LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WKBW) — Workers at Candlelight Cabinetry in Lockport remain without their final paychecks two weeks after being furloughed, and former customers are looking for answers after thousands of dollars in cabinet orders never arrived.
I spoke to several furloughed Candlelight Cabinetry employees. Many said their main warning sign was when their typically busy jobs suddenly slowed down.
"We kind of knew it was coming because there wasn't any work for a while. We kept ourselves busy,” one worker said. “A lot of people were just standing around playing on their phones, A lot of people just playing on their phones, sitting down, not doing anything.”
On January 26, Candlelight Cabinetry owner Andrew Olsen sent us a statement calling these furloughs "seasonal" and suggesting that they happen often. Workers dispute both of those statements.
“No, no one has been laid off, and our facility is not closing. We do flex labor through furloughs and such with different seasonality and facility work, which typically happens this time of the year. Appreciate the concern and would love to find a time to get you to the facility to showcase the beautiful craftsmanship of our team, which gets installed into homes up and down the East Coast.”
"I guess he was trying to find that loophole, because technically we aren't laid off, but we are furloughed, which is pretty much the same thing," one employee said.
"I don't know any other time that there's been a furlough in the company," another employee said.
WATCH: Candlelight Cabinetry workers in Lockport furloughed as company faces $6M in lawsuits
The company has not responded to any follow-up questions about the $6 million in lawsuits, the future of the company or alleged unfulfilled orders.
Workers say they, too, are seeking answers.
"Nobody has gotten paid for the last week that they worked," one former employee said.
WATCH: Candlelight Cabinetry workers still waiting on final paychecks
Workers also report that money deducted from previous paychecks for 401k contributions has never reached their retirement accounts in 2026. An internal message I obtained shows there's no update on when deposits will be released.
"No man, I don't want to hear that," one worker said.
"I would like to get my payment for the time that I put in there,” another employee said.
City, county and state legislators organized a meeting with Olsen and others from the company for Thursday, but nobody from Candlelight showed up. Legislators are hoping to reschedule the meeting.
The troubles at the Lockport cabinet manufacturer extend beyond Western New York.
Angela Holloway, lead designer and manager at Ashville Cabinets in Ashville, North Carolina, made a $46,000 deposit for one of her customers' cabinet orders that never materialized.
"I was thankful to see that someone is voicing what I have been trying to voice since December," Holloway said.
Despite several texts, emails and phone calls from managers at the company promising progress, Holloway said she never received picture updates, cabinets or a refund.
"We asked that somebody send us weekly updates to show us that this was actually under production, but that never happened," Holloway said. "It really hurts our reputation. The damage this company is doing to us, it's not just monetary.”
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