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Special Report

Season's Greetings

The holidays are reflected in D'Kei's main street shop.

Once the ghosts and goblins of Halloween have caused their mischief and dispersed, it's time to don the festive trimmings for what is for most designers and workrooms the busiest time of the year. At D'Kei, Inc., Lisle, IL, that means Christmas and decorating the shop for the holidays. D'Kei presents itself as a total source for trim and fabric and as such designs and imports a host of decorative trimmings including tassels, beads (the current must-have embellishment), crystals and feathers of every type, size and color. The shop also features select drapery fabrics, pillows and decorative hardware all available through its to-the-trade-only storefront, warehouse and catalog. Keith and Denise Axtell founded D'Kei in 1980 in warehouse space. The facility included a small workspace for designers, but Denise Axtell explains it became confusing and disruptive having designers in the warehouse. In 1994, the Axtell's opened a shop on Lisle's downtown main street. Here, in newly expanded space, designers and decorators can be immersed in the colors and textures of the shop's high-quality trims. D'Kei features product lines from Van Lathem, Fabricut, Conso, Claesson and even its own line of decorative hardware—all available for a closer look in room after room of displays. Thousands of items are kept in stock at the shop and anytime more is needed, the warehouse remains a short distance away. D'Kei was never intended to be a retail business, but its shop was so inviting, it drew in customers. And so, occasionally, trimmings were sold to consumers—at a retail markup. That policy ended earlier this year and D'Kei returned to its strictly for-the-trade-only business, just in time for the holidays.