Dream Doors

Small enough to care, big enough to trust

By Iain Ferguson

That’s the motto of Dream Doors Ayrshire and one which has underpinned the kitchen company’s success story since opening in July 2019.

Part of a nationwide franchise with 96 outlets, the Craig family – mum Patrice, dad Wilson and their children Jenna and Adam – all work in the business. They have already overcome the torrid times of Covid and are firmly established with their showroom in the main Prestwick shopping thoroughfare at 41 Main Street.

Jenna said: “There is a real sense of community in the town. We chose Prestwick ahead of other towns because we had the opportunity to have our showroom in the main shopping street and not in an out of town industrial estate. At the time we got the last vacant shop in Prestwick.

“It really has its advantages as most of the business comes from street presence. When we first opened, our Head Office didn’t believe us as they had never seen it before as most other showrooms are in industrial estates.

“Here, we have traffic going past and footfall all day long. We also have lots of buses going past every day and passengers can see our showroom and then they come in the next time they are in town. All local businesses recommend us to their customers too, so it’s a great place to be.”

Dream Doors is the UK’s number one kitchen makeover company and, in addition to breathing new life into old kitchens, also cater for large scale kitchen refits, supplying all the worktops, cabinets, sinks and flooring. The company also offers a range of kitchen appliances from ovens and hobs to fridges and freezers.

Jenna said: “We specialise in bespoke door swaps, and work top replacements. Customers can keep existing kitchen cabinets so it’s good for the environment. We don’t have to come in and rip your kitchen out. A lot of our customers are pensioners or have busy work schedules and this suits them as it takes only a few days and is hassle free.

“The makeover aspect makes us different from other companies. We do made to measure doors and cabinets so we can provide any size door, not just standard sizes but bespoke, and we also can provide work tops and appliances.

“Covid was really tough as we’d only been open for eight months and then were in lockdown, and Scotland was affected more than other parts of the UK.

“We’d started so well and were at full pelt and were awarded the Dream Doors exceptional starter award in 2019, and then were hit by the pandemic. A lot of our customers were shielding and we had almost a year of being shut. It was challenging but people rallied round and supported us which is good because if people don’t support their local businesses then they lose them.”

Dream Doors manage all their own installations employing their own joiners and sub-contracting plasterers, plumbers and electricians.

Jenna added: “We project manage from start to finish which is something other kitchen companies don’t do, so that’s our unique selling point.

“We also employed a young boy from the Job Centre Kick Start incentive scheme two years ago and we extended his contract from 6 months to a year. He is now with us full-time. It’s been very rewarding.

“He graduated from a joinery course at Ayrshire College and that’s when we went into lockdown. He couldn’t get a job but when restrictions eased we took him on through the Kick Start scheme. He was a very quiet boy but has gained confidence and come on really well.

“When he came in for his interview he said he wanted to do well and make it a long term career. It’s a great scheme, a lot of businesses couldn’t keep their Kick Starts on but we managed to do it and it’s great to have given a young boy a job.”

Dream Doors has built up a solid reputation since opening in Prestwick in 2019 and one of the attractions is that they provide a six year warranty, which their Head Office holds, providing added assurance for customers.

Jenna said: “We have done well and continue to do so with business good in January and February. A company like ours tends to do well during a recession because many people can’t afford a whole new kitchen.”

Google reviews and a top rating of 9.6/10 on Checkatrade underline just how well Dream Doors has performed since opening in Prestwick.