Where it all began
I started working on the markets when I was just 14 years old, selling fabric. It was a great place to learn the trade. I was dealing with customers from a young age, learning about different fabrics, colours and patterns, and, most importantly, learning how to listen to people and understand what they were looking for.
I’ve always enjoyed the customer side of the business. There’s something very satisfying about helping someone choose the right fabric or blind and then seeing how it completely changes a room.
Learning the other side of the industry
As I got older, I moved on from the markets and worked as a merchandiser for a national company. This gave me a completely different side of the industry and allowed me to build on the experience I had already gained. I learnt a great deal about the business, the products, the importance of quality and keeping up with changing styles and trends.
Doing it for myself
Eventually, I decided it was time to take everything I had learnt and do things for myself. I set up my own business, and what started as a decision to work for myself has grown into a company that has now been trading for over 25 years.
When I look back, it’s quite incredible to think that the young lad who started selling fabric on a market at 14 would still be doing what he loves all these years later.
What matters to me
Although the industry has changed enormously over the years, the things that matter to me haven’t changed. I still believe in giving customers good, honest advice, quality products and a personal service.
I don’t believe in simply selling someone a curtain or a blind. I want to understand what they’re trying to achieve with their home and help them find something that’s right for them.
I don’t believe in simply selling someone a curtain or a blind.
A family business
Being an independent family business means we can keep that personal touch. We get to know our customers, we take pride in our work, and a lot of our business comes through recommendations and customers coming back to us over the years. For me, that is one of the biggest compliments a business can receive.
After more than 25 years of running the company, I’m still passionate about what I do. I love fabrics, interiors and seeing the finished result, but more than anything, I enjoy the people I meet along the way.
A long journey, and one I’m proud of
From selling fabric on a market at 14, to working for a national company, to eventually building my own curtain and blind business, it’s been a long journey, and one I’m incredibly proud of.
Over 25 years in business, but over 40 years of experience in the trade — and I still love what I do.
