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Garrett Ellis, of Catskill Cabinetry, displays a run of upper cabinets in his Delhi shop in early August.

Garrett Ellis, of Catskill Cabinetry, displays a run of upper cabinets in his Delhi shop in early August.

Delhi native Garrett Ellis is carving out his niche.

Ellis, 30, launched Catskill Cabinetry, offering custom cabinets and millwork, in 2020. But, he said, he’s been honing his craft for years.

“It kind of started in high school,” he said. “I took a class my senior year and I didn’t know what I wanted to do in college, but I took this shop class and built a gun cabinet and really enjoyed that. So, that’s where the flame started. I built that and … then went to SUNY Delhi for their cabinetry and construction program and have been in shops ever since.”

Ellis said Catskill Cabinetry’s start coincided with his homecoming.

“It was probably about 2 1/2 years ago that I moved back from Albany, (where) I’d been in a large commercial shop and it was just too fast-paced,” he said. “There was not a lot of love in it; everything was cut on a CNC (computer numerical control cutter), so I moved back and started acquiring tools, moved into my dad’s garage and have built (the business) from there, slow and steady, and it’s become a working, full shop.”

Ellis said the business has built up “a pretty good following.”

“Mostly I do kitchens, bathrooms, libraries, cabinetry-style stuff and millwork, which is like crown molding, base molding and trim for contractors if that’s something they were to come looking for,” he said. “It’s the finish-end stuff. I’m really big into kitchens. I love doing kitchens and I’m very good at doing kitchens.

“I’ll go from plans to installation,” Ellis continued. “So, it’s whatever (customers) are looking for. I’ll help them design or get a third party in to help design. But, with the kitchen I’m doing right now, I went in with the couple, talked over the kitchen, helped design it, helped with color and the hardware and helped finalize the small details that are the big details when it’s your kitchen.”

That following, Ellis said, spans local and downstate tastes.

“I’ve gone down to the city and I’ve gone to Stamford area and Hobart, but mostly it’s fed through my Instagram or word-of-mouth,” he said. “The word-of-mouth will be homeowners, and I’m hoping to get on to contractors’ lists, so if they’re building a house and somebody wants a custom kitchen or custom millwork, they’ll be able to throw my name out there.

“Everybody is very positive with my work,” Ellis continued. “This kitchen I have right now is due to the fact that I built a closet for a couple in Stamford and they recommended me to this couple for the kitchen, so it’s very positive feedback.”

Ellis said he hopes the quality of his work and his passion for it help distinguish Catskill Cabinetry.

“I really set my mind to this when I was 20 years old,” he said. “The first shop I was ever in, I was telling (the owner), by the time I’m 30, I’m going to have my own shop. I know I don’t know everything and have a lot to learn … but I don’t know if people expect me to know what I do, because it is an older, age-driven industry. I put that to the guys I’ve learned from and worked with; I’ve learned from some very good cabinet makers.

“I’ve always been in shops doing this sort of stuff and it is just what I’ve put my heart into,” Ellis continued. “It’s a very particular thing — you have to have patience all the way through and see the end game of it and a lot of people don’t have that. That’s what I think I love about it: I can see the final product when it’s just a drawing on paper. I can visualize it and seeing that is very rewarding. Working with my hands and seeing something happen, at the end of the day, is what I truly love about it.”

Ellis said he plans to launch a Catskill Cabinetry website soon, as well as an expanded, ground-level shop.

For more information, follow @catskill_cabinetry on Instagram or contact catskill_cabinetry@yahoo.com.

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