By Do you dream of how much more pleasant it would be to have more storage space in your apartment? Decades ago, residents of many or most apartment buildings had access to basement storage areas where everything from albums of coin and stamp collections bikes and steamer trunks could be stashed…
Then, with time residents living in tighter quarters but always acquiring more stuff, welcomed innovative storage and furnishing solutions that would unclutter living space. These now familiar solutions are still in great demand. They include beds with storage beneath them, entertainment centers, and bookcases that helped organize conglomerations of electronics and accommodate their associated need for wire management. And, they are able bookcases that also serve as room dividers or headboards. Trends in cabinetry often vary, like in fashion. At the moment, popular wood stains are light.
And, preference for painted wood? Now is the time for hues of green, blue, gray, black, and white furniture.
Aristidis Zaharopoulos is the owner of Gothic Furniture. His five retail stores around the boroughs are located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, plus one in Westchester, and another on Long Island, all supported by a factory in Queens. The Manhattan location is at 2652 Broadway at 101st Street. The business was started by Aristidis’ father, the late Theodore Zaharopoulos, who passed away a few years ago, and originated from Amaliada, a town in the Peloponnesus. While serving in the Greek army, he was trained in the skills he would later use in his cabinetry business. After coming to New York, he opened his first store on 13th Street and 3rd Avenue in 1969. The business grew to a height of ten locations by 1975. Aristidis said that closing some of the stores had to do with rent hikes and the increased price of materials, but primarily, “because of the Internet we don’t need so many stores today because, people can order on line. We have customers from all over the world.”
Aristidis grew up knowing he would enter the business. As an adolescent, he worked alongside his father. In high school, he learned to do assembly. In college, he was involved in retail. After earning a degree from NYU’s Stern School of Business, he took on the administrative part of the business. Workers were and still are like family. “They care about the business, maybe even more than I do” he joked. Tony, the designer at the Upper West Side location has been with the business for 40 years. “I’m 46,” said Aristidis, I’ve known him since I was six, so yes, he’s family.”
Considering cabinetry enhancements in your apartment? Aristidis explained that projects are approached in three ways.
1) Captain’s beds with storage, dressers and closets – all manufactured at the firm’s factory.
2) Distribution of furniture made by other manufacturers.
3) Custom work.
Gothic’s custom portfolio online is impressive.
Do customers have a clear idea of what they want when they come in? Aristidis said yes in general, but the approach seems to differ between generations. In pursuit of a living room wall unit with an electric fireplace, for example, older customers basically have an idea about the result they’d like to achieve but are relatively vague on the measurements and technical details involved. Younger people, often more familiar with researching via the Internet, tend to come in with more specific knowledge. Every customer request is welcomed as a new and interesting challenge. “A special niche,” Aristidis described, “is making cabinets to store vintage technologies like old records, CDs and DVDs.”
Either way, the Gothic team is committed to guiding, assisting and offer opinions. In his own home, an older house, Aristidis has taken advantage of quirky nooks and odd crannies to have innovative cabinetry transform wasted space into a functional asset. He and his wife wanted a pantry, for example, and were able to have a cabinet custom-made to fit an unused corner.
“It’s getting harder and harder to cope with the rising rents and increased costs of manufacturing in New York. We are surviving because of the people who have been working with us for 40-45 years and care about the company.” Aristidis said. “We’re doing our best to stay here.”