From Garage to Growth

Perris Woodworks of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, is expanding to reflect both the company’s rapid growth and long-term vision. Owner Phil Blumberg and his team are moving from a cramped 1,000-square-foot garage on his property to a newly leased 3,500-square-foot shop in West Boylston, about 20 minutes north of Shrewsbury. The move marks a turning point for the young.

“It’s not just about having more space. It’s about organizing the shop in a way that supports how we actually build. Now we can separate processes, improve material flow, and ultimately produce a better product more efficiently,” says Blumberg.

The larger shop will feature a dedicated CNC area, improved dust collection, and a showroom.

Blumberg’s path into woodworking wasn’t conventional. Raised in Pepperell, Massachusetts, he always enjoyed building things, constructing rafts and small boats as a kid, but initially pursued a different career path.

He studied journalism at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and interned at CNN but realized it wasn’t the career he wanted. He joined AmeriCorps, where he initially hoped to teach, and was placed with a construction nonprofit in New Orleans in the years following Hurricane Katrina. What was intended to be a one-year commitment turned into nearly a decade.

“I got down there in 2008, and the city was still in rough shape. We were rebuilding homes, doing renovations, and real hands-on work that had an immediate impact. I fell in love with both the city and the trade,” he says.

He stayed with the nonprofit for three years before transitioning to self-employment and later working with other contractors, gaining experience in framing, remodeling, and millwork.

In 2016, Blumberg and his wife, who had also served in AmeriCorps, relocated to Massachusetts to be closer to family as they began thinking about raising children. He took a position with a design/build firm in the Boston area, focusing on finish carpentry and cabinet installation. The experience was pivotal.

“That’s where I really focused on cabinetry. I had a boss who told me to get really good at cabinets because that was my strength. That advice was life changing.”

By 2020, amid the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, Blumberg decided to go out on his own.

“I was commuting into Boston every day and just burned out. I started doing built-ins out of my basement. It was a big shift from jobsite work to shop work, but I knew it was the direction I wanted to go.”

“It was tough to get jobs, tough to make money. My wife was supporting us for a while. But we stuck with it.”

A turning point came when Blumberg connected with the Cabinet Makers Association in 2024 and attended the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta, where the CMA offered local shop tours to participants.

“That was eye-opening. Seeing how other shops were set up, how they approached production and business. It helped me rethink a lot of things.”

The shop primarily serves residential customers within a 45-minute radius of Shrewsbury, covering much of MetroWest Massachusetts. The typical customer is a young professional family seeking custom cabinetry that balances quality with practicality. Blumberg has grown the business largely without traditional advertising.

“Early on, I joined a lot of local Facebook groups. If someone was looking for a kitchen, I’d just introduce myself. Over time, that turned into word-of-mouth.”

That grassroots approach continues to pay dividends.

“At least 50 percent of our work comes from referrals,” he notes. “The rest comes from designers and contractors we collaborate with. I haven’t really spent on advertising in the past couple of years.”

As the company grew, Blumberg refined the business side of the operation. “I got a business coach last year, and that’s been huge. Understanding pricing, scheduling, and especially the sales process — it’s made a big difference.”

That sales process now centers on consultation rather than persuasion.

“I look at it as an opportunity to see if we’re a good fit. It’s about listening to what the client wants and making recommendations that serve their goals. People appreciate that.”

What distinguishes the company in a competitive market is its fully integrated design-to-installation model. Unlike larger, production-oriented cabinet companies, Blumberg’s team handles every step of the process in-house.

“At the core, it starts with listening. We spend a lot of time upfront understanding how the client wants to use the space. Then we translate that into detailed CAD drawings that go through multiple levels of review before anything gets built.”

This collaborative approach extends through installation.

“There’s no handoff where details get lost. The same people who build the cabinets are the ones installing them. That continuity makes a big difference in the final result.”

The shop primarily produces frameless cabinetry, which accounts for about 80 percent of its work, with a focus on painted MDF doors machined on the CNC. The emphasis is on residential kitchens and built-ins, though the company occasionally takes on light commercial projects.

“I usually tell clients, unless you’re set on that traditional face-frame inset look, frameless is the better option. You get more usable space, it’s easier to fabricate, and installation is more straightforward. We’ve done some beautiful inset kitchens, but if I were doing my own, I’d go frameless.”

Today, the shop operates with Blumberg and his two employees, Mark Mshooshian and Lucas Alderton. Mark has been with the company for nearly two years, while Lucas joined through a high school senior internship program and has since become a full-time contributor.

“That’s been a big shift. For a long time it was just me, figuring everything out on my own. Bringing on employees changes how you think about systems, training and consistency. The shop has to function beyond just one person.”

The addition of staff coincided with investments in digital tools and machinery, most notably a 4x8 ShopSabre CNC router purchased in 2020. Initially, Blumberg was learning both cabinetry and CNC workflows simultaneously — a steep learning curve for someone coming from a primarily site-based carpentry background.

“We use Mozaik software now, and that’s been huge. I’ll bring a laptop to a job site, draw the space right there, and make adjustments in real time. Then Mark and Lucas can take those files straight to the CNC. That integration has really tightened up our process.”

With a larger shop, a growing team, and a refined workflow, Perris Woodworks is positioned for continued growth. The company is currently booked four to five months out, a sign of steady demand and a strong reputation.

“Business has been on an upward trend for the past five years. Last year was really solid, and this year is shaping up the same way.”

Still, Blumberg remains focused on incremental improvement rather than rapid expansion.

“The goal is to keep getting better — better systems, better products and better communication with clients. If we can do that consistently, the growth will take care of itself.”

For Blumberg, the journey from his basement shop to a larger facility is less about scale and more about alignment, bringing together craftsmanship, technology and client collaboration into a cohesive operation.

“At the end of the day, we’re building something that has to function in someone’s daily life. If it fits the space perfectly and works the way they need it to, then we’ve done our job.”

He plans to remain in the new space for at least three years, with an eye toward eventually purchasing a larger facility. Growth, however, will be measured.

“We may add another employee down the road, but I think we’re going to rely heavily on automation to increase output rather than just scaling labor.”

Learn more at perriswoodworks.com

Originally published in the June 2026 issue of Woodshop News.