Decrease Clutter, Improve Efficiency, Eliminate Bending with ShelfGenie

November 2008---It's a good thing cabinets have doors, otherwise most people's dirty little secrets would be exposed for all to see. Really, have you looked inside your cabinets lately? It's not a pretty sight.

We would all like to be more organized and able to open our cabinets - whether in the kitchen, bathroom or home office - to reveal a perfect state of feng shui and clutter-free bliss. Just as importantly, we'd like to never again have to put up with the bending and lifting that strains our backs and knees, whether we're reaching for a seldom-used pan or an everyday item.

But seeking organization through traditional cabinetry replacement can be both complicated and costly. That's why homeowners turn to ShelfGenie, which custom designs, builds and installs the Glide-Out shelving system: durable, affordable and customized shelves that glide in and out with the touch of your finger.

Glide-Out shelving makes it simple to keep cabinets organized and make storage accessible, efficient and clutter-free. Beautiful and highly durable, Glide-Out shelving can be installed in any cabinet in kitchens, pantries, bathrooms, closets, home offices, media rooms, bars, garages and more.

“Glide-Out shelving simply makes people's lives easier,” said Barry Falcon, president and co-founder of ShelfGenie. “Wherever you have a shelf or a cabinet opening, you can have a custom designed Glide-Out solution.”

ShelfGenie makes life easier for people of all ages, but especially Baby Boomers and seniors, two population groups experiencing explosive growth. Even though they often cope with arthritis and other disabling conditions, nearly 90 percent of those 50 and older want to remain living in their homes as they age, according to AARP. ShelfGenie makes that goal easier to attain.

“Our customers are tired of bending down to find things and they want to get organized,” Falcon said.

Glide-Out shelves offer numerous advantages to traditional shelving:

• Single-height shelves are one of the most popular options and are ideal for organizing and storing cookware, bakeware and low-height items, while double-height shelves have higher sides that are ideal for storing bottles, cleaning supplies and soda bottles that may tip over.
  
• Glide-Out trash bins are ideal for keeping trashcans out-of-sight, yet within easy reach
• Tray bins with dividers provide clutter-free storage of cookie sheets, cutting boards, platters and more, while lid drawers hold lids, plates and other hard-to-store items. Dividers are custom-spaced to accommodate the items to be stored.
  
• Risers are a popular addition under kitchen and bathroom sinks, providing a top tier of a two-tiered gliding shelf to add storage capability adjacent to obstructions such as water/drain pipes.
• Blind corners can be converted to useable storage with two Glide-Out units that slide perpendicular to one another. When one Glide-Out is extended, another corner unit is revealed that easily slides over the rails of the first.
  
• Cabinet stiles can be relocated to cabinet doors, expanding the space for a Glide-Out unit and doubling a cabinet's width for storage.
  

 In much the same way that California Closets revolutionized closet organization, ShelfGenie can do the same for America's cluttered and hard-to-access cabinets. “We're really just custom-fitting a cabinet instead of a closet,” said Allan Young, CEO and co-founder of ShelfGenie.

ShelfGenie-trained design consultants meet with customers in their own homes, listen carefully to their needs and provide a free design estimate. If installing in a kitchen, for example, all cabinets are measured. Once the shelves are delivered, installation is typically completed within a few hours by certified, trained, professional installers.

“A customer may choose to purchase only three or four Glide-Outs for high-use cabinets,” Falcon said. “After they fall in love with them, they can get more. Since we measure all the cabinets at one time, we are just a phone call away from letting them add additional Glide-Outs.”

ShelfGenie is a Premier Industry Partner with the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). Young is a National Associate Director for NAPO. Many NAPO members have worked as design consultants for Glide-Out shelving and that involvement is only expected to increase with ShelfGenie's franchise growth.

“They lend the experience in organization that benefits our customers tremendously and helps differentiate ShelfGenie from our competition,” Young said.

Each piece of custom Glide-Out shelving is manufactured individually at ShelfGenie's own facility in Virginia and made from earth-friendly Baltic Birch, a high-grade cabinetry plywood. Shelf bottoms are finished with furniture-quality melamine or hardwood. Fully extendable rails are removable for easy cleaning and can hold up to 100 pounds. All Glide-Out shelving is guaranteed for life.

The average installation cost is about $1,600 to $1,700. Falcon said he doesn't expect the weakened economy to have any effect on ShelfGenie sales.

“Our business is rapidly growing as people are not moving as frequently and are focused on improving where they live today,” Falcon said. “We also align ourselves with real estate agents who recommend that sellers install Glide-Out shelving in addition to just painting the kitchen walls. A recent buyer of a house that had our solution told our customer at closing, “You had me a Glide-Outs.”

SOURCE ShelfGenie