Talk of the town: Here’s why people are raving about kitchens from Northeast Factory Direct

By Beth Newcomb

When owner Alex Nemet founded Northeast Factory Direct in his Lakewood garage more than two decades ago, area furniture store owners poo-pooed his ability to claim any amount of market share. After all, how long could someone undercutting them by thousands of dollars on home furnishings stay afloat?

“I didn’t have any money, or even a credit card,” Alex says. “I cashed in a little 401K and used the money to buy two dining room sets. I set one up in my roommate’s garage and kept the other in the box. Right away they started to sell and soon people were buying two or three a week. At one point, semi trucks were coming to the house to drop off furniture and I knew it was time to move.”

And move he did, establishing a flagship store in Cleveland, with locations in Euclid and Macedonia to follow.

After a decade in business, Alex added a kitchen and bathroom cabinetry division and the naysayers went into overdrive. Who did this guy think he was? Today, NEFD is an area leader in the kitchen and bathroom remodeling arena.

“Since joining the NEFD team in 2010, I’ve been a part of more than 5,000 Northeast Factory Direct kitchen installations, and many of those have been for Mimi readers,” says Angelo Lardomita, lead kitchen designer for NEFD. “I’m still amazed by the number of cabinets we sell on a weekly basis, but I think that says a lot about the quality of the product we offer, the quality of the designs we produce and our customer service before, during and after each project.”

And that’s got people talking. In fact, much of the business NEFD enjoys comes from word-of-mouth referral. “People talk about us in a really good way,” Angelo smiles. “They tell their friends, relatives and neighbors, and those people come to us when they’re ready to update their kitchen.”

Alex and Angelo say a lot of people, especially now, are focused on supporting local business, but they don’t always know how or who. At the locally owned NEFD, Alex and his employees are delighted they’ve earned the respect of and praise from people across Northeast Ohio—and beyond.

Kitchens Starting at $1,899
“Our basic L-shaped kitchen starts at just $1,899, but most kitchens average about $5,500. And at that price, you’re getting all of the bells and whistles, like a pull-out trash cabinet, roll-out trays, crown molding and more. At other places, those things are expensive add-ons. No way could you get them into a $5,500 kitchen,” Angelo says. “And our cabinets have the look of custom and semi-custom styles. The difference is we offer them at a fraction of the price others are selling them. And we don’t just sell them in standard sizes.”

Free Stuff!
Here’s how NEFD takes a homeowner’s dollars further.

The complete design, 3-D elevations and in-home measurements are just a few of the freebies you’ll get when you shop NEFD for solid wood cabinets with raised or recessed door panels, and 75 different door/drawer styles and color combinations from which to choose. Here are the rest:

• Doorknobs and drawer pulls – free
• Design service – free
• Design to take with you without a commitment – free
• Upgrade to all-wood construction, solid maple dovetail drawers, steel under mount full-extension guides, soft-close doors and drawers, and paint, stain and finish options of your choosing – free

Buy Now, Pay Later
NEFD offers zero percent financing along with its expert design service and exclusive-to-NEFD tradesmen on the job, so if you’d like to invest in home furnishings, a hot tub, game room furniture, or any of the other below-retail goodies the store sells, you can do that, instead, and pay for your kitchen over time.

Northeast Factory Direct has three locations: 3321 W. 140th Street in Cleveland, 216-941-7727, 24470 Lakeland Blvd., in Euclid, 440-942-7945, and 9009 Freeway Drive in Macedonia, 330-436-3960. Hours for the Cleveland and Euclid locations are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. To sit down with a kitchen designer, an appointment is recommended. Get directions from anywhere when you visit the website at NortheastFactoryDirect.com.