One of Chaddesden’s best known businesses is under new ownership after a member of staff bought the firm saving it from closure.
Carpenter Myles Hayhurst, 31, had been working for Castle Blinds, in Nottingham Road, for three years when its owners decided to put it up for sale after running the store for 26 years.
Myles, who previously worked as a precision carpenter making bespoke home furniture, has pledged to take the firm into its third decade by continuing to offer a wide range of tailormade blinds, shutters and curtains to homes and businesses in Derbyshire.He has retained all nine members of staff at the firm and already secured contracts with a number of big clients most recently replacing the blinds in the Lund Pavilion at Derbyshire County Cricket Club.
He said: “Castle Blinds has been a long-standing fixture in Chaddesden for decades and has sold and fitted thousands of blinds, most of which were made in our workshop.“Our products are really high standard and reasonably priced, so I know we have potential to be on the high street for another 26 years – there is potential to double our turnover in no time at all.
“My background in carpentry means I have an attention to detail that is deeply engrained – I measure everything to the millimetre and I’m swift of foot; all potential customers receive their quote within 24 hours.”
The firm has forged collaborations with Peveril Interiors and Floorcraft and has provided curtains and blinds for companies including Rolls-Royce, Bower and Kirkland, Mitie, JCB and Trent Barton.Most of the curtains and blinds are made on site at the shop, which is an Aladdin’s cave of fabrics, or in the purpose-built shed at the back of the store.
Myles, who attended Chellaston School, added: “I will be forever grateful to the previous owners Peter and Teresa for the opportunity they have given me and I fully intend to continue their hard work across the East Midlands.
“We have some customers who have been coming to the shop for years because they know we make everything on site and so can be really bespoke, plus we offer that personalised service.
“Olive and Karen in the shop have a combined experience of 24 years so they know our products really well. We ensure a perfect fit and believe we’re the best in the region at what we do.”
