I never thought we would open a store over the bridge on the Cape, much less in Nantucket.
An odd set of circumstances led to opening both, which is an interesting story.
In this article, you will learn about how it happened and what you can expect from us.
The Cape, 1992
I remember the first time I was in New Seabury. The builder needed a hood, so I agreed to drive it down.
What the heck, I was living in Jamaica Plain, and it was on my way to Dorchester (that's a joke, by the way).
But wow, the house and development were just so beautiful, even by today’s standards.
I remember him showing me the Widow’s Walk and Cupola overlooking the bay.
It was magnificent—really well done. One day, I thought, I’d love for Yale to be sought out to work on projects like this.
Advice From My Dad, 2018
My folks live in Mashpee, and I love it there. Better yet, my daughter really loves it there.
We expanded to Framingham in 2016.
Framingham was where I hung out as a kid. Anyway, we felt we had the personnel to expand to the Cape. It was a new market that matched our customers.
We already operated trucks, service, and installation there, so it seemed like a good opportunity.
I mentioned this to my dad. He put everything in perspective by saying, “The Cape is seasonal. What do you know about running a seasonal store?”
I wasn’t sure if he was right. I thought about New Seabury all those years ago but went for a more familiar area instead.
As a result, in 2020, we opened our largest store in Hanover:
COVID and The Cape
My best friend from Needham was one of many who sold their houses and moved to the Cape full-time.
With so much remote work available, people could live where they wanted. Let’s face it—people want to live on the Cape.
So, the Cape is no longer seasonal, if it ever was, Dad, and more of our customers are there now.
Hyannis Showroom – Opening November 2024
The stars aligned on this one.
It turns out we also have three longstanding Yale salespeople who live on the Cape, plus several service technicians and installers.
We wanted a store big enough to showcase what we sell in a boutique-style environment and found a place near the center of Hyannis.
But it’s also the first Yale store designed specifically for builders, architects, and designers, focusing on displaying our bestselling, least-serviced appliances.
The location seems like a win for our customers, too, who no longer must drive 35 minutes to Hanover.
You will see a lot in this space, including full suites from Sub-Zero, SKS, Thermador, BlueStar, Miele, Monogram, True, as well as LG and GE.
Walk-ins are welcome, but we strongly encourage scheduling an appointment on the Yale website. This way, we can focus on giving you a personalized, one-on-one experience.
Nantucket Showroom – Opening March/April 2025
About a year ago, our Vice President of Sales and Vice President of Operations called me into a meeting.
There are 20 amazing managers here at Yale and 240 who make it all possible, but these two had an idea.
Marine Lumber, a longstanding and trusted company on the island, was closing its appliance store in Nantucket.
They thought we should look at that market, which I thought was an awful idea.
I even joked that Boise, Idaho, was the fastest-growing city in the U.S., but we weren't heading there anytime soon (meaning never).
Stores often grow without the capacity to properly service their customers. Chasing sales without considering how to serve customers is a bad recipe.
Plus, any island brings added logistical problems. You must truck the freight to a terminal, load it onto a ship, offload it, and then deliver.
Without a clear plan, execution is a nightmare.
I did not want to be the next in line to disappoint people with mediocre or non-existent customer service. That is where it stood.
Two weeks later, they were back.
Marine had a long history of supporting their customers in all facets of their business and had agreed to continue servicing customers who had bought appliances indefinitely, though they would no longer sell appliances.
So, what if we employed their support, including four service technicians, two installers, and three great service folks as well?
If you’ve read this blog over the years, you know I always say that service availability is the tiebreaker between stores and brands.
With four technicians, we could take care of any potential customers in the future.
We were also lucky enough to find a warehouse to stock appliances on the island, along with multiple apartments as we house the staff.
Plus, we have endless volunteers eager to work at the store in the summer months (go figure).
So, we will execute to people’s expectations, just like we do in Dorchester, Framingham, Hanover, Norton, and Hyannis, only in a smaller store.
We will still have Sub-Zero, Wolf, BlueStar, Miele, SKS, La Cornue, and Thermador on display, plus a curated selection of the bestselling and least serviced washers, dryers, dishwashers, and refrigerators.
We hope to open Nantucket in April of 2025.
That will be our sixth store. We have two more planned, but that’s the topic of another article.
Key Takeaways
We’re excited to serve the Cape and Nantucket communities and are dedicated to building lasting relationships.
Bookmark this page to see photos of the construction progress.
For more information about our Nantucket and Hyannis locations, or if you have any questions, please contact us at help@yaleappliance.com.
Additional Resources
Have questions on appliances? Read the Yale Appliance Buying Guide with the 10 most frequently asked questions, the best time to buy appliances as well as detailed profiles of all the brands. Well over 1 million people have read a Yale Guide.