History

Mullet Cabinet’s History

The Dream
In 1959, Jake Mullet begins building custom kitchen cabinetry, with no shop in which to work in and very limited tools, in the heart of Ohio’s Amish Furniture Country. However, his dream is to someday have his own shop with modern tools (including sharp saw blades) instead of moving  from job to job for his work.

The Dream Unfolds
In June of 1965, Jake is offered a job in a small custom cabinet shop owned by Freeman Hostetler at the rate of $1.75 per hour. The business is located in a building rented from another Fryburg resident. Jake accepts the position and a special family legacy unfolds.

In 1966, Jake’s son, Dean(15), is hired as a part-time employee. Dean’s first tasks include sweeping floors, filling nail holes, and sanding cabinets. At approximately this same time, the first shop is built on the current Mullet Cabinet premises. It measures only 32 feet by 65 feet (a meager 2,080 square feet.)

The Dream Realized
Unfortunately, a paint room fire destroys the new facility in 1974.  However, it is soon after this disaster that Freeman Hostetler offers Jake the opportunity to buy the business. Jake’s dream of owning his own custom cabinet shop finally becomes a reality.  Together, in 1975, Jake and Dean purchase Hostetler Cabinet. A year later, Jake’s younger son, Dennis, joins the business (now Mullet Cabinet) as a partner.

The Dream Grows
In 1987, Mullet Cabinet is outsourcing all of its hardwood doors and drawer fronts. After becoming frustrated with extended schedules, founder Dean Mullet’s dream of owning his own door plant becomes a reality with the launch of Fryburg Door. Starting in a 4,500 square foot building on the Mullet Cabinet campus, three employees produce only doors and drawer fronts for the first three years.

Mullet Cabinet grows rapidly, becoming a premier custom cabinet manufacturer. Strong emphasis is placed on using cutting-edge technology in the shop, while at the same time offering innovative design, high quality custom product lines, and outstanding service to their customers – all at fair prices and while maintaining the highest levels of integrity.

New Dreams are Born
Noticing a demand in the market in 1999, a new line of frameless, commercial cabinets is created under the name Eurocase Architectural Cabinets and Millwork. Eurocase supplies quality commercial cabinets based on the 32mm system to the medical, educational, and commercial business markets. In 2001, Mullet Cabinet expands by selling to kitchen dealers east of the Mississippi.

The partnership between father and sons continues under the business principles established by Jake until January of 2002, when Dean becomes the sole owner of Mullet Cabinet. Continuing with family tradition, Dean’s sons, Vince, Jordan and Nick, become actively involved in learning the business and running the company. And in 2005, Vince, Jordan and Nick become owners and actively run the company. Though, not actively involved in the business, Jake still occasionally stops to visit.

In 2014, Jordan feels called to another career path and exits the business with the support of his brothers Vince and Nick who remain in the business.

Dreams Expand and Grow
Mullet begins a complete redesign of the showroom in the fall of 2008. Complete in May of 2009, a six day Grand Opening features cooking demonstrations, giveaways, and great food. The Design Center displays five kitchens, a library, wet bar, laundry room, lockers, creative office spaces, fine furniture, and a variety of bathroom vanities. A Custom Color Studio is added, allowing our in-house color specialist additional room to create his collection finishes.  This also allows us to make our own samples.

In 2011, Mullet Cabinet is chosen as the kitchen cabinetry for the PBS series, This Old House – Bedford Project.

In the factory, new equipment is added, including a new CNC and a flat line oven system. The state-of-the-art finish department is expanded by 60% to allow for future growth.

A New Vision Begins
One Campus.  In 2017 we announced to our teams that we were going to combine our hardwoods & cabinetry facilities.  Our hardwoods facility was a state-of-the-art facility several miles down the road with 100,000 square feet of space. It produces quality doors, drawer fronts, moldings, edge-glued panels, and cabinet components to cabinet and furniture manufacturers.

This would allow us to control the entire process of rough lumber all the way to finished cabinetry under 1 roof. In return we would be able to provide our customers with better product and service by having all of our resources together. This was going to be a several year process in which we completed in 2021.

Future Dreams
In the spirit and precedent set by Jake and Dean, we look to the future with excitement and anticipation to realize new dreams. With gratitude, we celebrate those from our past who significantly impacted our lives and business. We also celebrate those in the present, who impact us daily with skills, stories, and smiles. Each contribution is sincerely appreciated. Guided by our heritage as a faith-based family business, we continually dedicate ourselves to provide premier experiences for our customers, team members, and community & honoring God. With anticipation, we thank you for allowing us to passionately inspire and influence the timeless beauty and craftsmanship of custom cabinetry into the next generation.