Couple giving kitchens a boost

Couple specializes in giving kitchens a boost

EAST WHITELAND » Updating a kitchen doesn’t always mean gutting everything and starting from scratch. It could start with a little tune-up.

That’s the idea behind Kitchen Tune-Up Main Line, which offers services ranging from a simple sprucing up of cabinetry, all the way up to a complete remodel — with options in between.

Jeff and Penny Toren of Malvern are franchisee owners of Kitchen Tune-Up Main Line. Since 2015, the couple has purchased three franchise territories, working with clients throughout the region to bring their kitchens back to life.

“Everyone can have a nice kitchen,” said Penny Toren. “The reason we went into this — we are family and home oriented. We had some bad contractors and wanted to take our knowledge and put a new face to kitchen and bath remodeling. It’s exciting that we found a business model that was aligned with the personal values that we hold.”

Once the couple purchased the Kitchen Tune-Up franchise, and went through all the necessary training with the national office, they thought it would take a little time to get established. But the business, they said, took off immediately.

They initially worked out of their house, with all customer shipments coming to their Malvern home. After a couple of years it became clear the business needed its own space.

“We started the business in our home and it started with me, a contractor and a carpenter doing the work,” said Jeff Toren. “Everything was coming to the house, and within three to six months, we couldn’t fit our cars into the garage.”

“The storage went from the garage, to the mudroom and

“Everyone can have a nice kitchen. The reason we went into this — we are family and home oriented. We had some bad contractors and wanted to take our knowledge and put a new face to kitchen and bath remodeling. It’s exciting that we found a business model that was aligned with the personal values that we hold.” – Penny Toren, Kitchen Tune-Up Main Line

then to the kitchen,” Penny Toren added.

The couple then got a storage unit that could accept shipments, but after about two years, according to Jeff Toren, even that space proved to be insufficient.

“At the same time — as we grew we added staff, with nowhere for us to meet and be together. So we started to look at space,” he said.

The couple decided to open a showroom for the business and found a 2,400 square foot space at 391 Lancaster Ave. in East Whiteland.

After months of work, the showroom will officially open April 5, when Jeff and Penny Toren will host an open house from 4:30 to 7 p.m. The open house will feature music and refreshments and will include a chance to talk with Jeff Toren and Kitchen Tune-Up’s

corporate marketing director Sarah Eisenbeisz.

The new space showcases Kitchen Tune-Up’s ability to revitalize and reuse the components of an existing kitchen and then adding what’s needed to create a space that looks and feels brand new. Kitchen Tune-Up shares the space with Kol Granite, which Jeff Toren said lets customers see, “how we will put their whole kitchen together.”

The staff at Kitchen Tune-Up Main Line starts by asking homeowners questions about what they like and don’t like about their kitchen. Jeff Toren uses a customer’s likes and dislikes, wish list and cabinetry quality to determine which service might be the right fit.

“People don’t know about other more affordable options. They know their cabinets are out of date. They may think they need new cabinets,” he said. “Our goal isn’t to sell them the most expensive option, but to find out what they really need. We do that by asking questions.”

Kitchen Tune-Up offers several options depending on a customer’s needs and wants.

The Tune Up is a oneday service that restores the cabinet wood, repairs the color and applies a new finish coat.

In three to five days, Kitchen Tune-Up can do a Refacing — keeping the cabinet boxes but replacing the doors, drawer fronts and resurfacing the cabinet boxes to match.

The Refacing Plus service is for those customers looking to make a few

changes in layout or design.

The final option is the Complete Remodel, where new custom cabinets are installed in a new layout.

The company specializes in 15- to 20-year-old homes and older.

Jeff Toren left a corporate technology sector job to launch the businesses. The couple also owns an iLoveKickboxing.com franchise in Jenkintown and has plans to open four more. Penny Toren continues to work in regulatory affairs for the pharmaceutical industry, while also working on the businesses.

Those planning to attend the April 5 open house are asked to RSVP at mplotkin@kitchentuneup.com

For more information about Kitchen TuneUp Main Line visit www. kitchentuneup-mainline. com or www.facebook.com/ KTUMainLinePA?fref=ts

PETE BANNAN — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Jeff and Penny Toren are opening a showroom Kitchen Tune-Up at 391 Lancaster Ave. in East Whiteland. The couple had operated out of their home and now are moving into showroom space.

PETE BANNAN — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Kitchen Tune-Up, a previously home-based business, is opening a showroom 391 Lancaster Ave. in East Whiteland.

PETE BANNAN — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Penny and Jeff Toren review granite top selections. They are opening a showroom for their Kitchen Tune-Up franchise at 391 Lancaster Ave. in East Whiteland. The couple had operated out of their home, but have outgrown that space.