Expanding the Art of Remodeling
By Nate Paige
Tommy Farmer Jr., president of CarTeCor Kitchens and Baths. Photos by Angelo Merendino
A comfortable home is one that reflects the owner’s personality. The goal of CarTeCor Kitchens and Baths is to help homeowners craft the home of their dreams via design ideas for – and installation of – kitchens, countertops, bathrooms, mudrooms, carpeting, walk-in closets, siding, roofing, decks, and more.
Located at 3649 Lee Road, this family- and minority-owned business is named after CarTeCor president Tommy Farmer Jr.’s sons: Carlos, Tee, and Cory. Two of his sons are currently employed with the company. His wife, Sandra, is a CPA and serves as the chief financial officer.
Farmer’s professional experience is steeped in construction: shopping centers, malls, and houses. “One day an opportunity arose for me to start my own venture, and we started CarTeCor. From there, we didn’t look back. I took all my experiences from corporate America and incorporated them into our business plan.”
CarTeCor launched in 2009 in a mixed-use rental space in Cleveland Heights. The move to Shaker Heights in 2015 was the result of Farmer deciding to expand his services to include kitchen and bath remodeling.
“We recognized the need for growth, so we purchased this building. As we started to expand into kitchen and bath remodeling, we decided we needed a showroom,” says Farmer.
CarTeCor’s showroom at 3649 Lee Road
The initial plan called for the showroom to be located on the building’s second floor, but Farmer soon realized that customer access would be limited since the two-story building did not have an elevator.
In 2019, the building next door, a single-level structure located at 3639 Lee Road, became available.
“We stopped construction on the upstairs showroom, bought the building next door, and began work on making that our showroom, which is much more user-friendly for our customers,” says Farmer.
The 2,000 square-foot showroom opened in March 2020 – just before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the country to a halt. The showroom is a showcase of style, featuring demos of state-of-the-art kitchens, bathrooms, cabinet and countertop options, and an array of accessories and fixtures, including drawer handles and backsplashes.
“Because of the pandemic, we really didn’t get things moving with the showroom until the fourth quarter of last year,” says Farmer. “We’re a turnkey operation. We provide everything for our customers, all the bells and whistles. There’s no need for you to go to one of the big box stores to find doorknob selections or other fixtures; it’s all available in our showroom. Our goal is to give our customer an A-plus, five-star experience.”
The quality work of Farmer and his design team has been recognized beyond Shaker Heights. In 2018, CarTeCor received an Outstanding Services award from the Cleveland Historical Society for rehabbing a home in the Glenville area. In 2020, the company was awarded Contractor of the Year for Kitchens and Baths from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.
While the growth of the company has been hampered by the pandemic over the past year, Farmer attributes the success of CarTeCor to the support ofcommunity homeowners.
“There’s a need in this community for our services, and it’s important for residents to know there’s a home remodeler, based in Shaker Heights, who can provide customers with a one-stop shopping experience.”
For more information about CarTeCor and promotional specials for Shaker residents, visit cartecor.com or call 216-273-7533.
