Shifting from a Consumer Mindset
Contributed by Teresa Roy, Cover Ups Window Fashions
As a retail business owner for over 30 years, I’ve witnessed a lot of changes in the marketplace and buying habits of consumers. Recently, there has been an important shift in attitudes toward consumerism—the idea that we must constantly acquire new things.
This has been driven in part by the depletion of natural resources, advocating for conscious consumption and addressing waste. This change made me consider how my business could better reflect my own values of wasting less and providing quality over quantity. It made me evaluate the items I chose to offer for purchase, and a recommitment to those vendors whose values of quality align with my own.
Selling and fabricating window coverings has been the cornerstone of my business my entire career. Early on, when I made a conscious decision to sell a quality product, I chose Graber blinds, a division of Springs Window Coverings. All the components are aluminum, ensuring durability and longevity—unlike vinyl, which eventually cracks or is affected by temperature. They can be safely cleaned without compromising the integrity of the blind. My expectation is that once I install that blind in your home, you may have it for decades. Springs Window Fashions is also a company committed to Best Experience; if there is a problem, they fix it.
For example, the mechanisms that raise and lower the blind have a lifetime warranty. If a shade is difficult to raise or lower, it will either be replaced or repaired. Not all blind companies can make that claim. I have seen repeatedly Graber stepping up to honor that promise. Our blinds can also be repaired—if a string breaks, it can be fixed—keeping things out of the landfill. Surprisingly, that’s not the case for all manufacturers. Springs Window Fashions has won awards for their commitment to sustainability and environmentally friendly practices.
The other item I choose to carry in my retail business is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I have also always had an interest in restoring antiques and what became known as re-purposing—the idea of making an existing item better. I grew up in a home without a lot of money to buy things. We did without or made what we needed. But I always wanted to create a space filled with items that meant something to me, were beautiful, and unique. When on a budget, that can mean using what you already have or not purchasing brand new. Thrift stores and garage sales are wonderful places to find that perfect piece of furniture to make uniquely yours. This belief led me to start researching paint products that were beginning to enter the market specifically for furniture.
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is the pioneer in no-prep, environmentally friendly furniture paint. Cover Ups is the only distributor of this marvel of paint in Alaska. It is water-based, has minimal VOCs, and meets the highest quality indoor air ratings. Annie’s business model mirrors my own, as we advocate saving furniture from the landfill and giving those items new life in a reimagined way. Its unique makeup eliminates the need to use chemical strippers or do a lot of prep work before getting to the fun part—creating something unique to your project.
If you have a project you’re considering and trying to be more mindful about your purchases, please reach out to us at Cover Ups Window Fashions.
www.coverupsak.com