Jayson's blog

I first wrote about this amazing new battery operated roller shade about a month ago and stated that it is one of the first products to come along in a while that has really caught my attention. Well, it is REALLY amazing! Everyone I have shown it to has either bought it or is saving up to buy it. They are as slack jawed about it as I am. Maybe they’re just picking up on my awe … I don’t know.

QMotion battery powered radio controlled shades

Here’s what’s blowing my mind:

• How quiet it is. Lutron has always been my standard for quiet but QMotion is right there with them.
• How simple it is. No wires, no antennas, just two brackets and a shade … and a fabric wrapped cover if you want.
• How long the batteries will last. FIVE years!
• Mermet fabrics. Smart choice QMotion.
• The price. Still not the cheapest BUT definitely not the most and worth every penny. You get what you pay for folks.
• Delivery. Three weeks! That’s it!

I could go on and on but I think you get the point. Give us a call today for a free demonstration. It will blow your mind … too.

Jayson Smith, CEO

I was born in the 60′s. My parents were born in the 40′s. My grandparents were born in the teens and lived through … well … everything. Everything we take for granted these days. Automobiles, radios, electrification, TV, rockets, telephones, satellites, and on and on. They were farmers and grocers and lived in the country. They also lived through the depression of the 30′s. While I have always thought it would be cool to have seen the space race first hand as an adult instead of as a kid, I have never wanted to “go back in time” so I could witness the depression first hand. However, I got pretty close these last few years. I mean dang … this has really … well … sucked.

QMotion quiet battery powered shades

I started Atlanta Blind & Shade in 1994 and built it a little at a time. I look back over the books and our sales grew every year. Sometimes a little and sometimes a lot but always better than the year before. That is until 2009. Since then we’ve seen a steady and drastic drop off. Our business is literally half what it was just three years ago. The good news (of which there is very little these days) is that unlike most of our competitors, we are still here. We are moving into our 19th year as Atlanta Blind & Shade. We were on the ropes but we are back on our feet now and leaner and meaner than ever. Honestly, we had gotten a bit fat. The boxing analogy is perfect for our situation. I won’t bore you with the story. I think you get the idea.

So, what does this mean for 2012 and beyond? It means our clients are winners along with us. In order for us to survive, we have to make sure we are the toughest, leanest, strongest, smartest, and (not fitting in the boxing analogy) nicest window treatments dealer there is. We don’t have a backer. My daddy didn’t hand me a business and a bank roll to get things going or to prop me up during lean times. We’re not a secret division of some larger entity. We are on our own and always have been. Yes, we get help all the time but not the financial kind … just the mental and spiritual kind.

Here we come 2012! We are back on the increase. This is over because we say it’s over. We expect increases in sales of all our Hunter Douglas, Lutron, QMotion, 3M, SolarGard, Retractable  Screen,  Plantation Shutter products over the next year and beyond. We have also invested thousands of dollars and years of time to become the residential and commercial experts in motorized and automated shades. I’ll be dammed if I am going to let all of this just fade away! If you are reading this, thank you for visiting our web site. Please peruse our pages to learn more about who we are and how we can be of service to you. Then give us a call. We look forward to speaking with you. Make it a great day!

-Jayson Smith, CEO

It started back in the 90′s and hasn’t lost any steam. Folks still love plantation shutters here in Atlanta. It seems everyone is in the game. Home Depot, Lowes, even hardware stores. People just can’t get enough of them.

Plantation Shutters Atlanta

What started as a practical solution to hurricanes and such in the low-country and the keys has become via cross-pollination with “cafe’ shutters”, what we now refer to as plantation shutters. They are popular all across the country now and all the major players are “all-in.” Honestly, I don’t care for them. While they are excellent insulators they are major window destroyers. Blocking 40% of a windows view at best, the plantation shutter has robbed Atlanta of its views.

Plantation Shutters Atlanta

Don’t get me wrong. We sell them. We sell a lot of them. So does every out of work cabinet maker and carpenter from here to Savannah. So called “manufacturer direct” outfits. Since 1994 we have watched them come and go. Riding the waves of the housing market. Obviously a lot of them are gone now. However, once housing starts to tick up, we’ll start getting the calls from the new manufacturers who used to work for so and so and now have their own facility. It’s like clockwork.

We carry two local fabricators. One has been around since the early 90′s and the other about ten years. Both are quite good at what they do and very reliable. We will stick with these guys until they stop being good or go out of business. We, of course also carry Hunter Douglas’ full line of wood, faux wood and PVC shutters. Heritance, New Style, and Palm Beach brands respectively. Our local brands are more affordable, however; our Hunter Douglas brands are backed by well … Hunter Douglas and it’s almost 100 year history.

Plantation Shutters Atlanta

If you are looking for plantation shutters for your home in Atlanta or the surrounding North and Central Georgia area, let us know. We’re here to help.