Made in the Shade: New business with Clarksville roots

“SO David, what’s with this new thing you’re doing? I mean, really? Blinds? What’s up with that?”

Most everyone who knows me will also know that I’ve been an award-winning graphic designer for nearly 20 years, and it might seem a little ‘out of place’ for me to suddenly promote a business selling custom blinds and shades. From the outside, I might even agree with that — it’s definitely a new business and a new thing for me!

But not really. Let me explain.

You see, a little more than 10 years ago, I had the great fortune of working with the founder of this new-fangled idea of a blind and shade business, a remarkable woman by the name of Cathy Morse. She had a vision, and she wanted to get a branding idea put together, but nothing was coming together quite the way she wanted.

My mother, who at the time was working with Cathy on another project, passed my name along. We instantly hit it off and have been close friends ever since — especially when I hit a little bit of divine inspiration and created the perfect logo for her new business — Made in the Shade Blinds & More!

The model for her business was not only to sell and install custom, high-quality window fashions, but to teach others to do the same. Today, she has dealers and franchisees all across the United States and Canada.

Through all that time, I’ve had the singular honor of working with each and every single dealer of Made in the Shade to help give them marketing and promotional materials for their business. It’s been a growing part of my own design work over the years, and it’s only grown!

After visiting with Cathy and a few dozen other dealers earlier this year, I began talking with her about taking on more responsibility with the group, but one thing would be clear — I would need to be fully “in the family” to do it. So, today, not only am I a proud franchisee for Made in the Shade, but I’m also the National Marketing Director for the company.

So not only will Clarksville residents have the advantage of working with one of the fastest-growing franchises in the country, they’ll have the opportunity to work with a guy who’s had a bird’s eye view of this amazing company from its very beginning.

So yes, this is a new thing. It’s a VERY new thing, especially for Clarksville. For me, it’s a big change (and YES, I’m still doing deign work) — but I’m excited about this opportunity, and I look forward to working with homeowners and businesses all across the area!

With this new business, I’m confident that I’ll be able to serve my hometown with even more quality than I’ve ever done. What’s more, I’m incredibly proud to be a part of a business that in a way, I helped to create its image. It’s a chance to put my feet where my design skills have always been; and a chance to really add to the quality of life for Clarksville’s homeowners. Thank you so much for the opportunity to serve you.

On behalf of myself and everyone at Made in the Shade Blinds & More, we are honored to be a part of this community.

Now let’s cover some windows!