First is a number that comes up frequently when you get to know Geoffrey Davenport’s company Closets By Design. They’re rightfully proud that their independently owned franchise is the volume leader for the entire company nationwide and has been for the last 6 years! While most franchises have sales that hover around a million dollars annually Geoffrey’s franchise is the only one to have ever sold 7 million dollars in one year! When a lot of other businesses are regrouping, these days Closets By Design for the Washington-Baltimore area is hiring workers and designers to keep up with demand. 

“When people are buying houses we are busy and when they are sitting tight and making their current houses more livable we are busy then too. We are benefiting from both situations in different parts of the metropolitan area”, according to Mr. Davenport. His wife and partner Millie Perry Davenport has a different perspective on what is first when it comes to closets. “The first thing you do to get organized and ready for the day is go in your closet. We help you have an organized pleasant experience to get started and set the pace for the rest of your day. Our customers are just like us and on the go all the time. It is important to have a place for everything and easily access it so we design their closet with an eye to their active lifestyles. 

The designer sits with the homeowner and gets their input for the design. "We want to involve the customer in the design process. By doing that we usually sell more than half the people we see," he said.

Being in one of the most recession resistant and affluent areas is a big help to being the sales leader but doing a great job on  the fundamentals is still the key. About a third of our business comes from repeat customers and referrals. That only happens when you do the job right and take care of your customers better than the completion. Salesmanship against other franchises is one thing, but having repeatedly bigger numbers, comes from service which is an integral part of Closets By Design.

It doesn’t hurt to have some help from extremely large orders like the Saudi Prince who ordered a $100,000 closet but most closets run around $4,000 and there are 125 to 150 projects under way every month. It is good thing they have their own factory so they can get the work done with faster turnaround time and the quality control customers in this area traditionally demand. Most jobs are completed in one to two days. 

"If we run into something that needs changing or adjusting our in-house manufacturing facility enables us to make that change and stay on schedule. We don't have to stop the job while a piece is ordered and shipped," Davenport emphasized.

Expanding the product line from closets to also include entertainment centers, pantries, garage cabinets, flooring and home offices has helped to grow sales and customers. 

They have the capability of doing real wood projects that require staining as well as offering a complete line of garage cabinetry and racks for flat-wall areas. "We are now getting into more garage flooring projects," he stated.  Davenport offers several types of garage flooring including heavy duty, snap-together tiles. "They can be cleaned and if one is damaged it can be replaced individually. We also offer a longer warranty on our tiles -- 12 years," Davenport said. Those same tiles are suitable for patios and outside decks. 

Where maximization of space is essential, as in many of the old colonial era homes throughout Northern Virginia, such as those found in Old Town Alexandria, Closets By Design has the expertise to capitalize on the space available. "In small spaces you are really working with height. In most instances, we are able to take advantage of small spaces. And we are always introducing new products such as our Murphy bed," he noted.

Over the past 10 years, Closets By Design has completed more than 12,000 projects, averaging six homes a day. "We are a very stable company and we put our customers first. That's why we have been the top sales franchise for six years in a row," Davenport said.

Owned and operated by him and his wife, the Davenports have top drawer managers in each of their sales, production and installation departments. Their production department is on site in Manassas. "This enables us to do our own work. That's very different from many of our competitors," Davenport said.

Combining this self-sufficient production capability with skilled craftsmen and extraordinary customer services -- from the sale to the finished product -- garnered Inc. Magazine's endorsement of his franchise as one of America’s 5000 fastest-growing companies in 2007.

As any realtor knows, one of the primary elements in the sale of any house is closet space and storage capabilities. And, no one in the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area knows more about that than Geoff Davenport.

For further information go to: www.closetsbydesign.com or call 800-293-3744 toll free.
For a first hand view, visit their Closets By Design Showroom at 6962 Wellington Road, Manassas, VA 20109.