“Closets? Do you really think we can do just closets?”
When Ashton Gifford and her husband, Zach, were considering several franchise opportunities, the options ranged from building tiny houses to opening a milkshake shop. Although the business model for this cabinet design and manufacturing company came highly recommended, Ashton was dubious about how it would fare in Chattanooga. However, the couple was impressed with everything and everyone at the company’s corporate headquarters and it didn’t take long before they were up and running. The Giffords opened the doors to the first local Closets By Design location on August 5, 2024.
“It was like a fever dream. It all happened so fast after we made the decision,” Ashton said.
Within a month of completing the paperwork, the husband-and-wife team was in California for training and signed the lease on their Hamm Road location just one week after they returned. The business’s success happened as quickly as everything else—Zach made a sale on his first appointment.
“We didn’t even have equipment yet and we were already booking installations,” he said.
Due to the area’s smaller population size, especially compared to much larger markets like Atlanta, Nashville, and Kansas City, corporate sales projections for the location were low. However, the initial momentum continued and, in its first year, Chattanooga’s Closets By Design created a whopping $2.7 million dollars in revenue.
Subhead: Career Moves
Neither Zach nor Ashton had any sales experience when they launched the company.
Ashton Gifford graduated from nursing school in 2016 and became an oncology nurse at Erlanger, caring for patients both in the hospital and at the chemo center. An empath, she became very attached to those she cared for, which made the work rewarding as well as emotionally taxing. Having also endured multiple surgeries due to previous back injuries, the mental and physical pain of her career took their toll. After eight years as a nurse, she was ready to take on a new opportunity—one with fewer life-and-death situations. Closets By Design fit the bill.
“There are no closet emergencies,” she said. “No one is going to die because of a closet.”
Zach Gifford served in the Navy for 13 years, first as a nuclear engineer on aircraft carriers and subs and then working in intelligence. He was stationed in Japan for his last three years of duty and returned to Chattanooga to help care for his ailing father when his tour ended.
His father died of pancreatic cancer a few years after Zach moved back, and the Chattanooga native poured himself into renovating his dad’s house, gutting the space and redoing all the plumbing, electrical, and flooring work. He also used that time to teach himself software development in preparation for a civilian career. But after an unsuccessful, two-year job search, Zach was ready to consider other options. The franchise opportunity gave both members of the Gifford family a chance for a fresh start.
Subhead: Cabinet Appointments
Closets by Design offers complete home organizing, with custom-built units that feature a wide variety of woodgrains, features, and finishes and are designed to beat clutter of all sorts. The types of requests have run the gamut even in the short time the business has operated.
“Sometimes clients just wanted cabinets above the washing machine,” Ashton explained. “Others envisioned a big, beautiful closet like the Taj Mahal.”
Business was steady from the start. Within the first six weeks, Zach and Ashton needed a second van and an additional installation team to keep up with demand and, in just over a year, they’ve already outgrown their space.
Future plans include taking over some available space in their current building and relocating to a larger space once the lease ends. The extra room will make room for additional equipment, including an automated router that could result in a 10-fold increase in production. The Giffords also plan to expand their staff.
Closets By Design now employs 20 people – some of whom have been with them since the early days – and Zach said hiring additional employees will enable the couple to step away from the day-to-day demands of running the company for more strategic operations.
“A bigger team can help free up some weekends so we can focus on working ON the business instead of being knee deep in it.”
Subhead: Partners in Business and Life
The Giffords met at a bonfire 11 years ago. Even as Ashton worked nights and weekends at the hospital, putting in anywhere from 12–18 hours at a time, the couple was inseparable since the start.
Zach said, “If she was at home and awake, we were together.”
For a brief period after moving into the building, the pair had separate offices but said that made it difficult to collaborate. They saw each other in passing and would raise a topic for later discussion at home, but by the time the workday ended, their energy levels flagged, and it was challenging to cover all the necessary ground.
Their solution likely didn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knew them; Ashton and Zach moved into the same office. The decision meant they could talk through ideas and issues in real time and enjoy meals together while still working on the business. Both admit it’s challenging to leave work behind and focus on each other when they’re home, but the experience is teaching them new facets of their relationship.
Ashton said, “We are growing and learning how to be business partners rather than just husband and wife.”
Subhead: An Attitude of Gratitude
A lack of sales experience and industry knowledge created a steep learning curve for the Giffords. They acknowledged a couple of instances where a job didn’t go as planned and the team had to rip out the initial job and start from scratch. However, their goal of 100% customer satisfaction has clearly paid off.
Ashton and Zach said brand recognition played a large role in their early success and said they’re grateful to the Closets By Design corporation. From a best-in-class business model to top-notch training and resources, they said they’ve always felt as though those at corporate headquarters were invested in seeing them succeed personally, as opposed to simply filling the company’s coffers.
The couple also praised their own hard-working team members, whom they called talented, committed to learning the business, and dedicated to delivering only high-quality products. That teamwork, they said, enabled their company to flourish.
And finally, the pair said they’re grateful to the local community for trusting their company—allowing the team to come into their private spaces and to create and install a personal design solution. Zach said both he and his wife are excited about Closet By Design’s future in Chattanooga, and their business goals extend beyond making money or building custom shelving.
“We want to be part of the community, as an employer and taxpayer, for the next 20-30 years or more,” Zach said. “But the ultimate goal is to get out there and bring people’s dreams to life.”
Contact info:https://chattanooga.closetsbydesign.com/ | 423-922-5446
Closets by Design is a local and veteran owned franchise located at 210 Hamm Road Suite A in Chattanooga. For more information on which Closets by Design personalized storage and organizational solutions will work best for you and to book a consultation, visit chattanooga.closetsbydesign.com or call 423-922-5446. Also follow Closets by Design Chattanooga on Facebook and Instagram.
“Some clients just want cabinets above the washing machine and others want a big, beautiful, lighted closet that is more like the Taj Mahal.”
“We want to be part of the community, and our ultimate goal is to bring peoples’ dreams to life.”