3 minute read
business
COMMUNITY BUSINESS
Quality of workmanship in high demand at Cabinet Rehab Shop
By Kathryn Acciari Contributing Writer WORCESTER - Having been in business for 30 years, Gerry Brodeur and his team are known for the high quality of craftsmanship in their work. Brodeur owns the Cabinet Rehab Shop along with The Stripping Workshop in Worcester.
“People find us from Boston, New Hampshire, Maine, and New York too,” says Brodeur. “There are fewer shops doing what we do.”
6 Cherry Street | Ashland, MA. thecornerspotashland.com @TheCornerSpotAshland @cornerspot01721
PHOTO/KATHRYN ACCIARI Gerry Brodeur is the owner of the Cabinet Rehab Shop and The Stripping Workshop.
One of his challenges is the difficulty in finding workers to keep pace with the demand for the shop’s services. He notes that the industry has been fractured since high tech has come in.
“Every five years, we lose more tradespeople,” says Brodeur. “We’re working with an older crew right now. It’s going to take a generation to revive the trades.”
At the vocational schools, there are not as many students going into trades like carpentry or electrical work.
“Since the pandemic, people have decided they want to work from home,” Brodeur said. “They don’t want to come in to work. They don’t want to get their hands dirty.”
While Brodeur’s team is busy, he speaks of the fallingoff of quality of manufactured goods. A trend toward consumerism that started in the 1960’s was accelerated in the 2000’s. True appreciation for high-quality products has significantly decreased.
“As a society, we’ve become used to disposable furniture,” he said. “People buy from stores like IKEA, where furniture is mass-produced. People have been conditioned to get upgrades every six months. Quality is low, and if something wears out, people just throw it away and buy a new one.”
Coupled with this lack of appreciation for quality, Brodeur notes that since the pandemic, it is increasingly difficult to obtain high-quality materials.
“You pay a premium and wait a long time for them,” he said.
His crew has over 100 window sashes onsite for restoration, some going back as far as 300 years. These are from antique properties, some of which are on historic registers. Brodeur remarks that sentiment is the one thing that keeps people tied to the restoration and refurbishing of older pieces. Over 50% of his shop is made up of sentimental pieces.
Such items are loaded with stories. Brodeur speaks of an elderly woman whose friend passed away. She brought in her friend’s rocker to be refurbished. It was not high-quality, but it held great emotional value for the woman.
“You can’t age-out sentiment,” he says. “It may be a teddy bear or a lamp or a rocker, or even a computerized avatar. It’s human nature to hold deep emotional connections with pieces from their past. People still want to have roots. It’s the glue of society.”
Visit the Cabinet Rehab Shop and The Stipping Workshop and Cabinet Refacing at 100 Grand Street, Worcester, Massachusetts. (508) 986-8450. Business Profiles are advertising features designed to provide information and background about Community Advocate advertisers.
MARLBOROUGH - UMass Memorial Health - Marlborough Hospital was recently honored as one of the best hospitals in the country, earning a spot on a list alongside just 147 other facilities.
The list is a collaboration between Money and The Leapfrog Group, which describes itself as a nonprofit watchdog organization that serves as a voice for health care consumers and purchasers. The list is designed to help inform people about which hospitals have the best value. It is the first list produced through this partnership.
“I am so proud of everyone involved in helping us earn this ranking,” said Marlborough Hospital President Steve Roach in a press release last week. “Our caregivers have proven to be relentless during very challenging and difficult times and have demonstrated their dedication and commitment to providing safe and patientcentered care.”
Hospitals were eligible to appear on the list if they received an A grade in The Leapfrog Group’s fall 2021 Hospital Safety Guide.
Chair of the Hospital’s Board of Trustees Michael Murphy thanked UMass Memorial’s caregivers, colleagues, donors, community and patients.
“Being recognized nationally as one of the 148 best hospitals in the country is a tremendous honor and acknowledgement for the care our caregivers provide to the residents of the communities the hospital serves,” Murphy said.
Marlborough Hospital is located at 157 Union Street.
