How we've helped Jennifer Rogers Curtains and Blinds
Business overview
Jenny started her business six years ago. She needed something where she would be flexible enough to down tools and help her husband on the family farm and would also fit around the school run.
The idea came from needing curtains for their holiday property on site at the farm. She specialises in made to measure curtains and blinds. She also makes cushions and lamp shades as well as selling the machinery such as poles and rails to offer a full service. Most of her business comes from local holiday properties. With marketing coming from word of mouth and repeat orders.
You tube videos were only so much help in learning her new craft. So, she booked in to complete a Design Academy professional course. After several years of trading Jenny got in touch to think about planning and to look at rebranding and focussing her pricing strategy.
It is good to talk to someone about your business
How we helped
Since she met with Connector Jacqui in 2019, Jenny has completed a course in digital skills and training for support with social media. However, this year saw new challenges for the business.
During the first Coronavirus lockdown of 2020, Jenny like a lot of people found the need to home-school took over all her time and left no room for curtain making. Her young twin boys had no interest in learning how to use the sewing machine to help out, so all work came to a pause.
Jenny applied for a Covid recovery Kickstart grant to help her business bounce back. The funding helped to buy equipment so she can display her products online more effectively. She can now also carry out viewings of properties and help her customers in taking accurate measurements via video call.
This could allow Jenny to carry out work outside of Cornwall as she no longer needs to make a personal visit to clients. However, she has been swamped since July with orders due to the increase in visitors to Cornwall on staycations. Her plan for 2021 is to look again at options for increasing her workspace to allow further development of the business.
The Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Growth Hub from May 2016 - June 2023 was part funded by the European Regional Development Fund and match funded by Cornwall Council, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership. The project received £2,848,591.49 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
| Business name | Jennifer Rogers Curtains and Blinds |
|---|---|
| Website | https://www.curtainmakercornwall.com/ |
| Contact number | 01736 753479 |
| Contact email | [email protected] |
