Curtain business knits together three generations of knowledge
The astute observer at MDC Interior may notice an old sewing machine sitting in the corner of the window. For a shop that’s based around creating an atmosphere for other people’s windows, the sewing machine has a special significance, representing a tradition that has been perfected over the generations.
Chelsea’s grandmother passed away nine years ago, and Chelsea keeps her sewing machine in the corner of the shop. “It goes with me everywhere. She is my inspiration. She taught me not just how to do things but how to do things the old-fashioned way.”
Chelsea was lucky to have three great seamstresses in the family. Now, after 11 years of experience, she has built a business based on the continuance of that tradition. “I moved to the area and that was my only skillset,” she says. She was 21 at the time. “I immediately fell in love with the industry. I don’t see myself doing anything else.”
People often learn too late the complexity involved in choosing the right design for curtains. Whether you’re thinking it through from the perspective of a facility you need to manage, or from the perspective of a home you choose to live in, the solution required is often bespoke to the unique personality and environment of the property. If the curtains are used in a unit with cooking facilities, for example, they may capture smells. This in turn will mean that they need to be made from the right fabric in order to survive dry-cleaning, a process that can ruin up to 40% of curtains.
Chelsea knows what questions to ask to provide the best advice. “The whole goal is longevity. People are paying money for these services. We want people not to have to come back because the curtains have failed them.”
Massive knowledge is something Chelsea looks for in her staff as well. “I like the fact that she’s local. She’s a working mum doing her thing with knowledge she gained from a young age,” says Lucrezia Willis, Business Development and Co-Ordinator, who has recently joined MDC Interior. “There’s a real person behind this business.”
The end result is a partnership. “The transformation that comes from what we do is as rewarding to us as it is to our clients,” says Chelsea.