My Biz: North Liberty’s Corridor Kitchens growing customer base

NOTH LIBERTY — Walking into the showroom at Corridor Kitchens in North Liberty, you just might be inspired to begin cooking.

The company, which specializes in custom kitchen designs for new homes and remodeling projects, offers an array of kitchen countertops and cabinets on display in its showroom.

But you won't find any utensils in the drawers at Corridor Kitchens.

'We don't sell blenders,' said Amber Horton, vice president of Corridor Kitchens, noting that at least once a week someone will walk into the store looking for small kitchen appliances. 'Sometimes people think we are a restaurant, which always makes me laugh because that's not a very creative name for a restaurant.'

As part owner of the company along with Rick Corkin, Horton spends her days working with customers to create dream kitchens.

She said Corridor Kitchens offers a full range of services from design and estimation to delivery and installation.

'I do all my designs and bids, even going out to do my own measurements,' Horton said. 'Our customers get everything from us from beginning to end.'

Corridor Kitchens was formerly owned by a cabinet company based in Davenport, so while the name may be relatively new to some, the company has been doing business in North Liberty for 15 years.

'We've really seen North Liberty grow in that time and have been instrumental in helping to build North Liberty,' Horton said. 'We sometimes joke that we've probably been in at least a quarter of the houses in North Liberty doing some element of kitchen installation.'

She said Corridor Kitchens does most of its work in the North Liberty and Iowa City markets and would like to expand more into the Cedar Rapids market.

Horton explained that traditionally Corridor Kitchens has been a contractor-focused business.

'I'm not exaggerating when I say that in the past, about 97 percent of our business was contractor-based,' she said. 'I personally wanted to focus on the retail side of things and get more into working with individual homeowners.'

In the last year, Corridor Kitchens shifted to 70 percent contractor work and 30 percent retail.

'This location was such a draw for us in that way,' she added. 'We have so much walk-in traffic and we've been able to draw a client base that we hadn't before.'

Horton said she is excited about the growth and that it has been an exciting learning opportunity.

'I get to have so much fun in the work that I do,' she said. 'Every person's home is a new design challenge and everyone's perspective is different.'

A staff of seven — five full-time and two part-time employees — handle a variety of designs and projects that range from complete kitchen remodels to simply replacing countertops.

'We design everything from modern to traditional and everything in between,' Horton said. 'We have really diverse design talents here that help us fulfill the needs of our customers.'

AT A GLANCE

Business: Corridor Kitchens

Co-owners: Amber Horton and Rick Corkin

Address: 650 Pacha Way, Suite 6, North Liberty

Telephone: (319) 665-8300

Website: http://corridorkitchensiowa.com

Know a company in business for more than a year that would make a great My Biz? Contact George C. Ford at george.ford@thegazette.com