About Us

Mission

Kitchen & Bath Business is the leading trade brand/essential source for kitchen and bath professionals. Our goal is to help you successfully run your business by providing the innovative and actionable ideas and inspiration you need via content produced 365 days a year in the form of educational articles, kitchen and bath projects, blogs, podcasts, innovative product and trend offerings, the latest news and industry research – online and in print. As the official publication of both the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show and the National Kitchen & Bath Association, we are also able to give you exclusive insight into the show and organization initiatives before any other platform. Subscribing to KBB provides a suite of essential resources to keep you ahead of your game.

Kitchen and Bath Business is the Official Publication of NKBA and KBIS.

History of Kitchen and Bath Business
In 1951, after discovering that editors were in dire need of professional correspondents in major cities, part-time freelance reporter Milton Gralla founded the Nationwide Trade News Service. One of his first moves was to invite his brother, Larry, a college student, journalist and photographer, to join him in his new enterprise. As the business flourished, the Gralla brothers took to the road, photographing and writing many of the articles that they would sell.

Their travels afforded them considerable insight into various businesses, including the kitchen-remodeling field, which lacked its own magazine and received only marginal notice in building-related publications. The Grallas saw an opportunity and tried to interest different publishers, but with little success. One company, Industrial Publishing of Cleveland, announced its intention to publish a similar venture, but gave up before producing a single issue. Undaunted, the brothers decided to take on the job themselves, launching Kitchen Business in September 1955. Milton was 27 years old and Larry was 25.

In some respects, the new publication was unremarkable. Its initial circulation of 15,000 was sent to compiled lists. And advertising was sold at the market rate of $375 for a 7×10 black-and-white page. Its aesthetic style was simple and the company roster was even simpler: The two brothers were the sole employees.

However, Kitchen Business’ focused editorial captured the attention of an industry long in need of such an invaluable resource. Industry professionals found the information contained in each issue to be informative, helpful and free from the influence of advertisers. This emphasis on honest editorial cultivated a loyal audience, growing the title as well as others that were acquired or launched by the Grallas over the years. These included Contract, which was bought from acquaintances in 1962, and Bank Equipment News and Apartment Construction News, which were launched in 1964 and 1966, respectively. Under the Grallas, these titles also enjoyed great success.

In the 1960s, as kitchen remodelers began to broaden their business to include bathrooms, Kitchen Business adjusted its coverage accordingly. Although the tagline was also changed to reflect the wider focus, it wasn’t until October 1981, when the publication was formally re-christened Kitchen & Bath Business as “a tribute to those thousands of kitchen dealers, distributors and suppliers who have recognized and capitalized on the opportunities of better and expanded bathrooms,” wrote then publisher, Patrick J. Galvin. Galvin’s editorial welcomed readers to the “wonderful world of the jazzed-up john” and promised that the name change did not mean less kitchen news, but expanded coverage on bathroom remodeling. If endurance is any indication of success, this balance of spot-on reporting and market savvy has served the magazine well over the last five decades.

In 2019, Kitchen and Bath Business and the NKBA entered into a partnership to produce a single industry-wide publication to be called Kitchen & Bath Business (KBB): The Official Publication of the NKBA and KBIS.