By Sarah Wegelin
Columbia Valley Cabinets is a family-run business that has been operating out of Nicholson for 26 years.
Owner Danny Orr studied cabinetry in Red Deer, A.B., and opened his business when he moved to Golden in 1992 and started a family. His son Brandon began working in the woodshop with his dad when he was 12 years old. Now a family man himself, with a daughter just over one year old, he works the business with his father, making beautiful cabinets for homes in the Columbia Valley.
Brandon says he’s learned a lot from his father by working with him over the years. “He always finishes his job right, so everybody’s happy,” he said.
Danny says the secret to his longevity and success in the business is honesty and quality, but those are not the only values that have contributed to years of continuous work for the cabinet builder. Awareness of fostering good business relationships, enjoying what he does, and being ready before the customer are other values that have contributed to his success.
“Put out a good product and be honest. Word of mouth can hurt you in a hurry,” Danny explains.
After years building cabinets in the Columbia Valley, Danny says the work is still fun.
“It’s still fun. It’s not a job,” he says.
Danny cares about his customers and continues to provide what they want in terms of design and types of wood. He explains he has seen a lot of changes in style over the years.
“I haven’t done anything in oak in 10 years,” he says, explaining that oak was the most popular wood desired by his customers at one-time in his years of business.
These days, his customers are looking for different varieties of wood and lighter colours. Stylish lines and grooves in the cabinets are not as sought after as they were in previous years, he explains, and hardware is always changing.
Columbia Valley Cabinets is located at 761 Nicholson Frontage Road. Call Danny at 250-344-5692 to book a consultation.
