WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – Lots of people in Walnut Creek and Lamorinda are basically stuck in their houses.
High interest rates, combined with higher home prices, mean that people with terrific mortgage rates from the early 2020s are staying put.
Yet, many homes in the area are older–built in the 1960s or before. For well-heeled locals, that leaves one choice: remodel!
For those with the means to put serious money into their kitchen or bathroom, there’s a new, super upscale store coming soon to Walnut Creek.
Ronbow, a local custom cabinet company, is opening a new showroom at 1556 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
The showroom is listed as Coming Soon on the Ronbow website, and I dropped by to see how construction is coming along.
For locals, the address is a notable one. It is the freestanding corner property shared with sweetgreen, right at a busy gateway into the Broadway Plaza area.
A leasing brochure for the site describes the Ronbow portion as about 3,966 square feet with more than 67 feet of frontage on Mt. Diablo Boulevard, while sweetgreen occupies a separate 3,091-square-foot portion of the building.
So this will be a pretty big cabinet showroom. And again, a pretty fancy one.
Ronbow says it has been making cabinetry in California since 2002 and operates out of a Livermore manufacturing facility. On its website, the company describes itself as a made-to-order cabinetry brand.
These are beautiful cabinets!
If the new store follows the format of the company’s other showrooms, shoppers can likely expect a gallery-style design space where homeowners, remodelers, and contractors can book consultations and see materials and finishes in person.
If you want a bespoke embedded wine cooler or a minimalist sliding spice rack in Matte White, Ronbow will be the place to have that designed for you.
Ronbow seems to specialize in kitchens, but also does cabinetry for bathrooms and closets.
The company currently has locations in Livermore, San Francisco’s Design District, Cupertino and more.
No word yet on a specific opening date in Walnut Creek. The entire facade of the store was open when I visited, so although signage was up, it may take a bit of time to finish the new WC location.
Still, this is a construction-oriented company, so maybe they know how to build things really fast!
Either way, we’ll let you know when Ronbow opens. Make sure to join my free 925 News newsletter so I can share an update.
