ALL ABOUT BLINDS & SHUTTERS
JEFF MCGEE RUNS THE LOCALLY OWNED, FAMILY BUSINESS AND IS HANDS ON FROM START TO FINISH
Feature Story
PERHAPS THE BEST THING TO KNOW CONCERNING ALL ABOUT BLINDS & SHUTTERS is that when calling the shop, it’s more than likely owner Jeff McGee is going to be the one answering the phone. “We’re a locally owned, family business,” he said. “You’ll see my kids up here. I think that’s very important. I’m going to be here. I’m not a 1-800 number. That’s the most important thing.”
What’s more, McGee is a very hands-on owner who will personally make sure each and every client is satisfied with the work. “I’m an active owner,” he said. “I’m going to show up to your doorstep and I do check measures to make sure we measure twice and cut once, although we don’t actually do the cutting. Hunter Douglas does the cutting but there’s that phase. And I do that.”
hunter douglas
Indeed, the business that was started in 2005 by a local man and his son-in-law, operating out of a garage, has blossomed into a full-scale Hunter Douglas gallery – the only one of its kind in Albuquerque. “Mason Thompson started the business out of his garage and he employed his son-inlaw as his installer,” McGee said. “That’s the way it was up until about 2010, then it expanded into a showroom/warehouse on McLeod.”
A few years later the company got a huge lift. “In 2014, it expanded to this location and became a Hunter Douglas gallery dealer,” McGee said. “We’re the only gallery in Albuquerque. We’re not the only dealer, but the only store that displays its Hunter Douglas products like this.” Throughout the
showroom, the various blinds and shutters are set up in tasteful displays to give customers a good idea of how the different options may look dressing their own windows.
expanding his portfolio
So when the older owner decided to sell, having the gallery made it a prime acquisition, said McGee, who entered the picture when searching the area for a business in which to invest. “I’ve been looking at a few different businesses on the market in the Albuquerque area,” he said. “I’d primarily been looking at automotive businesses because I own an automotive business in Oklahoma in a partnership with my brother.” But the window dressing business caught his attention and seemed intriguing. “This business was presented to me by my broker and it looked like a good opportunity,” McGee said.
Even though it may have been outside his specific realm of experience, some business tactics are universal, he said. “Being an owner, unless you’re doing a startup, you need to have some knowledge of your product, but it’s more about surrounding yourself with the greatest people,” McGee said. “You’re only as great as your people.” What’s more, there were similarities with the previous ownership.
quality products, partners
“The previous owner also had a strong automotive background,” McGee said. “Automotive or automotive repair, it’s still retail. It’s a customer service business.You have to be able to deliver on your customer service or you don’t stay in business.You have to make sure everybody is happy.” Of course, having a quality product also makes all the difference and he couldn’t be happier with Hunter Douglas.
As a matter of fact, All About Blinds & Shutters deals exclusively in Hunter Douglas window treatments, he said, starting with its exclusive Alustra line of products. “It’s got high-end, quality fabrics available across Hunter Douglas product line,” said design consultant Bonnie Schag. “Also, it’s a classier finish on the hardware.” The top-of-the-line Alustra, “is for people who want something above and beyond what everybody else has,” McGee said. And, like Hunter Douglas products, “the hardware is all metal, not plastic and it’s made in the U.S.,” he said. “And all fabrics and components have lifetime guarantees.”
Consultants like Schag make a huge difference because of their interaction with customers in their homes. “We do an in-home consultation in the client’s home,” McGee said.“We send an interior designer/ design consultant who will understand the client’s needs and match colors to the interior or the design. And that’s free of charge.” The consultants do all the measurements – which McGee then double checks – and generates an estimate.
Once the order is submitted, Hunter Douglas custom fills each order, and the end result is ready generally within four to five weeks, McGee said. Then one of the company’s installers finishes the job by hanging the treatment for free. “We do all of the installation as part of the service,” McGee said. “There are so many different design windows and everything has to be done just right. A big thing is plaster. Plaster is like a can of worms.”
adding value to your home
How a window is dressed runs the gamut, he said, and may not only beautify a home, but can add real value as many help insulate the windows. For instance, the Duette and Applause Honeycomb shades are designed with a cellular, honeycomb shape to create pockets of insulation to help stave off the heat loss or heat gain from the window, McGee said. In addition, the old cord, lifting systems, which can be hazardous with children or pets, is being replaced by ratcheted, cordless lifting systems. And in this era of technology, the systems even can be motorized and operated via a remote control or even connected through one of the home computerization networks to open and close at predetermined times.
Even the fabric itself is laced with technology as it can be used not only to control exterior light, but also to diffuse it to create fashionable colors, weaves and textures. It even comes laced with MicroShield, an antimicrobial system to inhibit in growth of or kill micro-organisms.“There are just so many different possibilities and ways to treat windows,” McGee said.“It’s really amazing.”