Well, welcome back to The ProSource
Podcast.
We are here today with Matt
Vechiolla from Top Knobs.
Thanks so much for coming on today, Matt.
My pleasure Mollie.
It was so much fun last time.
Happy to do it again with you today.
Yes, we just had to do it.
We had to do another.
We had to do this again because it was
just so much fun the last time.
Who doesn't love to talk knobs.
Exactly right.
And that's really
what this whole episode is about.
You all have a new collection coming out
this year, the Brockwell Collection.
So we'll talk about that in a little bit.
But first, if you don't mind,
just kind of like briefly
introducing yourself to those
who might not be familiar with top knobs,
are you?
Absolutely. So my name is Matt Vechiolla.
I've worked at Top Knobs
just about 18 years now.
I'm the senior director
of national sales, so I manage all the
sales reps, manage all the customers,
and spend pretty much most of my time
out in the field riding with sales
reps, working trade shows.
And obviously,
I just wanted to thank you guys
for kicking off our year
the right way in Orlando.
A few weeks ago,
with the ProSource convention.
That was such a great place.
Really enjoyed connecting with so many
ProSource locations around the country.
And really, we had a blast.
So you guys, kudos to you
for hosting an awesome event.
So thank you so much. Yes,
of course it was.
It was a blast.
And we talked about this
briefly before recording.
But the Orlando weather was great
compared to.
Yeah, basically everywhere else.
I mean, it was just nice to feel some warm
air on our,
a little, little warm air for once,
thank goodness.
So, yes, yes.
And break, long month of January.
Yes. Yeah.
It's we're recording this on January 31st.
Yeah.
So it's finally almost over, but,
cheers to that.
Yes. What makes Top Knobs and Atlas
stand out in the market?
What's what's your stance on this?
Well, as you alluded
to at the beginning of the podcast,
you know, we have a new collection
coming out and people love that.
We're launching new products every year
that are on trend with the market,
and we're always keeping things fresh.
You know, there's never a dull moment
with Hobnobs and Atlas this year.
With our Brockwell collection.
You know, we have within a top notch
collection, there's five different design
suites, and we also have
three new collections for Atlas Homeware.
So that's
what we do is we keep things fresh,
we keep it new,
and we try and stay on trend
in the market.
Yeah, there's really something
for everyone here.
I'm looking at your catalog,
your new 2025 catalog now,
and I was just saying before this
that it's massive.
So it's really like
if you can't find something that you like,
it seems like a personal problem.
Yeah, yeah.
Pushing about,
almost 9000 product SKUs at this point.
It's top notch. So we got.
That is insane.
Yeah, I know, yes,
I know, that's awesome though.
So besides, you
know, there just being like,
a wide variety of products to choose from.
Why else do you think customers
love your brand so much?
Not only that's the why,
not only the wide variety,
but it's also the depth and breadth
within each collection.
Every piece is available in multiple
sizes, multiple finishes, matching
appliance tools, and the standard sizes
for appliance pulls are 12 inch and 18in.
We even have some 24
and 30 inch appliance pulls as well.
So not only is there a style and a design
for everybody, but there's also
so many different finishes to play with.
So if you pick a modern collection
and you want to put
a traditional finish on it
and make it a little bit
more transitional,
there's just so many different ways
you can make top knobs work
and fit your customer's needs. It's great.
Yes, absolutely.
What trends are you seeing
in the industry for 2025 so far?
I know it's we just started the year,
but what are you seeing so far.
So you know a lot of our a lot of hardware
purchases
are driven off plumbing
and a lot of cabinet designs.
And we're seeing with the cabinet designs
that warm earth tones are in,
people are also leaning towards
sleek, clean designs.
Mid-century modern is making a comeback.
Clean lines, warm
natural wood tones, bold accents.
You know, it's all about simplicity
and functionality.
And we're even seeing a little vintage
charm out there as well.
And our new 2025 Top Knobs collection.
Brockwell
pretty much aligns with this trend.
Yes, it really does.
We had bold coming in, so people
were really going for maximalism,
but it's not very timeless always.
So people are trying to balance being bold
and unique
with those more timeless styles.
That's what I personally
that's kind of my opinion on
what I'm seeing, as
it's still not super cookie cutter.
It's not, you know, quote, boring, right?
But it's still it can still be timeless
at the same time.
There's like a good balance there.
That's what it's all about. Yeah.
That's that's a great assessment,
Mollie Yeah.
Before we go into the Brockwell
collection,
tell me a little bit
about the Garrison collection last year.
I know that was the big product
launch in 2024.
Can you speak about that
a little bit. Yeah.
We've been getting a lot of praise
for that collection.
