The best blinds and shades can control light, add privacy, improve your sleep, and lower your home’s energy usage by adding a layer of insulation in front of a drafty window. The most popular and efficient options will even work with a smart home system, allowing you to adjust them with a touch on a screen or the setting on your phone app.
At Budget Blinds, with two convenient showrooms in Bluffton and Beaufort serving Hilton Head Island, Bluffton, Hardeeville, Ridgeland, Okatie, and Beaufort, the professional staff will help you choose the best blinds for your home based on factors like style, sunlight-blocking capability, safety, and convenience.
To improve the entire customer experience, Budget Blinds’ Bluffton has moved to a new location in Sheridan Park from the previous store at Simmonsville Rd. and 278.
“We were already looking to expand the Bluffton showroom when this new building came on market,” said owner Bob Engler. “We needed more warehouse space to store inventory, more office space so that our employees didn’t have to work on top of each other, and more display space so our customers can experience our great products in new and better ways.”
Getting through the pandemic has been challenging for everyone, and for the folks at Budget Blinds, it was no exception. Recently, however, businesses are experiencing new trials as people move to the Lowcountry in record numbers.
“Once we got over the shock of going from uncertainty to major growth,” Engler said, “we knew we needed to add to our team. We bought new vehicles and changed how we display our products once we moved into our new space. Now finding and training employees quickly in a way that allows us to maintain the great level of sales and service our customers expect has become the next big challenge.”
New employees at Budget Blinds get thorough training. When hired, they start by job shadowing long-term employees to learn specific tricks of the trade and location-specific protocol. They also may train at vendor facilities to gain further expertise.
“We always make sure new sales hires are able to answer customer questions and that our installers provide service above market expectations,” Engler said. “For anyone seeking a stable career in a strong industry, Budget Blinds may be just what you’re looking for.”
New hires aren’t the only ones learning new skills. With the explosion of innovative technology affecting window coverings, all the staff at Budget Blinds are gaining proficiency as they learn to sell and service new products that are coming on the market.
The trends in window coverings are moving in the direction of smart-home-compatible products, such as those you can control with an app on your phone or those that respond to voice commands.
Other popular products include shades on timers that move up and down in the way you need them to move whether you are at home or not. For example, you can program your bedroom shades to lower at 8 p.m. and raise at 7 a.m.; or in the living room where you might want to protect your floors from harsh UV light or glare, you can program the shades to lower at 3 p.m.
“People with homes of all ages and sizes are updating to new products,” Engler said. “When we first started 17 years ago, roller shades were not so popular. Back then, it was more blinds with louvers. Now, however, most people prefer a simpler, cleaner aesthetic and more open windows. Shades offer that clean look with the function of light control or privacy.”
Plantation shutters are still a big demand in the Lowcountry, but currently folks are installing much bigger panels with bigger louvers than in former years, to accommodate a cleaner look and provide a better view.
And if that were not enough, Budget Blinds’ commitment to beautifying interiors extends well beyond these products to deliver style and variety for those homeowners with unique circumstances and needs. For example, their woven natural shades are made from hemp, kenaf and flax, are 100 percent organic, environmentally friendly, and completely recyclable.
A collection of moisture-resistant window treatments for high-humidity rooms offers the best in both durability and style. These blinds and shutters will not warp or peel under harsh, moisture-rich conditions brought on by high humidity.
So how do you get the right product for your home’s style and function? You can visit the showrooms in Bluffton or Beaufort and have a look at what is available, and then a sales professional will visit your home, take measurements, and offer expert advice regarding products and product lines that will fit your aesthetic and budget. After that, professional, courteous, and skilled craftsmen will install your new window coverings.
“We’re local,” Engler said. “We care about the same things you do, and unlike many similar providers, we aren’t going anywhere. We’ve been in business for 17 years and we aim to find employees that will stay with us for a while and become experts in the field to serve our customers in the best way possible.”
Budget Blinds is known for their professional staff, whose knowledge and expertise are unmatched in the industry. Their qualified, certified employees can offer suggestions on exactly what to do and what not to do based on your desires and needs, both before and after the sale.
“We don’t just sell you a blind and then move on,” Engler said. “We provide solutions that fit your needs and preferences, and we are there for you afterwards if you have warranty issues or need service. Reliability and consumer confidence are cornerstones of our business.”
For more information, visit budgetblinds.com/hiltonheadisland.
