News

Grande Central Plumbing is now in Rockland County with the opening of an upscale kitchen and bath showroom in Chestnut Ridge. The new store is 5,000-square-feet and carries designer kitchen and bath decorative fixtures and hardware, along with vanities, faucets, tubs, sinks, tile, lighting and bath accessories.

The showroom is in the old Jim Smith Chevrolet building in Chestnut Ridge. Originally a car dealership, the building was transformed into a showroom featuring the latest in decorative bath and kitchen products as well as decorative hardware, tile and lighting. It is geared to the retail public as well as the trade customer (interior designers, architects and contractors). Experienced staff is on hand to guide clients through renovations or new construction.

There is a range of choices from traditional to ultra contemporary styles. Examples include a resin pedestal sink in vibrant apple red or cobalt blue, along with wood vanities and stone sinks. There are free standing and wall mounted tubs, faucets with finishes that are oil rubbed bronze or satin nickel, numerous tile selections from European glass to porcelain. And in the back of the showroom are working kitchen faucets with water cascading onto a trough lined in black river rock.

“Understanding the need for one-stop shopping, Grande Central created a showroom to provide their customers with the ability to purchase the highest quality bathroom and kitchen products through one convenient source. With our knowledge, experience and expertise we will simplify what could otherwise be an overwhelming experience!”

“We will help you choose the finest components to ensure top performance at the most competitive pricing for all the top manufacturers in decorative bath, kitchen, decorative hardware, tile and lighting products,” says Valerie Ezra, Grande Central’s showroom manager who had owned Yonkers-based All Baths International.”

The intent of this large showroom was to create a one-stop location that would serve every aspect of bath and kitchen design, added Ezra. A ribbon cutting ceremony to open the new Spring Valley store was held last Thursday. The address is 575 Chestnut Ridge Road.

On Nov. 21, Central Plumbing Specialties hosted a party to launch its newest showroom, Grande Central Showrooms of N.Y., Chestnut Ridge. The 5,500-square-foot showroom has a Manhattan aesthetic that can be traced back to the roots of the three NYC showrooms Central has developed.

Central Plumbing Specialties Grande Showroom co-owner Howard Frankel was presented with an opportunity too good to pass up. Frankel and his brother and co-owner, Warren, were approached about leasing the recently vacated property adjacent to its 3,000-sq.-ft. showroom on Bond St., in the NoHo section of Manhattan.

“It was very tempting to us,” Howard Frankel told Supply House Times. “When we saw what was going on with the area we thought with a proper long-term lease we’d be interested in expanding and essentially doubling our property. I thought it was an interesting move and we have the ability to do it. We were affected less by the downturn than in other parts of the country. We’ve been trending up about 10% to 11% a year and this expansion will help along those lines.”

Frankel said upon completion the expansion will double the Grande footprint at that location to about 6,000 sq. ft. He noted the expansion is important in terms of space and location. “New York City is always short on space,” he said. “This area probably has become the highest per-sq.-ft. space in the city or close to it. The stores and restaurants that moved in here are amazing and there are A-list stars clamoring to get space here. North of Houston is a hot area for designers and one of the busiest areas in the city for architects.

We occupy other space in Manhattan, in midtown at 56th St., and uptown on Park Ave., and we see this as the biggest expansion area for high-end contemporary offerings probably anywhere in the country.”

Central currently has four showrooms in Manhattan and Yonkers. The company’s newest 4,500-sq.-ft. showroom in Rockland County was slated to open this month and will add another important geographic area to the mix.

Valerie Ezra, owner of Yonkers, N.Y.-based All Baths International which will be closing its doors soon after 39 years in operation, is joining forces with New York wholesaler Central Plumbing Specialties. Ezra will manage Central Plumbing Specialties’ soon-to-be opened new showroom in Rockland County, N.Y. She will help create and develop the new showroom for the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area.

Central Plumbing Specialties President Howard Frankel believes Ezra’s 34 years of industry experience and understanding of product lines will launch the company to new heights.

“Although All Baths International will be closing its doors and that will be a real loss to the industry, having Valerie join Central in this new capacity is a game changer,” Frankel said. “Her vast knowledge of the lines that she distributed is unrivaled and we are thrilled she chose to lead this new operation for us. The future looks bright for Valerie and Central.”