Maximizing Potential

Eric Marshall knows a thing or two about closets.

As a junior in high school, he became the first employee of Neil Balter, founder of California Closets and Organizers Direct in 1979. Despite a saw accident his very first day on the job, Marshall persevered and learned all about closets—and has continued to evolve with the closet industry over the past 44 years.

BY JENNIFER WILLIAMS

“Just in the past five years, the closet industry has gone crazy,” says the cancer survivor who has served as President and/or board member for the Association of Closet and Storage Professionals (ACSP). “California

LEFT: STORE, HANG, PROTECT, CONTAIN, PULL OUT. CLOSETS HAVE BECOME A POPULAR DESIGN ELEMENT IN THE HOME. HERE, SALICE’S EXCESSORIES COLLECTION OFFERS A VARIETY OF SOLUTIONS DESIGNED TO OPTIMIZE SPACE AND TO FACILITATE THE PERFECT ARRANGEMENT OF WARDROBE INTERIOR FITTINGS, OFFERING INFINITE POSSIBILITIES OF EXQUISITE STYLE AND CONVENIENCE. PHOTO FROM SALICE BELOW: ERIC MARSHALL HAS BEEN DESIGNING AND INSTALLING CLOSETS FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS. HE MAINTAINS THAT EVERYTHING HAVING A PLACE MAKES FOR MORE EFFICIENT USAGE OF SPACE. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC MARSHALL

Closets in Philadelphia recently had me out and told me that two years ago, they were doing about $15 million a year in business. This year, they’re on track to do $30 million.”

“So, if you're not in the closet industry…this is probably a good reason you should get in it — the growth chart is unheard of in an industry,” says Marshall. “And we haven't scratched the surface of what's going on in closets today…growth opportunities are still available.”

The Global Pandemic that stifled many industries actually benefitted the closet industry, he says. “People started working from home — we all remember that — the longer they stayed home, they more they realized, ‘I need a home office;’ the longer they stayed the more they realized, ‘Oh my kids are moving back in I need more beds… more office… more garage cabinets…’ the longer they stayed in the home the more they discovered that maybe they need a Murphy bed because maybe their kids were moving in and out.”

And there’s not just room for the large companies in this multibillion-dollar industry, says Marshall. “You've heard the saying, ‘a rising tide rises all ships’…welcome to the closet industry,” he says. “That's what's going on right now — we're rising and the more people that start doing this, the more will rise with it.”

To learn the business, Marshall says you can attend trade shows and talk to people, but franchises are not going to teach you unless you buy one. “You can also start your own business, and this is where I can come in to help,” he says.

After venturing on his own in 1997, Marshall founded Modern Closets and Garage and later opened DEA Kitchen Remodeling in 2015. Today, Marshall runs the Closet Training Institute out of Scottsdale, Arizona, where he hosts training and consulting sessions on how to grow your closet business. He also travels around the country, speaking and helping companies get their closet systems on track.