Today we’d like to introduce you to Eva Clemens.
Eva, please share your story with us.
Founded in 2001 by Markus Zaugg and I, both Swiss trained cabinetmakers, started building custom cabinets in Markus’ garage. With my BFA in Interior Design and Markus General Contractors License, we quickly built a clientele, doing high-end kitchens and cabinetry for home-owners as well as the design/build community. Eventually, we bought a building in Lemon Grove and set up shop, and soon further grew our business by adding the German Kitchen Brand LEICHT, which is the fastest growing brand in the US today. By opening a small LEICHT showroom in Little Italy about 5 years ago, we were able to break into the multi-unit market. We also added the high-end appliance brand Miele, and with our current showroom expansion (due to open any minute!) we now added Julien sinks and s-s countertops, Gaggenau, Bosch and Thermador appliances, and are showing more of the multi-faceted possibilities of LEICHT cabinetry, going beyond just the kitchen.
As the exclusive dealership in San Diego, we are proud to offer LEICHT. They are an amazing company to do business with, and they offer more price and material flexibility than any other European Brand. Our Grand Opening for the expansion is planned for June this year!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Not smooth at all… outgrowing our space, moving a few times. Sharing space with ‘crazy’ people.
Experiencing the ‘bubble’ in 2008, we almost lost the business. but since we were craftsmen ourselves, we went back into the trenches ourselves and stayed alive. We hired and lost employees, which proofs to be hard to find the ‘perfect’ employee. But, by growing slowly, we usually did it right, were able to make our clients happy and get a solid referral base. And today, we just hired 3 more people!
Please tell us about Studio Europa Leicht.
Our Swiss background sets us apart, and our education as SWISS trained cabinetmakers. We are known for quality, reliability and high quality. We specialize in high-end cabinetry and kitchen and bath remodels, offering services from concept to completion, or any step in-between, thus, we are able to help almost any client in any situation. By adding the LEICHT Brand, we can set ourselves apart by offering a more flexible product, which is also about 20-30% less than any European competitor.
We are proud to have LEICHT and have slowly grown our company over the last 17 years. It is also important to us, to make our clients happy, so customer service and open communication is a must.
Since we have had some recent growing pains (designing and remodeling more than ever, hiring more employees) we are tirelessly working on improving our business practices and streamlining our processes for an even better client experience.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Hire more people sooner, putting more efforts in marketing and selling. This would have made our business grow faster, perhaps. I would have also looked for a European kitchen brand dealership sooner.
Contact Info:
- Address: Studio Europa Leicht
2064 / 2084 Kettner Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101 - Website: www.studioeuropaleicht.com
- Phone: 619-977-8577
- Email: eva@studioeuropaleicht.com
- Other: https://www.houzz.com/pro/studioeuropainc/studio-europa-leicht
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