LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WKBW) — 12 weeks into production at Candlelight Curated in Lockport, the state has awarded the company $1 million in grant money as it aims to rebuild from the now-closed Candlelight Cabinetry.
Craftsmen and craftswomen are making cabinets in Lockport once again.
"Well, we’ve been in production now for about 12 weeks," CEO of Candlelight Curated Cabinetry Peter Demakos said. "Essentially, this is a new company. We were able to acquire the assets from the old company."
The sudden shutdown of Candlelight Cabinetry is a story I have been following for months. Several Candlelight employees told me that they were suddenly furloughed in January and that they never received their final paychecks or the year’s 401(k) benefits.
The governor's office said the facility went into foreclosure following "sudden financial distress under its previous management," which caused the shutdown and layoffs.
WATCH: ‘Revive the business’: Candlelight Curated awarded $1 million state grant
Candlelight Curated Inc. is a joint partnership between three local investors — Aaron Santarosa, Peter Demakos and Jon Ebel — and they, along with Quebec-based manufacturer Cuisine Idéale, will invest $11 million to modernize the site and restore several jobs. The company had already hired a few dozen people.
"We’re slowly but surely growing the business. Obviously, you can’t go from first gear to sixth gear immediately, so we are plugging along and trying to revive the business," Demakos said.
To help Demakos reach those goals faster, the New York Power Authority gave Candlelight Curated a $1 million grant to help fix up the facility.
"We have about a 200-thousand square foot manufacturing facility all under one roof," Demakos said. "It’s a lot of roof area, so there’s roof work, building work, and there’s a lot of equipment that was not function when we took over the assets, so those need repaired and/or replaced."
The state says that in total, rehabilitation and modernization will cost closer to $4.25 million, and it will restore 70 people’s jobs.
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