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There is little doubt that when Dorothy Goldberg first opened her business, CWI Design (Creative Wallcoverings & Interiors) in Summit, she had no idea that 50 years later the company would have grown into one of the most respected design companies in the area and that her daughter Rachel would be the driving force behind that success. “My mother was an English teacher, but she always loved art. One day, she decided she wanted to give interior design a chance, and she, along with two partners, started the company,” Rachel explains one glorious summer day out on her back deck.

In the beginning, the company focused on wallcoverings and window treatments. When Dorothy’s partners left, she asked her daughter if she was interested in coming on board. At the time, Rachel, with a degree in fine arts and textiles, was running clothing stores, but she jumped at the chance to work alongside her mom. “I quit my job, and as soon as I walked in that first day, that was it! The rest is history,” Rachel details.

When Dorothy retired, Rachel was alone at the company for a couple of years, but then came up with the plan to bring on a partner. She knew she wanted someone who would complement her skill set while adding to CWI the tools needed to help run the rapidly growing company. Rachel didn’t have to look too far, turning to her husband, Gary, to come on board.

Gary Kapner grew up in West Caldwell and took a job right out of college for the Stouffer restaurant and hotel company, at the time, a division of Nestle Foods. Gary's position found him traveling around the country overseeing the opening and operations of new restaurants.

It was while Gary was in Summit working on a new restaurant that he met his future wife and business partner. “Dorothy’s store was right down the street from the restaurant, where we were about to open, when she came in asking if they would be interested in hiring Rachel, who was home from college for summer break,” Gary explains.

Rachel was hired to work in the kitchen. “I wanted to be a prep cook, but I was in the kitchen for all of five seconds!” Rachel laughs. “Let’s just say she was more suited for the front door,” Gary said, illustrating just how smitten he was–and still is–with Rachel. Working as the hostess, Rachel had time to, as she put it, “wrangle Gary into dating me.”

About a year into dating, Gary got transferred to Denver to work on several new restaurants, and Rachel came along, securing a corporate job at US Shoe. After a year in the Mile-High City, the couple returned to New Jersey and were married at the Martinsville Inn on August 14, 1988. They moved into a home on the border of Summit and New Providence, where they lived for the next 25 years.

“CWI has morphed over the years,” Rachel explains. The projects started to grow, and Rachel embraced the challenge each new client brought to CWI. Today, the company is more than a place to find window treatments. The Kapners have built a full-service experience, as Gary puts it, “We design, source, sell, manufacture, and install custom home furnishings for the mid- to high-end market.”

Staying true to the early days working together at the restaurant in Summit, Rachel is front-facing, and Gary is more back-of-the-house. Their forward-facing new name is CWI.Design for the modern era, but Rachel still brings that personal touch she watched her mother offer her clients. The difference now is that those clients are located all over the country, from the New York Metro Area to South Florida, north to Maine, and West to Park City, Utah. Rachel and her team of designers and project managers shepherd their clients through every kind of renovation, from a single room within the house to a full-scale ground-up project.

Outside of CWI, after a quarter of a century, living just a few minutes from the office, things felt a little stale. Sure, the Kapners would take vacations (they LOVE Arizona!), but day-to-day, they both thought a change was needed. “A little more land, a pool,” Gary begins, adding, “and Rachel really wanted a modern house.”

The Kapners spent over two years looking for a new home, but Rachel was very disappointed in what was available. They had looked at a home in Mendham Township, but it needed extensive work. Finally, in 2019, Gary convinced his wife they should buy the house, promising Rachel that she could do anything and everything she wanted to transform the home to her liking. “He had to assure me he wouldn’t be cheap,” Rachel says with a laugh.

True to his word, six years later, their home on North Gate Road, “Renpack Acres,” is stunning, inside and out! So, is it done? “I’m an interior designer. Is it ever done?” Rachel asks, with a smirk. “It’s nice to go home to a house you love.

In New Providence, Gary was very involved in the community, serving on several boards, committees, and service organizations. Gary served for 10 years on the planning board and 6 years on the borough council. He recently completed his term as president of the New Providence Lions Club, where he received the Melvin Jones Award for outstanding humanitarian service and exemplifying the spirit of Lionism. Gary also served 6 years as the BSA (Boys Scouts of America) Patriots Council Good Scout Award Dinner fundraising chairman and the event’s MC. Gary is a good Scout Award recipient and a James E. West Fellow.

The plan when they moved to Mendham was not to do anything other than enjoy their home. “That lasted a week,” Rachel is quick to point out. While Gary may dispute how long it took until he started to get involved. It began with joining the Oak Knoll Property Association. He is now serving as president of what Gary says is basically a group to organize neighborhood events and to support our local first responders. That led to becoming part of the Township’s zoning board of adjustment, which, in short order, found him as the board’s chair.

Rachel fills what little free time she has, in part, by serving on the board of the Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation, a cause that hits close to home. Dorothy is a two-time breast cancer survivor and was active with the Susan Komen Foundation.

The Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation raises money for life-saving equipment. “Every year, it’s our goal to be different. One year, we raised money for a mobile mammography bus for University Hospital in Newark, and another year, we focused on equipment for a center in Trinitas Hospital. “The goal of the foundation is to serve underprivileged communities and uninsured patients,” Rachel explains.

But in the end, all roads lead back to CWI.Design. Whether it’s taking part in the Mansion in May (they have participated for 22 years) or revisiting a former client, it’s all about maintaining a constant presence. “Our philosophy is to serve our clients and the community,
” Gary explains.”

What gets Rachel excited with each project is the idea of doing something new and different. She prides herself on never repeating herself, not offering the same design or color palette to multiple clients. Each client has a plan is curated for them and their needs. One wonders what Rachel’s mother would think of where her company is now. “There’s no need to wonder at all, my mother still works at CWI two days a week and is an integral part of the company,” Rachel boasts.

Gary and Rachel try to take a little extra time off in the summer to sit out by the pool with their two Bichon Frise dogs–Max and Lucky (they look like poodles but they are not)- and enjoy the satisfaction of spending time together, both in business and in life. 

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