A family business through and through, Custom Creations have dedicated their business to beautiful, custom-made furniture. With over forty years combined experience, their creative team likes to take a ‘outside the box’ look on each project. We had the pleasure of catching up with heart and soul of the business, ‘Jo Philips’, to hear a firsthand account of what Custom Creations is really all about.
We sat in their head office overhanging the workshop, with the authentic ring of drills and saws carving away in the background, an oddly comforting sound. Consumers, like you and I, long for authenticity – it’s the new ‘selling point’. We’re constantly being bombarded with sales messages and catchy slogans, but no marketing ploy compares to the ability to see exactly where your products are coming from and that’s exactly what Custom Creations offer. In fact, customers who employ Custom Creations to build their furniture are welcomed down to the workshop to see their items as they’re being built; something almost unheard of in the commercial sector. Being able to come and see your products being made is really a testament to their team of talented craftsmen; who among us (no matter how good at our jobs we are) would let someone come and watch over them at work? It’s heartening to know that your furniture is handmade, a one of a kind and far from other mass-produced products.
“We only use our own fitters, we don’t out source. It’s so that we can ensure that the quality of our products and also our service is always consistent with the standard we set.”
Jo informed me on the lineage of the company, “We’ve all been in the business a minimum of 15 years (my husband almost 40). We had worked previously for an alternative furniture brand, until that company underwent some drastic changes. We knew it was now or never, so we took the leap and started our own business!” Since then they haven’t looked back! Amongst their talented team are a few key members, like Simon for example, who takes care of everything on the production side of things. James who designs each individual piece of furniture and of course Jo (our lovely interviewee) who is the glue that holds it all together; keeping paperwork, diaries and all things administrative in order. Bringing with them their own specialist set of skills, they really are a force to be reckoned with.
I was curious as to what made someone passionate about furniture; Jo answered my question with…“Mine is more about people. I’ve been dealing with people forever, in one way or another that has always been a big part of my career and I love it”. It wasn’t just Jo who seemed to relish working with people either. Even after just a brief stroll through their workshop, I was met with happy smiling faces and those who didn’t look up were working away on new projects with what I can only describe as military precision and clearly a keen eye for detail.
The CC process varies enormously depending on the client. Those who need a little inspiration are welcomed to visit their showroom (also on site), those who have ideas of their own can obtain a design visit from James and then of course there is their signature ‘Showroom Caddy’; a fully kitted out mini-van complete with design samples, colours and all sorts of testers that can be driven to you at home. Custom Creations wanted to provide those with extremely hectic lives, the opportunity to see their incredible products without customers leaving the comfort of their homes. With many of us struggling to find the time to get the odd jobs done alone, it makes for an incredible helping-hand.
Having dealt with the same traders for 20 plus years, they have great working relationships with their suppliers, which for customers means shorter wait times and access to the very best materials on the market. It’s just another way in which Custom Creations ensures a satisfying customer experience.
Above all things, customer service is very much at the heart of this family-run business. I managed to snag a quote from James (amongst his many appointments), which is a perfect example of their company ethos and general attitude towards business, “We have a very simple philosophy in our family business – we ask ourselves, what would we like and expect as a customer? The answers are always a good guide to our constant development”.
I could really go on and on about this wonderful company. Their warmness, professionalism and evidence of numerous successful projects are astounding. If you do nothing else, I implore you to visit their showroom in Verwood and meet their fantastic team.
Contact Custom Creations on:
t. 01202 823231
w. www.customcreations.furniture
a. Unit 1, Enterprise Park, Blackmoor Road, Ebblake Industrial Estate, Verwood BH31 6YS
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