“Do one thing and do it well” is more than a business axiom. It’s how Covers Designer’s Edge pivoted in the face of changing market conditions to become a thriving local source for custom window coverings.
Times have changed since 1987 and so has Covers Designer’s Edge. The company began then as a companion service to a paint and paper store, selling bedding and drapery in standard sizes.
“Essentially the store was like a factory,” says current owner Kevin Fellner. “That was its slogan.” In the following years, consumer buying habits shifted. When Fellner purchased Covers in 2008 he recognized the need to respond.
Covers narrowed its focus and solely concentrated on custom orders for only the most popular types of window coverings. They also began working more closely with builders, developers and designers.
“We started to grow our contract business for condos and apartment projects, and now about half of our business has shifted to that type of work,” says Fellner. “We also tender commercial projects across southwestern Ontario, so we have relationships with general contractors, developers, school boards and universities.”
Now the company does one thing and does it expertly, says Fellner. “We just do custom window treatments.”
Covers Designer’s Edge is 100% Canadian and has created its own Signature and Prestige brands. There are four showrooms, two in London and one each in Burlington and Sarnia. •