And actually, as we wrap up the year,
Garrison was actually
our most successful product launch
in our 30 year history of Top Knobs.
So now, you know,
I talked about our new designs
being on trend
that's been on trend, and it features,
designs that are textured.
So they have neural pattern and
a new sense of texture into people's home.
Yeah.
Yeah, I'm looking at some pictures of them
right now.
And they do have that.
The overarching
theme is the texture that's on them,
whether it's they're still very simple.
Yep. Yeah. Hammered ribbed, knurled.
You know, they're tactile designs
that create a sophisticated visual appeal
that can compliment
pretty much any variety of cabinet style.
And it's a nice little subtle element.
That kind of like a surprise
when you actually get closer to it.
You're like,
wow, look at the texture on there.
That's, that's a really cool
offers a nice grip and everything.
So it's just, it's a really, really,
unique way of, you know, showcasing
a little bit of flair in your kitchen.
That's somewhat subtle,
I completely agree.
Like I said, it's
it's like a simple hard piece of hardware,
but it adds
just a little bit of flair to it.
To make it a little bit more interesting
than just your standard knob or pull.
Yeah.
So I haven't seen the garrison collection.
Check it out.
It's,
it's it's
trending to be one of our bestselling
collections in the history of top
knobs, so. Wow. Yeah.
Setting the bar high for Brockwell.
Yeah, we love it.
Let's set that for high.
Yes, yes.
Okay, so now's the time.
Please tell me about the 2025 launch.
A little bit more about, you know,
what people can expect and just what
what it looks like.
What's the beauty of it?
So clean
Modern designs is kind of the tagline
that we're going with
to describe the collection.
It's diverse.
It's got,
five designs of knobs, pulls and couples
and the couples that you'll see,
we actually we've always had couples
and top names,
but we've extended the length for them
so you can get, for longer
sizes of couples that we never offered
before as well.
And that's what we're seeing a lot now, is
people are looking for,
you know, longer lengths as they go
for longer drawers and all that stuff.
So, another thing that we have
within the Bronco collection
that we had in garrison was back plates.
And that's just a cool way
to dress up the collections
or hide existing rolls
and all that good stuff.
So, that place is another way
just to kind of completely transform
the look of a pool
and you drop a back plate on it
and it really changes up the look.
So, you know, it's a timeless design, yet
sleek and trendy at the same time.
So, I think we have another winner
on our hands and really excited for,
the prosource locations
to to check out the Brockwell collection.
Yeah, absolutely.
I would say my, my personal favorite
is the honey bronze styles.
It's just it looks great.
It's, so, you know, that's a pattern.
It's actually, Yeah. On our way.
Our number one finish.
You know, as far as finishes
go, gold has taken off over the last
five years, and it's, you know, blown past
brushed nickel and chrome and polished
nickel and all that stuff in popularity.
And gold is far and away honey
bronze, our number one
finish, a top notch,
with black as a close second.
But yeah, you nailed it. Just everywhere
you look.
And fixtures and, plumbing products
and everything like that.
Gold is still trending,
and it shows no signs of slowing down.
Well, I
feel like it adds some warmth to the space
without, you know,
having to dip into those bold colors.
If you're not very sure
about adding some grains to your cabinets,
you can just add that honey bronze finish
and it adds just a little bit of warmth
there. Exactly.
That's what you said.
Whereas, you know, back in the day
when you had gold,
it was like a polished brass,
which would kind of stand out
a little bit.
Honey, bronze is just a nice, warm,
inviting finish that
I think is going to stay on trend
for a very long time.
I completely agree.
So we talked about Brockwell.
We talked about garrison last year.
Is there any other collections
that are worth noting that have been
standing out amongst customers
besides those two?
So we have a collection called Grace
and within the Grace collection
we have a riverside pool, which is just
probably the most comfortable cabinet pool
you can have.
It's a nice square pool
with, rounded edges, and it's also
has a nice little bit of clearance
from it.
So it's just really comfortable,
especially people
with big hands, people aging in place,
all that stuff.
It's just a a really trendy piece
that's not too risky,
but also adds a little of style and flair.
So, yeah, Riverside is probably
our most exciting and most trending piece,
and it has been for the last few years.
Yeah, I'm looking in this catalog
and I could get lost
looking at all
the different collections that are there.
But is texture becoming an important
part, of the design element
and cabinet hardware?
What's your opinion on that?
Yeah, 100%.
I mean, you look around plumbing,
door hardware,
everything you're seeing and texture
pop up everywhere.
And it's, you know, a subtle element
of surprise while remaining functional.
So. Yeah. Yeah.
I don't see that slowing down either.
And that's why
I think Garrison's going to continue
to try and force on the top notch side
because of that texture.
