Kehoe and Graham had some tough decisions to make when the market started drying up. The company made cuts in its original staff of 60. It is now down to 18 employees. Â
“Tough? Unbelievably tough,” said Kehoe. “We were a family; we knew each other, visited each others”™ homes, our kids knew each other. We tried to help each and every one of our employees find a new place to work. We wanted our company to stay alive. We just couldn”™t keep them on the payroll or I wouldn”™t be here talking to you.”Â
Looking at the number of new housing starts compiled by the U.S. Census, Kehoe turns a whiter shade of pale: “Not one time in the history of this record keeping, started in 1959, did the number of new housing starts go below one million. In 2008, it went down to 904,300,000. And keep in mind, the population of the U.S. is now over 300,000 million people, more than double what it was when the Census started keeping this data.” Â
One thing Kehoe is sure of: “Every one of us ”“ business owners and residents that commute ”“ need to support our local economy now more than ever; shop local, buy local, think local. Â
“I live in Pine Bush; when my family shops, we shop in the town of Pine Bush as much as possible, even if it is a few dollars more. That”™s where we live and are raising our family. When we as a company buy local services, we seek out the nearest vendor possible. We buy our tools at Tool Factory Outlet in Goshen. We use a local community bank. That”™s the only way to do it if we are going to save ourselves in this economy.” Â
And business ”“ no matter what industry ”“ must learn to bend with the bitter wind, says Kehoe. For Blooming Grove Stair Company, “It is doing more retail work, something we ordinarily stayed away from five years ago. Â
“We have a showroom now, and we are open for retail business. With more and more people doing it themselves, we knew we had to change our business model to reach that market, give people an alternative to big box stores. Â
“Now, we sell the parts to build railings for do-it-yourselfers. One nice advantage we have over the national retailers: We help our customers join the pieces together at no extra charge. Our prices are competitive, and we give personal service. That”™s something you won”™t get from a national or multinational chain store.”Â
An increase in building contractors going into home improvements, forsaking the wait for new construction to come their way in favor of home renovations is another shift. “Some of these small companies never dreamed they”™d be doing home renovations, but they are, and they are doing it well. They”™re glad to have jobs and work for their employees. You have to be flexible. People who are inflexible about their business model ”“ ”˜We”™ve always done it this way, and it has always worked”™ ”“ are going to be gone when the dust settles. That”™s just the reality of it,” said the stair builder. Â
Blooming Grove Stair Co. found another way to climb the stairway out of the abyss by turning its attention to bi-level railing. Bi-levels are more than plentiful in Rockland and Orange counties. “This is work we would not have taken on years ago, but it is one of the services we offer now. The railing is the first thing you see when you walk into that style of home and many people are getting rid of outdated wrought-iron railings and replacing with wood. It”™s a new revenue stream for us. We just started a year ago and did nearly 300 homes last year. Â
“Again, we entered a market we traditionally stayed away from. When times were booming, we focused on stairs and railings for custom homes or new construction. But we like to eat, too, so why not do work we can do well and keep our business going?
“That”™s what I mean by keeping all doors open and keeping an open mind to changing with the times.”Â
Blooming Grove Stair Company will be among the dozens of vendors participating in the Hudson Valley Builders Association Trade Show on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Doors open at Anthony”™s Pier 9 in New Windsor from 2 to 7 p.m. Â
Kehoe and Graham are hoping, like others in the building trade, that the show will attract people who want to get the most bang for their buck and work with the local companies participating in the yearly event.
