About EASI

Euro Assembly Systems, Inc. (EASI) has been crafting custom cabinets for more than 34 years and European style cabinetry for 31 years.

The Early Years

We began as a full service custom cabinet and furniture shop in St. Helens, Oregon. Really – Columbia City just a couple of miles from St. Helens. Doing face frame kitchens, as all cabinets were, primarily made from birch veneer with bevel overlay doors, plywood construction, dados, nails, top frame, Cut, cut, cut - sand, sand, sand - using a lot of time and material.

The “shop” was in my girlfriends’ basement measuring 10’ wide, 30’ long with a 7’ ceiling that had four stairs going down a 28” cement walled opening. The assembly room was in the living room of the house. John, my GF’s dad, to whom I have a great deal of respect, awe and gratitude was old and withered with incredibly long brilliant white hair. He would stare through coke bottle glasses that made his eyes seem a foot around while smoking a hundred packs of cigarettes a day. He watched as we built a dozen or so kitchens jumping up every now and then to pick out a bent nail or help move a cabinet through his dust infused house.

We soon moved to downtown St. Helens across the street from Jay’s café, home to some of the biggest pancakes you ever did see, bottomless four hour coffee if you wanted and sometime did, along with a colorful eclectic mix of local personalities. We were in an old car dealership with big windows facing the street and convenient large double doors. The local printer, who used lead type – Don Bemis I think - on one side and a record store on the other. We got booted by the city after about 9 months, seems you can’t have this type of business in the middle of downtown.

The Formative Years

This moves us to our first real shop next to the Rock Creek Tavern in Washington County. You may have known the place, live music five nights a week, swing dancing and a floor that bounced so much it would spill your pitcher of beer. With being single and living in the shop it allowed me endless hours to spend working towards my craft - and a few on the dance floor. I Primarily worked alone with occasional help from dear friends that would lend a hand in the shop and during installs.

This is the shop where I acquired my advanced skills while operating there for 7 years. To make ends meet during the first four years I worked part time evenings and Saturday’s for a contractor who did commercial casework. With Chuck, I developed a knack for doing all the custom stuff commercial demanded. Curved this and that, special sizes, compound angles, laminate, fixtures and what not. But what stood out was the commercial world wanted European Style Cabinets.

Euro style pushed into the mainstream residential market with efficient use of materials and fueled by the designers who saw the beauty and design potential of full access cabinets for the home.

Time to Get Serious                       

Rebecca and I were married in 1985 and that same year moved to our current location in Forest Grove, OR. We started out with 4,000 sq ft and as our business continued to grow stronger we expanded in several steps to 9,000 sq ft doing full service Custom Euro Style Cabinets for both residential and commercial projects.

In the late 80's computers linked up to machines and only the big boys could afford this kind of equipment. Soon engineers sized them for use in modern local shops. We had a girl in 1988, a boy in ’91 and jumped into the machinery parade, oh man was I nuts. The prices were and are still outrageous for both the machines and the kids. We anticipated the need to modernize in order to survive and now utilize 7 pieces of computerized high production equipment.  

I didn't see how if everyone ended up buying machines how could all that production capability be used. So in 1992 I created Euro Assembly Systems, Inc and The EASI System. For 10 years Emerson Hardwood in Portland, OR was our distributor for custom Euro Style Components made for cabinetmakers. As the market changed our product line and customer base grew into servicing the needs of general contractors, designers and homeowners with fully assembled, finished custom Euro Style cabinets. We still service several cabinet shops who chose to keep their overhead low and put their money into designing and well paying specialty work.

Here at EASI is where you will find the most versatile, high quality Custom Euro Cabinet Line available. Included is our uncompromising service and amazingly low-cost for both residential and commercial applications.

Wrap Up

During the past 30+ years our growth has been motivated by one driving force: giving our customers an uncommon level of quality, service and value while becoming as efficient as possible.

In doing this, EASI will satisfy your need for custom cabinets as your company engages in its core business. You will have access to a higher revenue source that will improve your bottom line.

This is my ambition, mandate and passion.

Call EASI today for help with your next project and see how EASI it is to deliver custom European cabinetry to your customers!! For orders or quotes, call us at 503- 357-0939 or fill out an on-line order form from our Catalog, or print and fax it to 503-359-3812.

Jim has always been able to meet his deadlines, and I believe he takes a genuine interest in me and my company’s success. He answers my questions and is always willing to offer alternatives or options when working through challenges.

– Sean Smith,Portland Renovation and Remodeling