Blind Ambitions celebrates 30-year anniversary

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/08/2020 (1927 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Blind Ambitions, a window covering design business based in St. James, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.

The company was launched in August 1990, selling blinds, shades and automated products for residents and corporations around Winnipeg. Blind Ambitions has survived a few storms before, but nothing like COVID-19.

It’ll be celebrating the anniversary a little differently, offering deals to its clients until the end of September.

Jon Siddall started the company 30 years ago. As other window covering companies have come and gone, he’s thankful to have stayed in business for this long.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to hire some great staff to help out,” Siddall said. “I’ve seen dozens of window covering companies come and go, I’m very proud and very thankful to have lasted this long,” he added.

“I always try to maintain a mindset that my staff are like clients, as well. I want to make sure their working environment is good, they feel good about coming in to work and they’ll know they’ll be treated with respect.”

Blind Ambitions started as a one-man operation. Siddall bought a small office space in an industrial space, located on Wellington Avenue and Erin Street. As his business expanded, he wanted to have a showroom, so they rented a larger part of the industrial building.

In 1996, Blind Ambitions moved its showroom to 895 Century St., sharing space with Bill Knight Flooring & Carpets. The company still maintains that showroom to this day, allowing clients to stop by and browse their products and get help whenever they need it.

Typically, their employees would visit customer’s homes, and showcase some of their products, before taking measurements to begin customizing their blinds. Due to the pandemic, Blind Ambitions had to make-do with virtual appointments.

Siddall is a born-and-raised Winnipegger, and he’s been working in renovations and window coverings for most of his life. He’s involved with several charity fundraisers, as well. Most recently, Blind Ambitions donated window coverings to several women’s shelters, as well as Winnipeg Harvest.

Although Siddall is happy with the success of his business, the COVID-19 pandemic is a storm he’s struggling to get through, just like everyone else.

“This storm is pretty unique … It’s affecting different businesses in so many ways. We had to stop our residential sales for a couple of months. Although we were doing virtual appointments, we weren’t able to close (the sale) and go measure,” Siddall said. “We’re really fortunate because a lot of our customers are very understanding. We’re mostly back to normal now. We’re just hoping other businesses can make it through.”

Blind Ambitions will be hosting sales and other events until the end of September. For more information, visit blindambitions.ca