For Half a Century, Quality is a Constant for Tri-Star Cabinets

To many consumers, hearing that prices dropped is something new. But for nearly half a decade,  Tri-Star Cabinet & Top Company has continued to be a leader of change and wowed its customers doing that. Its styles have been updated, its prices have actually decreased, but one thing has remained constant: the quality of its products.

Tri-Star is a family-owned, second-generation New Lenox business. Since 1966, owners Cosmo Misischia, Jim Thomas and Joe Wilda have built custom kitchens for just about every new construction home in New Lenox.

"We always had a pretty good reputation once we started," Wilda said.

For a while, Tri-Star's product was once considered so high-end that it was almost inaccessible to the average Joe. But now it's surprisingly affordable.

Tri-Star prides itself on providing custom-built products at low prices. And the employees say their work can reduce extra costs for installation. Because of the nature of Tri-Star's expert precision measuring, all cabinets are custom built correctly and installation is swift.

Whereas, pre-made cabinets come in set sizing. When the cabinets arrive, the installer needs extra time to add filler pieces and blocks. Even in new homes, walls are not plum. Making square cabinets fit odd-shaped holes takes time. For the amount of extra money the homeowners pay the installer, Tri-Star employees say they do it right the first time. 

"Because of the recession, our prices are lower than they have been in years and they're super competitive," Vice President Kathi Lenci said.

The result is a higher quality product, exactly how homeowners want it, that fits correctly. The wood materials Tri-Star uses are all thicker than what box stores offer, plant manager Shawn Healy said. 

"Plus, our finish, the guys are hand-rubbing all of it," he said. "It's not a machine doing it."

Also, Tri-Star's custom options are infinite. There are 26 each of standard colors and door styles, and that's only the beginning. The custom blending of stains and glazes allow Tri-Star to create any look or match any existing piece. 

"We are so customized now we can do any glazing or highlighting," Lenci said. "Our finishes now are just really beautiful."

The standard woods available include soft maple, hard maple, cherry, beech, walnut, alder and oak. They also offer several green products, including bamboo.

"(Tri-Star's creativity) took me to something I've never seen before and I love it," said long-time customer Karyl Hobbs, a Frankfort resident. "I've been very happy with my cabinets."

Hobbs said she has had Tri-Star build her custom cabinets for years. They renovated three kitchens and a bar, as well as her husband's gun cabinet. Also, her husband has built a few spec houses that featured Tri-Star cabinets. 

Recently, Hobbs brought her daughter and granddaughter into Tri-Star's showroom so they could shop for their own cabinets.

Over the past 45 years, Tri-Star's business has expanded. Custom cabinets aren't just for kitchens anymore, but are also re-purposed for mud rooms, foyers, libraries and offices. They build islands or shelving units to match existing cabinets. They can also create seating and storage for bay windows or sun rooms. 

"That is our forte. We bend over backwards to give (customers) anything they want," Lenci said. "We want (the finished product) to be an extension of themselves."

Tri-Star has also expanded beyond homes. They have done quite a bit of work for businesses throughout Northern Illinois. For example, their cabinetry can be found in an orthodontist's office in Morris or in Silver Cross Field in Joliet.

"We have done commercial work for White Sox park," Lenci said.

Quality has been a huge factor in their success. At every stage of production, each person focuses on attention to detail and they each check the other's work. 

"We are the waterfall," employee Al Murry said as he applied the finishing hardware. "We are the last step before it goes out."

Murry, an 11-year employee, explained that the people attaching the hardware check each piece to make sure it is perfect before it loads on the delivery truck.

Regardless of these quality control measures, if a customer is not 100 percent happy, Lenci said Tri-Star has a highly-specialized service department. These guys go out to the home or office and give 150 percent effort, she said, to make the customers happy.

"(Tri-Star was) so accommodating and everything fit," Hobbs said. "The customer service is fabulous."

Tri-Star Cabinets & Tops

• Address: 1000 S. Cedar Road in New Lenox
• Hours: Weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with extended hours on Thursday until 8 p.m. Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon.
• Phone: 708-479-2126
• Website: http://www.tristarcabinets.com/
• Facebook: See the business' fan page here.
• Patch Places: Find our here.