A rts & Recreation
Master Closets, Garages and Everything In Between By Lindsay Field Penticuff
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The art of an organized home or office with Artisan Custom Closets 28
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t was by happenstance that Lisa Carlquist, president of Artisan Custom Closets in Marietta, fell into the closet business altogether. “I came to it as most great things happen, completely by accident,” Carlquist says. “I met someone in a dry cleaner, believe it or not, and started a conversation, and he said I should come to work for him selling closets.” Carlquist admits that she didn’t really know what that meant at first, but after accepting another meeting, she started working for him. “I stayed there about six months — it was a national franchise — until I discovered that I loved the business, but I wasn’t at the right company. So, I left and went to work for a local company, where we had much more creative flexibility than the franchise,” she says. Carlquist worked for the local business for about 14 years until they sold to a larger company, then upon realizing that she didn’t really know how to do anything else, she decided to connect with a friend — and now business partner, Thomas Tatzel — and they started Artisan Custom Closets. Originally, Artisan began as a division of another company in March 2011, but they broke off and formed their own corporation in January 2014. “Most of our business is master closets,” Carlquist says. “That’s what people think of when we first start a conversation, whether it’s in their existing home or they are building a new home.” And while she says the name can be a bit deceptive, Artisan actually custom designs spaces for pretty much any storage space, and always has, including closets, offices, pantries, garages, entertainment centers, wall beds, laundry rooms and craft rooms. The second-largest space they custom design is garages. “Garages are huge, especially in the South and in Atlanta,” Carlquist