People. Absolutely.
People love natural product.
And we have a faucet company
on one of our divisions
called Watermark Designs,
and we have some textured pieces there
that are trending as well.
So it just seems to be,
you know, all the rage in the kitchen
and bath world right now.
I can
see why I'm, like,
looking at these pictures of the textures
being on the the pools,
and it just makes me want to, like,
feel like I, I just want to, like,
feel what it feels like, you know,
I get that, like, sense
even just looking at the photos.
So that's awesome.
Have you seen a pattern
and the finished trends?
Yeah, like we said,
gold, honey, bronze is really just
absolutely on fire right now.
Black is on fire.
And yeah, I'd say
those are the two hottest finishes.
And they have been for the last few years.
And honey
bronze, just like we have a a sales chart
that shows the popularity of finishes.
And like honey bronze is off the page.
And popularity has grown over the last
five years.
And, you know, it's really driving
a ton of our business at Top Knobs.
And it's like you said, it's
just a warm, inviting finish that blends
with pretty much any popular
lighting finish that you have or plumbing
finish that you have.
And the one really nice with all the,
popular cabinet finishes as well.
So it just works.
Yeah.
And you said flat black.
Would that come in second?
Typically 100% black and gold
or one and two by a mile.
Yeah. Know that's interesting.
Yeah. It's like polar opposites.
But you know you have the people that
don't want to stand out maybe as much.
They want to have their hardware blend
in, maybe to their space or not.
Make us bold of the statement.
Or if they're putting it over
like white cabinets.
You are making a bold statement
so you can kind of go either way
depending on how it's being placed.
Yeah.
And it's it's kind of crazy, like,
you know, there's always a darker
finish that trench, in the hardware world.
So maybe ten, 15 years ago it was oil rub,
bronze Venetian bronze, Tuscan bronze,
whatever you want to call it.
And those kind of phased out
the last, I'd say, 5 to 7 years.
And black has just ascended in popularity,
as those,
those darker finishes faded out
and black became the hot trend.
So, yeah, black and gold just, you know,
driving all the business right now
across the industry. That's awesome.
So what are some interesting facts
about top knobs
that you think we should know about?
Well, you know, top knobs.
We've been in business over 30 years.
And I think the most interesting fact,
like I alluded to in the beginning is,
you know, coming out with new products and
we actually have an in-house design team
that designs everything.
We don't outsource any of our designing.
We have, Christine Zimmer, who's
our senior director of product management,
and her team
with, Tiffany, CC and Brandon.
And they take care of all the new product
designs, which I think is incredible.
You know,
so we have a whole in-house design team,
which I don't think
that many people know about.
And, it's just what makes us successful
is, how great they do.
And new designs are
what drives our business. Every year.
And without them
and without them listening to the feedback
we get from customers and from the field
and all that stuff,
you know, our new designs would
look as good as they do, so kudos to them
and kudos to our in-house design team.
It's great.
Yes, absolutely.
And I feel like having an in-house
design team probably helps
the communication with feedback, right?
Like if you were at the ProSource
convention and you get, I don't know,
feedback from one of the ProSource
franchise owners,
you take that feedback directly to them.
You're not having to go through
someone else to go to an outside company.
It's very much, just straightforward
to the point with the feedback
and the design. Right?
So much as the success of Top
Knobs is listening to our customers
and somebody will say, hey,
you know, I noticed that
you don't have this piece in this finish,
or you don't have this pool
and this size, and it's like,
I'll bring it the design team.
And I'm like, yeah, that's a great point.
We should we should do that.
We should add that.
And that's the beauty
of what we have going on
with our communication
with our design team is they listen
and they're always there to,
you know, add and fill holes in to build
fill up drill holes and existing lines
and yeah, good stuff.
So it's it's a beautiful thing.
Yeah.
It's like if you hear that someone's
looking for a certain style
and you don't have that, it's like, well,
we don't want them going anywhere
else, right? Yeah, we want them staying.
So that's where our honey
bronze finish came from.
Is that okay?
And the thing about I'd say ten years
ago, people are asking for gold
and we just
we didn't want to launch it right then
because we're just trying to fine tune it
and find the right shade of gold to blend
with everything that was out there.
Yeah.
We hit a home run with Honey Bronze.
So, it really, really worked out.
And thank God, our, product design team
listen to that.
Because, you know,
without gold, you know, top knobs, we
wouldn't be where we are today without it.
Yeah, I, I completely agree not to talk
too much about Honey bronze,
but I just feel like it's not too warm.
It's not too harsh.
It's like the perfect balance.
You guys, nailed it.
And I feel like it could be easy to mess
that shade up, right?
