When Metropolitan Cabinets and Countertops was looking for a location in the city, they turned to their founders’ roots in Dorchester and uncovered the perfect location in Savin Hill, where the storefront at 1175 Dorchester Ave. has morphed from housing a Rent-A-Center business into featuring a Best of Boston kitchen design showroom in about a year’s time.

Members of the third generation at the family business couldn’t be happier with their decision.

“We had always wanted to be in Boston, but we thought Dorchester would be the best location for us,” said Peter Laufer, vice president of the company, whose sister-in-law, Samantha Elfland Lehrer, is also involved in the business. “We had been looking and this opportunity presented itself and we decided to make a run of it.”

Part of the move also had to do with the company’s co-founder, Stuart Elfland, who was born in Dorchester and spent his early years in the neighborhood.

“Stuart has always had an affinity for Dorchester,” said Laufer. “We think there’s a great opportunity in this area because there’s a lot of change going on in Dorchester, the South End, and South Boston and there are not a lot of kitchen places around here. It’s not a fly-by-night thing; we’re here for the long run.”

Their showroom, which opened last fall – it’s the company’s fifth in Greater Boston, and first expansion in about 10 years – is a sparkling example of kitchen design. The location on busy Dot Ave. gives them opportunities to entice possible customers from those who are simply walking by. Their other locations are more like destinations, with customers driving to showrooms from long distances.

With their ‘Best of Boston’ banners displayed prominently, the new urban showroom offers the retail room that allowed them to fashion a customer space that one might find in the tonier suburbs.

“We try to check all the boxes and have something for everybody at all price points,” Laufer said. “From small apartment renovations to a big, full renovation in the South End, we have something for everyone.”

Stuart Elfland and his father Mike, who had long since moved to the Norwood area, started their cabinet and countertop business in 1984. But what sets them apart was a move they made 20 years ago to manufacture all their cabinets and countertops at their Norwood headquarters. That, Laufer said, has given them an advantage in quality, price, and turn-around time.

“We started on a dream 40 years ago and we are celebrating our 40th year in business this year,” he said. About 20 years ago, we started manufacturing our own cabinets because we were having so many problems with our dealers.

“We’re not just a retail store,” Laufer added. “It’s about finding a well-designed product and pricing. We control pricing because we are the manufacturer. We want to have high quality, good pricing, and great lead times…After the design and price, the only thing that matters in this business is you get it when you want it. Because we’re local and making it here, we’re always going to be on time.”

At their manufacturing facility, they have about 200 local employees working in a state-of-the-art factory constructing Massachusetts-made cabinets and countertops to ship to Dorchester.

The Dot Ave. showroom, where dedicated staff and experienced kitchen designers are ready to help customers with their renovation plans, is open for walk-ins, or by appointment.