Clarksville retail and home interior entrepreneur David Shelton is living the dream with his new business home and showroom for Made in the Shade Blinds & More.
Made in the Shade has moved from Crossland Avenue to a retail strip center at 1820 B Madison St. next to the Jimmy John’s restaurant.
A soft opening for Made in the Shade is set for Monday beginning at 10 a.m., and a grand opening is planned for Sept. 15.
The new store has 1,300 square feet with an 800-square-foot showroom.
“It’s four times more space than we previously had over on Crossland Avenue in the Tree of Life Center,” Shelton said.
Made in the Shade specializes in interior decor to include window treatments and blinds, and personalized consulting.
Customers will be able to view and select from wood and faux wood blinds, horizontal sheer blinds, roller and solar window shades, draperies and fabric shades, cellular and pleated shades and plantation shutters.
Shelton is joined in the venture by Jeremy Sumner, operations manager, and store manager Heather Johnson. Together, they are offering up a unique space where customers can sit and look at sample products and thumb through books to select the right look for their homes and businesses.
It’s a business concept that had its origins in 2004. Along with leading the Clarksville franchise, Shelton, with a background in graphic design, has been centrally involved in branding the concept and business logo for Made in the Shade franchises across North America and part of Canada.
“Made in the Shade was started back in 2004 under the guidance of a former school teacher, Cathy Morse,” Shelton said. “She and my mom were friends at the time and she got with me way back when, and together we formed an upstart brand. I’ve been helping with the national marketing ever since then.”
The company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, has more than 100 franchise locations.
Shelton began as the local franchise owner in 2014. What he’s unveiling in the coming week has been his long-held dream.
“Now, we have the opportunity to take on this beautiful new showroom at a great location in Clarksville. We’ve been wanting to do this showroom for awhile, and we finally had an opportunity. It’s something that we have planned from the ground up,” he said.
“Every square foot of the wall space in this showroom will feature all of the updated window fashions, blinds and custom draperies. This is a way to provide an amazing opportunity to see what people can put in their homes and businesses. The beauty of this project is that we have been able to work with local people in the development of it.
“This is my first major interior design project that I have ever done, so I’m really excited about it. This is a design center, and it’s all about inspiring ideas for anyone, regardless of their budget.”
For more information about Made in the Shade visit mitsclarksville.com.
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