Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry earns honors at kitchen and bath industry show

Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry’s booth at the recent Kitchen and Bath Industry Show received two awards from a panel of industry experts. The Schaefferstown company’s booth was named Best Cabinetry Booth and Best Medium Booth in the show.

“KBIS is the biggest show in our industry, and it’s attended by industry professionals including builders and designers,” said Shane Achey, director of marketing and a third-generation family member at Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry.

“Every year at KBIS, we are captivated by the stunning exhibit displays and new products showcased by the industry’s leading brands,” Jason McGraw, group vice president and KBIS show director, said in a news release. “With great planning, creative design, and significant investment, this year’s Best Booth Awards winners have dazzled attendees with their innovation and impressive displays.”

KBIS is the not-for-profit trade association that owns the show, which its website describes as being “dedicated to all aspects of kitchen and bath design.” This year’s KBIS was held mid-February in Orlando, Florida. According to KBIS website, it was attended by 117,000 industry professionals.

Achey said Plain & Fancy had booths at previous years shows, but took a short break from exhibiting, and then went back to last year’s KBIS.

“Last year, we didn’t have a lot of time to prepare the booth for the show. We spent a lot of time preparing the booth for this year’s show, and we had staff from various departments on our team,” he said. “In previous years, there were only two categories for awards, this year it was expanded into different product categories. There aren’t many cabinetmakers at the show, so we weren’t competing against a large number of booths for that award, but there are a lot of medium-size booths. We’re very proud to receive both the Best Medium Booth and Best Cabinetry Booth awards.”

Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry was founded in 1968 by Achey’s grandfather, the late John Achey, whose hobby of making cabinets was transformed into a business in the family’s Richland garage. According to the company’s website, the business was named for the cabinets they made – Plain & Fancy. John Achey was inducted into the Kitchen & Bath Association Hall of Fame in 2003, about a year after his death.

Plain & Fancy’s first manufacturing facility opened in Richland in 1972. Due to growth, the business moved to its current location at 2550 Stiegel Pike, Schaefferstown, in 1984.

John Achey’s legacy of building each cabinet to order continues today.

“We focus on true customization of cabinets. We don’t have a warehouse filled with completed cabinets; each one is built to order,” Shane Achey said. “We’re still family-owned.”

He said Plain & Fancy has 120 employees, and the manufacturing facility operates with one shift. He said many of the employees are from the local area, and a number of employees have been with the company 25 to 30 years. “We have a family-centered mindset, and we prioritize our people,” he said. 

There is a bit of seasonality to the business, with the busiest times in the warmer months.

“People don’t want their homes torn up in the winter,” Achey said, adding that 85% of Plain & Fancy’s custom cabinets are for remodeling projects.

“We’re known for our finish and durability. We put a lot of effort into cabinets that will last for years,” he said.

Achey said Plain & Fancy offers cabinets and doors crafted from wood as well as other materials. Woods include cherry, maple, oak and walnut. He said today’s design trends focus on more streamlined cabinet designs with a cleaner aesthetic. The modern, contemporary style is flat panels with custom colors as well as soft close doors and drawers.

“A lot of our custom colors are whites. But white isn’t just one color – we have over a dozen different types of white. We also get a lot of requests for blues and greens,” Achey said.

He said people overall are looking for more storage and more organization, and that can mean taller cabinets and roll-out drawers. Another option is use toe-kicks for roll-out storage. Toe-kicks can also be customized to function as pull-out step-shelves, and lighting can be installed under the bottom of the lower cabinet by the toe-kick.

Plain & Fancy also offers accessories for cabinets such as cutlery dividers, pantry or spice rack pullouts, wire bins baskets, double waste baskets, and laundry hampers. Drawers can be crafted with a built-in docking station, to store technology such as phones, tablets or laptops; there’s also a version designed for small kitchen appliances or to store items such as hair dryers and curling irons in the bathroom.

“We focus on true customization,” Achey said.