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Bringing kitchen dreams to life
Tim Holick, the founder, and owner of Wood Palace Kitchens in Middleboro, Massachusetts, has been designing kitchens since 1979, and it all started in his mom’s garage.
Born and raised in the area, Holick has always loved to create. After attending Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School, he began designing and crafting small kitchen projects and furniture for friends and family. As word of his skilled craftsmanship, attention to detail, and dedication to his community spread, more and more jobs came his way, and in 1985, they moved out of the garage and into their current location. Today, Wood Palace Kitchens has a 5,000-square-foot showroom with one working kitchen and a staff of designers.
While the business has shifted from manufacturing custom cabinets to primarily kitchen design over the years, Wood Palace Kitchens’ mission of providing the highest quality products and customer service has stayed the course. Holick even wrote an ebook called Dream First, offering homeowners a crash course in how to start a kitchen project, enlightening them on what to be thinking of, and giving them a glimpse into the design and functionality options they can expect. Holick explained that his job is to pull from the customer what they want, even when they don’t know what they want, and use Wood Palace Kitchens’ design team to create the ultimate space in their home.
“We don’t sell cabinets,” Tim said. “They just happen to come with our services. Our clients need help creating their dream kitchen, and we make sure to ask good questions and really listen to the answers so we can produce a design that matches their taste and lifestyle. We have always stressed that good design costs no more than bad design.”
An entrepreneur and forward thinker at heart, Holick explained that he looked to form strong relationships very early in his career. When he first started Wood Palace Kitchens, he began building relationships with contractors to create a solid base for his company. He remembers them coming to his mom’s yard in the early 80s. Those relationships continue today, and Wood Palace Kitchens has implemented a four-point quality control system that holds all vendors to the strictest performance standards.
“Builders trust us to help their customers,” Holick said, “and we make sure that we not only come up with a dream design, but also make sure they have the best experience possible. Our builders always tell us that their clients (the homeowners) say we are a great vendor to deal with. We take that honor seriously."
Wood Palace Kitchens is a community-centered business and has always been about giving back. Throughout the year, they have partnered with many charities and nonprofits, such as Habitat for Humanity and Make a Wish Foundation on the national scale and local schools, police, the arts, and fire departments closer to home.
“The community supports us, so we graciously give back,” Holick said. “Our goal is to ensure we are doing as much as we can to make our community stronger. Developing a relationship with the community at large was a mission that I set down from the very beginning. People need help, and we help them.”
This trust with customers, vendors, and the community allowed Wood Palace Kitchens to thrive in recessions, injuries, and a global pandemic. Wood Palace Kitchens stuck to their core values and strengths and emerged stronger than ever. Holick said that being a Member Accredited Business since 1993 has also helped to weather the storms of business.
“It’s amazing how many people will look you up,” Holick said. “BBB it’s just another way we show proof that Wood Palace Kitchens is an ethical, reliable company.”
After 44 years in business, Tim will pass the torch on to his nephew, Michael Holick, at the start of 2024. Michael has been working for the company for 33 years and knows the ins and outs of the company, having worked in all different aspects, from shipping to warehouse to sales. Tim will still be available in an advisory/CEO/coaching role, but he’s thrilled to see the business stay in the family.
“I’ve done what I wanted to do and then some,” Tim said. “I’m excited to pass Wood Palace Kitchens on to Mike and keep it in the family. It’s his time in his life to shine and take Wood Palace Kitchens to new horizons. I’m excited to help him now.”
Wood Palace Kitchen serves Middleboro and surrounding areas, but Holick says he’s happy to travel farther to help someone’s dream kitchen come to life.
For more information on Wood Palace Kitchens, check out their BBB Business Profile. To learn more about BBB and read more stories like this, visit Behind the Business Stories with BBB in Eastern MA, ME, RI & VT.
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