Every family, every person, every home has a centerpiece, that one place where everything and everyone comes together. For some, it’s a playroom filled with kids’ laughter. For others, it’s the backyard where memories are grilled into every summer day. And for many, it’s the kitchen – where stories are shared, meals are created, and memories are built.

At The RTA Store, our people are that centerpiece. As a family-owned and operated company, the team behind the scenes is what truly builds the heart of the home for every customer we serve. And really, what’s more important than that?

In this month’s The Heart of Our Home spotlight, we’re featuring Faith, our Claims Specialist, so you can get to know the heart of The RTA Store.

Faith: Hi! How are you?

Melissa: Hey Faith!. I’m good. How are you?

Faith: I’m doing well, thank you.

Melissa: So, what is your official title?

Faith: I’m a level-three claims representative.

Melissa: And how did you come to be working at The RTA Store and in claims?

Faith: I have my sister that works here as well! I don’t know if many people know that, but she’s also in the claims department. So, I was a stay-at-home mom for a bit. I had my son in 2021 and then until 2023, I was a stay-at-home mom and I was like, I need something to have adult interaction and just to feel myself again, have my own little setup, little life going on over here besides the kids. (both laugh) So, I was like, what next? Let me see if any spots are open. And there happened to be one!

So, I applied and went through the interview process and everything, and I was a good fit. So, that’s how my career here started.

Melissa: That’s awesome! And so are you local to Hopewell Junction?

Faith: I grew up in Stormville, but am in Wappingers now so very close by.

Melissa: I love living in Hopewell. Absolutely love it. Especially because so many neighboring places are just 10 minutes away.

Faith: It’s such a great area. And I love it. I’m right off of Route 9, so I’m five minutes to pretty much everything. It’s such a prime location, especially with kids.

Melissa: I agree!! And were you in claims before The RTA Store?

Faith: I actually have done just odd jobs my whole life! So, when I was a teenager, I worked in a hardware store, I was a cashier there.. And then I worked at a moving company where they stored books from all different libraries from New York City and everywhere. So, we would scan in super old books.

Melissa: That’s so cool.

Faith: I’m talking 1,800 style books falling apart. So, you had to be careful with them.

Melissa: That’s awesome though!

Faith: They would store those in climate controlled warehouses. Then I had my first son, and I didn’t work again until he went to kindergarten. Then I did a cashier at CVS, had my next son, and then I was a stay-at-home mom until 2023.

Melissa: So, claims to other people probably would just fall under customer service type, right?

Faith: Yes, which I love customer service. I would do it forever. I always said as a child, my dream job was like, “Let me just be a cashier in a grocery store and check people out all day, deal with money, and have conversations with people.” I love it.

Melissa: I completely understand that. And especially even being remote, you kind of get the best of both worlds, are still able to help so many people but also be home.

Faith: Which is nice, especially this time of the year, too. Winter, kids in school. If anybody’s ever sick, you still can work and just be like, “Okay, guys, go do your thing. Watch a movie today.”

Melissa: Yep. 100%. But so I guess technically, maybe, the hardware store might have helped, although I know you said you were young. But what is it about cabinetry that you love?

Faith: So, I never really thought about cabinets that much until I started working here. But, once you start working here, you’re all about cabinets. Plus I love the kitchen, that’s like my sacred space in the house.

I love to be in the kitchen, and just seeing the way that design can come up with all these layouts for kitchens even seeing, post renovation photos of the way these people put their cabinets in and hidden areas and things like that. It’s amazing, it really is. And something as simple as a kitchen cabinet can really just do it for you.

Melissa: I know! Plus there are so many cabinet choices, and how the color difference could just be the slightest little thing, which I guess makes sense right because you go to Home Depot or any paint store and you’re like why are there so many shades of a color that just has one extra drop of yellow in it (both laugh). And then all of a sudden, it’s blue, right?

But I never thought about any of that stuff or the styles of doors or how some are beveled and some are flat and there’s a raised panel… What are all of these?? And when I started it was a temporary position, but it just turned into something special.

And I absolutely love working here. Not just because of the flexibility and the support as a working parent, but honestly, I genuinely get excited over cabinets now. And I never thought I’d say that.

Faith: (laughs) Me too.

Melissa: And I know exactly what I want to do in my kitchen when the time comes, even though it’s 5 years down the line, but I also just want to DIY everything.

Faith: Yep. Definitely.

Melissa: Ok so we know why you love cabinets. What is it about working at The RTA Store that you love? What’s your favorite part?

Faith: So I’m pretty sure you probably get the same answer every time, but it’s just so family-oriented and everybody’s just so kind to each other. Everybody is always wanting to offer a helping hand or even with Tyler and Samantha, wanting to listen to any ideas that everybody in the company has. Everybody always has an open hand to help out.