Because there are so many gold options
that I imagine
how difficult that process was of trying
to find just the right shade,
and then moving forward with it
and feel like 100% confident with that.
And they did it.
And here we are. It's it's awesome.
So thank God for Honey Branch.
Yes, that'll be the title of this episode.
Is there
anything else exciting
coming up for Top Knobs and Atlas?
Yeah.
I mean, we're exhibiting at The Kitchen
and that show in Las Vegas
in a couple of weeks and, you know, okay,
been exhibiting for 30 plus years.
And every few years we change our booth
layout and booth design.
And this year
we have a brand new booth, for top knobs.
That will also be cool.
In a, in a sharing a space with
our sister company, Hardware Resources.
And, okay, we're also part of, you know,
the ProSource offering that we have.
So, you know, by our booth, it'll be a one
stop stop to a one stop shop
to see, quite a few, brands that,
all the Prosource
locations offer between top of Atlas
homewares,
all the things from hardware, resources
and, with home products as well.
Yes. And that is the perfect time
to share any feedback, right.
Because then you can take it directly
to your teams.
And, actually our teams will be there
so you can talk to them
face to face without a needle.
And, and, that takes one step away
from what you have to do,
because I'll give them advice
and they try and tell me.
Oh, you're
just making that up. No, I'm telling you.
So, you know.
Yeah, it would be great for them to hear
firsthand from customers.
So if you're there, stop
by. Has to speak to the design team.
They'd love to get your feedback.
Absolutely.
Last question I have for
you today is what is the best lesson
you have learned,
during your 18 years at top Mops?
That's a great question.
So, you know,
I manage a sales team of about,
60 reps, and a lot of them have been doing
this a lot longer than I have.
And, you know, I trust my sales reps.
I've learned a lot from my sales reps.
I've learned that every territory,
every market, every customer,
every showroom sales
consult within a customer is different.
And, you know, that's that's
something is to trust my sales reps.
And also most importantly,
like we've alluded to quite a bit,
is listen to your customers.
So listening to your customers
and listening to your sales reps,
about what their
market needs are, what works for them,
you know,
just having an open mind and realizing
that every market is different.
Yes. I've learned the most
from my sales team
and, you know, without them,
I wouldn't be where I am today.
So that's that's,
that's probably the most important thing
is just trust in your trust
in your sales team below you.
And, value in your customers feedback.
I completely agree, and I think
that can be applicable for every industry.
Yeah.
Anywhere you're at working,
just keeping an open mind and
not have an open mind. Yes.
Listen to be humble.
Exactly. And that's.
Yes, that that's
probably one of the hardest things people
people have a hard time with that, I'm
sure, as they climb up the ladder because,
you know, you get this kind of ego
type of thing that
if you're not constantly being humbled
or thinking about possibilities
beyond what you are already thinking,
I'm sure that it's
it's hard to, you know, just stay humble.
So, yeah, I appreciate that.
I that's what it's all about.
So, I appreciate that, Molly.
That's a great question.
All right.
Well, we are really excited for Brockwell.
Make sure guys, if you haven't
checked it out, go to their website.
Where can they find
more information on it.
Yeah. Website top knobs.com.
And as soon as you get there the landing
page has the Brockwell front center.
Can't miss it.
And there you go.
I figured but wanted to double check.
And if you got your 2025
Top Knobs catalog,
which everybody should have,
right when you open up the first page
of Rockwell Collections first as well.
If you have an owner.
Yes, feel free
to reach out to myself or your,
your sales rep, and we'll get you going.
If you're going to be in Las Vegas
at this in a couple of weeks,
definitely stop by the Top Knobs booth.
As for me, I'd love to introduce you
to our design team.
And, you know,
we look forward to a wonderful year in
2025 growing our business with Prosource.
You guys are,
such a great customer for us.
I know our business continues to grow and
grow and grow with you guys every year.
And, you know, likewise,
Shane does a great job, you know,
getting all the locations in check
and making sure everybody does our branch.
So it's great. It's a beautiful thing.
So we love the love the partnership
that we have with you guys.
And yes. Look forward
to another awesome year.
Yeah I, I agree completely.
The collaboration has been great.
I really appreciate you being on again
in 2025 to talk about top knobs.
And,
I'm sure this won't be the last time.
Sure, another collection will come out
and we'll have to get back on a call
and talk about it.
I'm very happy to be a recurring guest.
Anytime you need me,
I'll talk all day about cabinet hardware.
So this is also a pleasure, Mollie.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Thank you guys for listening.
Have a great day.
Thank you.
Thanks, Mollie.
Have a great day.
Thank you for joining us today
on the ProSource Podcast.
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