A Family-Owned and Operated Business with Heart
By Heather Spidell
My first encounter with Kardia Fine Cabinetry was a friendly response from owner Ricky Banman to an inquiry about a custom built, solid wood kitchen island available for sale on kijiji. Out of curiosity I checked the 'other items for sale' under the same seller and a second ad caught my attention. Another island for sale and this one in Belize!
Fast track to about a week later and I was sitting at an expansive kitchen island in the bright and welcoming showroom of Kardia Fine Cabinetry in the community of Cambridge in the heart of Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley. Across from me are Kardia's owners Ricky and his wife Megan. This young married couple are defying the odds and building a successful and profi They draw on their strengths and their respect for one another
to make the business work. Megan manages the retail storefront, the accounting and customer inquiries. Ricky designs and installs elegant, functional kitchens.
Kardia is the Greek translation for 'heart.' "We love to spend time in our kitchen at home with our daughter. We cook together and our kitchen, another Kardia project, is truly the heart of our home," says Megan.
This love for family and cooking may stem from Ricky's Mennonite heritage. He was 11 when his parents, both Mennonites, immigrated to Canada from Belize. "I'm more of a cultural Mennonite than a religious one," he
admits. "I do value family and I consider myself a craftsman. I make it my goal to help educate my customers on their options and I ensure they get value for the dollars they invest. That is important to us as business owners.
It is about quality, care and customer service."
And because Megan and Ricky love to cook together it gives them a unique appreciation for making a kitchen not only attractive but functional as well. Evidence of this unique combination of creativity and functionality can be found in the Kardia showroom. There is a grey vanity with a copper vessel sink or the stunning red cabinets adorned with black knobs. Customers gravitate to the custom built island in the centre of the space which
doubles for a meeting space. Before and after photos on the Kardia Facebook page and their website reveal
styles from the contemporary to the rustic and everything in between.
Kardia Fine Cabinetry would be happy to help you with any renovation project, new build, or cabinetry project
you have in mind. While the business is located in the Annapolis Valley, they are able to travel within Nova Scotia and can arrange for delivery of custom projects like that island I was inquiring about. She was a beauty!