Melissa: And especially in today’s day and age, you don’t see that often. I feel like The RTA Store is the perfect example of the trickle down effect because you can say that working at a place tends to be a certain way, but majority of people may be a certain way that work there, but you’re never going to get 90% of people all being a similar kind of mindset.

Faith: Mhm. Yes.

Melissa: You do actually feel it here. And it’s one thing where companies will kind of hire a similar style when it comes to managerial positions, so that every manager is kind of the same way. Maybe there’s a tendency that managers are not micromanagers and they tend to allow autonomy and stuff like that, or that are super involved day to day, right? But I feel almost everybody, and I say almost just because I haven’t met everybody, but if I did, it probably would be that everybody here does have that family-oriented, supportive nature. And the only way to have that is if you’re top of the top has that, and looks for that in new hires.

Faith: 100%. And they do!

Melissa: They really do.

Faith: It’s great.

Melissa: It’s also one of the first places where instead of feeling, ” Oh man. I’m going to be working directly with the CEOs.” Now I’m like, “Hey, are you guys going to the tree lighting this week?” I love that they’re in it every day.

Faith: It’s so true. It’s so much different than going to a box store where you don’t know Joe from Tom. You walk in, you’re going to see a different face every time you go there.

When we have repeat customers, they know who they’re coming to speak with and they know who for the most part is going to be handling their design or their claim. So, it’s nice.

Melissa: It really is fantastic. Even though I’ve actually thoroughly enjoyed this so far, we got to the fun, “not work-related” questions. Rapid fire! The first one, nonobvious cabinet choices.

So for example, when I asked Tyler this, he actually said that he always wanted one of those hidden bars where you press a button or something, a cabinet opens and it’s like you’re stuck right behind it, right? And I’m like, we need to sell this (both laugh). Or Virginia mentioned how she’s seen a lot of customers wanting to put in hidden pantries where it actually just looks like a cabinet door, but when you open it, it’s actually a walk-in room. So if you had a choice of a nonobvious cabinet for your home, what would you choose?

Faith: So, I think I’d have three. I love the hidden pantries. Those will always get me. You think you’re opening just a little cabinet and here you are walking into a 10×10 pantry filled with things.

Melissa: It’s so cool!

Faith: Then when you have the refrigerator built into the cabinet, that’s my favorite. You don’t even know there’s a refrigerator in the house and then you’re being snoopy going through people’s cabinets and here I am in the refrigerator. (both laugh) That’s awesome. And then I would probably say for people that are in the kitchen a lot, they have the hidden drop down TV almost when you have the garage door ones that lift up instead of that they go down and there’s a TV connected to the door.

Melissa: I’ve never even heard of that! There’s so many fun things. All right. So, when we hit the lottery, we know what we want. That’s All right. Desert island food of choice

Faith: Probably baked ziti and a Caesar salad.

Melissa: Oh I love Caesar dressing, especially homemade. The local restaurant Tiramisu in Hopewell, theirs is my favorite.

Faith: I’ve never found one that I don’t like either. Oh that’s the only place we’ll get chicken scarpariello from. We’ve tried it before at other places and it just does not compare at all!

Melissa: They’re our favorite for Italian food. And if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? 

Faith: That’s a hard one. I love this area so much. Just like the New England area in general, you get all the seasons. I just haven’t found anything I don’t like. So, it’s a little expensive, but what are you going to do?

Melissa: Just a little bit. (both laugh)

Faith: It’s a nice place to live. But, I don’t know, I’ve never visited, but Australia has always piqued my interest. I don’t know what it is. Kangaroos. the Great Barrier Reef, the accent, all of it. The giant spiders I could probably do without, but everything else. (both laugh)

Melissa: It’s so funny. I think about Australia and can’t help but just think of the outback. I don’t for some reason that term just describes Australia so well in one word. I can’t explain it. But you got kangaroo crossing the street the way deer are here.

Faith: Koala bears just climbing the trees, giant fruit bats the size of your house.

Melissa: What??

Faith: Yeah, the bats there, I guess, can get pretty big. They’re like the size of a door.

Melissa: Because they’re eating the giant spiders.

Faith: (both laugh) Yeah, that’s true!

Melissa: So, we’re going to get sappy again… you’re probably going to have I can expect your answer for this question, but from what we said, everyone is so minded at the RTA store that this actually has been the same answer for every time. What or who is the heart of your home?

Faith: I would probably say myself, but also my kids just because without them, the adults make the home but once you kids, that’s who you need in your life.

Melissa: I agree with you so much. When you get married, that is your family but it’s such a different family dynamic when you have kids. Especially as a mom, they’re literally a part of you.

Faith: Everything you do is for them. Can’t be selfish. even when they’re grown. You can’t even do that anymore. Then they’ll have kids.

Melissa: That is so true, I love it. This was genuinely a fun conversation, Faith!

Faith: It was!

Melissa: It’s been great. Thank you very much for doing this.

Faith: Yeah, of course. Thank you for having me. Absolutely.