In the News
Changing Your View
October 12, 2007
Winter Spotlight – 2007
What do you get when you mix the creativity of a design house, the pricing of a blind shop and the skill and technical knowledge of a drapery workroom? You get Creative Window Treatments! This little shop is known by many locals as the hometown drapery, blind and plantation shutter shop, even though it is hidden away on the second floor of an office building in historic downtown Punta Gorda.
Creative Window Treatments produces custom draperies, valances, cornices, bedspreads, pillows, tablecloths, upholstery and much more, most of which are made by talented seamstresses right in their West Virginia Avenue shop. Creative Window Treatments also carries a large selection of plantation shutters, blinds and shades. In fact, they are a Priority Dealer for Hunter Douglas, as well as other top shutter and blind fabricators.
“We’re a unique treasure most home owners would be very happy to know about,” says Maria Budd, an owner of Creative Window Treatments. The uniqueness of Creative Window Treatments stems from the fact that they are a window treatment design showroom and drapery workroom all in one. As a result, their customers receive the talents and expertise of decorators, skilled seamstresses and craftsman, all rolled into one shop.
“We believe an elegant, beautifully designed window treatment has the ability to transform an entire room,” says June Amara, also an owner. “Creative Window Treatments is built on quality of design, workmanship and service. Our goal is to make every customer feel as if they are our only customer. We handle multi-million dollar homes, as well as single-room condos with equal attention and enthusiasm. We start with an initial consultation to help determine our customer’s specific needs. We spend a lot of time and ask a lot of questions. And because we do everything – from the initial window coverings like blinds, shutters and shades to the decorative coverings like draperies, valances, cornices, bedding, pillows and upholstery – we have a cohesive and well designed result.”
June Amara and Maria Budd opened Creative Window Treatments in a 700-square-foot space on the 2nd floor of an office building in down- town Punta Gorda in October of 2003. Initially, their only customers were a pair of local decorators. Word got out within months, however, and they found themselves keeping very busy… so busy, in fact, that in December of 2003 they hired another seamstress. This seamstress is still with them today and is an integral part of their success. By March of 2004, Creative Window Treatments’ business was growing larger than the existing space could accommodate. They were in great need of expansion, and luckily had the opportunity to acquire the office space adjacent to their present location on West Virginia Avenue. Business continued to grow until August 13,2004. Creative Window Treatments lost the roof and most everything in the shop was destroyed or damaged by Hurricane Charley.
After being closed for 7 months, Creative Window Treatments opened its doors again in March of 2005. It took a few months for things to kick in, not unlike a completely new opening, but word started to get out and business grew again. Business continued to grow so much, June and Maria found the need to hire an additional decorator, seamstress and office manager. “We were so blessed to have the opportunity to hire amazingly talented and creative ladies to join our company,” says June. As a result of all this hiring, however, their 1,500 square foot combination workroom and showroom was getting very crowded. In March of 2007, Creative Window Treatments was given the opportunity to once more expand its space. They again broke down a wall into the last remaining space on the second floor of their downtown Punta Gorda building. This space is now the Creative Window Treatments showroom, with the previous two spaces now the workroom. Creative Window Treatments’ showroom is filled with a huge selection of fabrics, from silks to upholstery to outdoor materials. They also carry beautiful trims and various types of curtain rods.
At Creative Window Treatments, June and Maria make great efforts to insure that their customers are extremely happy with their final products. As a result, Creative Window Treatments gets most of their business through word of mouth advertising. They would feel completely confident giving any one of their customers’ names as a reference. That alone says a lot about Creative Window Treatments. In 2007, Creative Window Treatments was nominated for the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year award. “The fact of the matter is that we believe our success is not only a result of our devotion to our customer, but also our customers’ devotion to us,” says June. “That is why we spends a lot of time and make great efforts in creating and researching new and innovative ideas for window treatment designs. We feel we owe that to our customers. We are also continually evaluating our procedures in the workroom and the show- room. We educate ourselves to be as effective and inventive as possible. Our sales staff regularly attends demonstrations reviewing and analyzing new products and fabrics. Our workroom has attended many technique workshops presented by some of the industries top seamstresses. We are continually researching the latest equipment to help improve, wherever possible, the craftsmanship of our product.”
Creative Window Treatments is located at 212 West Virginia Avenue, on the corner of West Virginia and Sullivan Street in Punta Gorda. They can also be reached at (941) 637-0015. For additional information on Creative Window Treatments, please visit www.mycreativewindow.com.