A Place for Everything

A place for everything and everything in its place.
original quote by Benjamin Franklin

used by Isabella Mary Beeton in The Book of Household Management, 1861

If someone working on a house might want to have everything just so, the person who can make that happen is Jeff Granitzki, his brother and sister, and the team at Island Woodcrafts. Jeff can fill a given space with as many drawers, cubby holes and shelves as you can possibly imagine, beautifully organized and in all sizes, colors and finishes, made by hand in the cabinet shop or ordered from a reputable commercial cabinet shop. Island Woodcrafts has been on the Outer Banks since the early 1970’s and has three locations: The plant in Wanchese, the showroom in Kill Devil Hills, and the original office with showroom in Manteo. I visited all three sites and met Jeff’s brother, Cliff, and his sister, Linda. Island Woodcrafts is a true family business, with the elder Mr. Granitzki only releasing an active role in the late 1990’s. (He will be 90 years old in January!) Mrs. Granitzki also played a key part through the years, and she passed away in 2002.

Island Woodcrafts was founded by Gus Granitzki after he fell in love with the Outer Banks while vacationing on Sandpiper Trace in the family Airstream trailer with his wife, Evelyn, and their children. At the time, Mr. Granitzki was the founding owner of Country Cabinet Shop in Skillman, New Jersey. As a young man in the 1940’s Gus had been a tool and die maker and was later working for RCA Labs when he began making furniture and cabinets at home. That sideline became a successful business, and the Granitzki children grew up with Dad at home in the cabinet shop, Mom helping Dad and making things run smoothly, and kids reared to do chores first and play later. Having grown up during the Depression, Gus was one of those people who never forgot the lesson that consistent hard work can make all the difference between successful survival and utter failure. The decision to sell the business in New Jersey and move wife and younger sons to North Carolina came when Gus was in his early 50’s, and the concept of beginning all over again in a new place was a huge change for the family, especially Mom. In the early 1970’s, Manteo was still a sleepy little coastal town with a big history…quite a change from the Princeton, NJ area. As the cabinet shop grew, the family began to feel more at home and gradually put down North Carolina roots. My romantic side thinks the idea of having Dad at home all the time and the whole family involved in supporting his job sounds like the American dream come true, but I can also imagine that some free and easy time would have been welcome. Cliff told me that having grown up in the '50's and '60's with work being all important in his home life, he never doubts that he can find and keep a job, so that was a good lesson.

When Island Woodcrafts was new, all of the cabinets were custom built in the cabinet shop on Ananias Dare Street in Manteo, first in the family garage and then in their shop next door. In the last 15 years or so, as factory cabinets have improved both in quality and value, more and more people have chosen those cabinets. Island Woodcrafts still makes custom cabinets and is fully equipped as a custom shop, but now about 90% of the cabinets are factory ordered to Jeff’s specifications. I visited the shop in Wanchese and was given demonstrations for the machines by Cliff. It made me wish that I could have afforded to have our new kitchen built to the exact shapes and sizes of the needs that we wished to fill. Island Woodcrafts does beautiful work, and it would be a very special experience and a true family legacy to have that type of special kitchen. Maybe someday…

The guys all tell me that Island Woodcrafts is a great place to work. Most of the craftspeople and installers have been with the Granitzkis for 20 or so years, and the two men who put this new kitchen together for me were the same two who installed the cabinets in our house in Duck. It was great to see them again! These are all good people to spend time with, and it is a treat any time they come out to work at the house.

Vince and I had been hoping to have a big dining room table, 54” by 96”, so that Vince can prepare feast for our friends and family. After shopping for one in our price range with no luck, we asked Jeff and company to create a maple table with a top that would match the counters in the kitchen. I was hesitant, but the table is ideal for what we need here. It was fun to have Island Woodcrafts do the work. As we live in the house, we want to add more cabinets and shelves and special places, and these are the people that we want to provide these pieces for us. Can’t ask for better! Take a look! This is great!