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Offering customers a choice of valances can set you apart from competitors.

by Sharon L. Anderson , Associate Member, IDEC

Question: As a wholesaler of vertical blinds, I am looking for new and innovative ideas for creating valances over blinds. I would like to offer my retail store and interior designer customers the option of the standard valance we include with a vertical blind purchase and a soft valance in varying degrees of formality for their windows. What particular styles should I include? How many choices should I offer retailers? These will not be ready-made, but custom made to their specifications within limits. Any ideas? Answer: As a wholesale supplier, I know you want to make the choices you offer as simple as possible for the retailer. This will encourage them to order custom work without hesitation. In doing so, you will be competing against local drapery workrooms, so you must really offer a unique complement to your product. There are several excellent books you can study before making any decisions that include color illustrations of many styles of valances. One such book is The Encyclopedia of Window Fashions by Charles T. Randall. The book includes formulas for figuring yardage requirements. In terms of what styles to include in your offer, you should give a choice, but limit it to a couple of styles: some traditional, some contemporary and some transitional that will complement vertical blinds. The softer the bottom portion of the valance, the better it will soften the straight lines of the vertical blinds. Good luck! Editor's note: This is a continuing series of articles written by Sharon L. Anderson that will answer some of the many questions we receive at Draperies & Window Coverings as well as questions Anderson has encountered in her own business. If you have a question you would like Anderson to address, please send it to: Design Solutions Draperies & Window Coverings 666 Dundee Rd., Ste. 807 Northbrook, IL 60062-2769 Fax: (847) 498-0231 E-mail: DesignSol@dwcdesignet.com Sharon L. Anderson has more than 20 years experience as a professional interior designer in both commercial and residential design. She has taught at numerous colleges throughout California and is currently is an educator at Moorpark college in southern California. She is a published author and frequent public speaker.