Charlie McDermott:

See you soon, soon, bye-bye thanks for listening to the good neighbor podcast union. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpunioncom. That's gnpunioncom, or call us at 859-651-8330.