Much of their work at Closet Gangster Cabinets – CG for short – comes from word-of-mouth recommendations.

“Everyone knows everyone in Darwin so reputation is very important,” says Allirra, a born-and-bred Territorian known not only for her business acumen but also for being the only Indigenous woman to run six of the world’s major marathons.

“I don’t know about six degrees of separation – it’s about 1.5 degrees in Darwin.”

All cabinets and shelving are custom made at the company’s Berrimah workshop and are fitted
by skilled tradies.

Frank, who was brought up in Katherine, has never turned down a job.

“You might make a tidy bathroom vanity for someone, they love it and then recommend us to a customer who wants a complete renovation,” says Allirra.

“People come to us because we’ve got a reputation for doing good quality work.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a small job or a big job – we do them all as if it’s our own home.

“Some jobs may be coded as small but they’re not for the customer. They are going to look at your work every day.

“We can change the whole outlook of a home. We want to make people happy.”
One customer literally cried with joy after CG Cabinets fitted extensive shelving for her art and craft materials.

The company, which has 12 staff, is happy to send teams to remote communities.

“We do a mixed bag of work,” says Frank, who has been a qualified cabinet maker for more than 20 years. “Everything from small to fitting out million-dollar houses.”

THE CG CABINET TEAM … (FROM LEFT) JASON COLEMAN, RON WILSON, ALLIRRA AND FRANK JENNINGS, WILL McCLURE AND JAIDE BARLOW

Frank acknowledges that Allirra, who is a granddaughter of former St Marys football club president Vic Ludwig, is the “big boss” of CG Cabinets – she does the administration and promotion, including telephoning builders and developers to pitch for business.

And she makes videos, some of them eccentric and funny, and posts them on the company’s Facebook page.

The business moved from one workshop to premises three times larger a few years ago and is busier than ever.

Closet Gangster Cabinets got its quirky name because Frank used to ring a DJ friend on a Darwin radio station and request rap songs.

She called him a closet gangster – and the company name was born. Allirra and Frank have four children: Charlotte, Francis, Frank Jnr and Lucian.

Charlotte and Francis ran the New York marathon with their mum last year – Allirra did what she calls “the mum thing” and held back so that her kids wouldn’t suffer the embarrassment of being left behind.

CONTACT
CG Cabinets
23 Berrimah Road, Darwin 0828 0412 838 732
facebook.com/closetgangster