Our Story

Coleman Cabinets

1985-2011

John Coleman and Steve Hanna formed Hanna-Coleman, Inc. in the Spring of 1985. They named their new business Coleman Cabinets, opening their first location in an old, mostly gravel floor warehouse on School St. in downtown Watkinsville, GA.

John and Steve met while attending Watkinsville First Baptist Church. John grew up in woodworking (his father was a high school shop teacher), and he worked part time for Smith’s Cabinet Shop while obtaining a degree from UGA. Steve was a native Athenian entrepreneur looking to start a new business while he and John began Coleman Cabinets. At the time, most cabinet shops in the area weren’t finishing their product, as cabinets were installed unfinished for the on site painter to paint or stain. John saw the opportunity to provide a fully finished product and early on offered both finished and unfinished cabinets to his customers. John and Steve were early adopters of the computer cabinet design program, Cabinet Vision, purchasing it in late 1986. They found Cabinet Vision to be an incredible timesaver, producing shop drawer and cut lists that had previously been drawn by hand by John on his drafting table. John and Steve steadily grew Coleman Cabinets and by fall of 1988 the business had 10 full time employees at the 1260 Greensboro Highway location.

On the Friday following Thanksgiving 1988, John died after suffering a sudden heart attack. Without his partner John, Steve found he no longer had a passion for the cabinet business and sold the company in the summer of 1989 to employee Bill Claxton and his wife, Jane. The Claxton’s managed to weather the economic slowdown brought about by the First Gulf War and steadily grew the business through the ‘90’s and early 2000’s. In late 2002, they bought the property at 1070 Business Boulevard and built the current Webber Coleman Woodworks facility. With the move came several new pieces of equipment, highlighted by a CNC router, which brought many changes in production and design. The new facility was laid out to produce a smooth and efficient workflow from raw materials to finished product. Coleman Cabinet grew to peak employment at 29 employees. The recession of 2008 hit. Work became scarce and the shop shrank to 9 employees. In the spring of 2011, Bill and Dan Webber merged their respective cabinet shops into a new business called Webber Coleman Woodworks.

The Cabinet Man

1994-2010

The Cabinet Man was a family owned business, which  grew and expanded from the original cabinetmaker in Athens. Gartrell Floyd began his business 40+ years ago upon leaving World War II and a short stay in the textile industry.

In 1993, Mr. Floyd retired to other interests and the shop was operated for one year before Dan Webber escaped a corporate job to learn the business of woodworking. This type of business was appealing because Dan could see his dad as well as his children involved in the business.

For the first nine years of operation, the business was called Floyd Cabinets. During this time the shop equipment was upgraded, a finishing area was installed, relationships with many customers were formed and strengthened, and key shop personnel were brought in.

In 2003, the business name changed to The Cabinet Man (after all, that is what everyone called us anyway). The business continued to operate out of the original building on Floyd Drive. The product mix is approximately 65% residential (both new construction and remodel) with the 35% commercial being primarily medically related.

In November of 2010 a fire claimed the building at Floyd Drive, and it was deemed a total loss. The Cabinet Man operated out of temporary quarters in Watkinsville for approximately one month until the decision was made to merge with Coleman Cabinets.

 

Webber Coleman Woodworks

2011-today

Dan Webber & Bill Claxton merged The Cabinet Man and Coleman Cabinets together in 2011 and changed the name to Webber Coleman Woodworks. Dan bought out Bill's interest a few years later. In 2020, Jessica Webber purchased the business from Dan Webber and they are successfully transitioning to the next generation.

In 2023, Jessica Webber purchased long-standing Bogart company, Cappy’s Custom Cabinets, and added commercial cabinetry to their services.