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Raleigh design community gathers at The Shade Store with Business of Home
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Raleigh design community gathers at The Shade Store with Business of Home
Nov 15, 2023 | Raleigh | Andrew Ketchum
Raleigh design community gathers at The Shade Store with Business of Home

Interior designers from the Raleigh, North Carolina, region gathered at The Shade Store’s recently opened showroom on November 15 for a morning filled with lively conversation and networking. Business of Home editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen hosted “A Designer’s Point of View”—a panel discussion with local talents Don Ricardo Massenburg of Design Inkredible, Dana Waldron of Murphy Waldron Interiors and Heather Garrett of Heather Garrett Design. The conversation explored how the three designers have built their successful businesses, how they approach day-to-day operations, and the way they communicate their value to clients.

One of the most striking takeaways was how crucial the onboarding phase can be in shaping a client’s understanding of the design process to come. As each panelist explained, a designer’s earliest choices when delivering information often set the tone for how the rest of the project will unfold. Garrett and Massenburg outlined strategies to corral conversations into a single platform (Trello for the former, MyDoma for the latter) in order to systemize the workflow. Waldron, alternately, discussed why it’s so important for the client to understand from the start that flexibility is her number one priority.

Attendees had the opportunity to network while browsing the showroom displays of various custom window treatments offered by The Shade Store, pulling samples from its selection of more than 1,300 in-stock materials and discovering how they can collaborate with The Shade Store on projects anywhere across the country.

“A designer’s onboarding process truly telegraphs the value of their firm’s work—that’s why it’s absolutely essential to carefully assess the way you talk about your business from the outset of a project,” said Petersen. “I’m so grateful that Don, Dana and Heather were excited about the topic and ready to share their hard-won strategies. This was a group curious about different points of view, open to laughing over past failures and eager to learn from each other’s successes. It made for such a joyful morning at The Shade Store, which continues to foster community by bringing design professionals together for important industry conversations.”

“Raleigh is a new market for The Shade Store, with our showroom having just opened in late summer, and this event offered us an opportunity to make great connections with designers in the region, introduce them to our local team and give them a better sense of all the ways that The Shade Store can be a resource for their business,” said Kara Marmion, senior vice president of marketing and communications for The Shade Store.

Event panelists Dana Waldron, Kaitlin Petersen, Heather Garrett and Don Ricardo Massenburg
Event panelists Dana Waldron, Kaitlin Petersen, Heather Garrett and Don Ricardo Massenburg
Event panelists Dana Waldron, Kaitlin Petersen, Heather Garrett and Don Ricardo Massenburg
Kaitlin Petersen, Amanda Steinert Francfort and Erika Laurito
Kaitlin Petersen, Amanda Steinert Francfort and Erika Laurito
Kaitlin Petersen, Amanda Steinert Francfort and Erika Laurito
The Shade Store Raleigh
The Shade Store Raleigh
The Shade Store Raleigh
Attendees took home a gift bag after the event
Attendees took home a gift bag after the event
Attendees took home a gift bag after the event
Guests enjoyed light breakfast bites
Guests enjoyed light breakfast bites
Guests enjoyed light breakfast bites
Guests shopped The Shade Store showroom before the event began
Guests shopped The Shade Store showroom before the event began
Guests shopped The Shade Store showroom before the event began
Shannon Cassell 
browsed The Shade Store’s selection of unlimited free swatches
Shannon Cassell browsed The Shade Store’s selection of unlimited free swatches
Shannon Cassell browsed The Shade Store’s selection of unlimited free swatches
Attendees browsed The Shade Store’s latest offerings
Attendees browsed The Shade Store’s latest offerings
Attendees browsed The Shade Store’s latest offerings
Eric Bishop, Leah Hale, Kaitlin Petersen, Heather Garrett, Dana Waldron, Don Ricardo Massenberg and Kara Marmion
Eric Bishop, Leah Hale, Kaitlin Petersen, Heather Garrett, Dana Waldron, Don Ricardo Massenberg and Kara Marmion
Eric Bishop, Leah Hale, Kaitlin Petersen, Heather Garrett, Dana Waldron, Don Ricardo Massenberg and Kara Marmion
Guests listen in on the conversation, which explored how these designers build their successful businesses
Guests listen in on the conversation, which explored how these designers build their successful businesses
Guests listen in on the conversation, which explored how these designers build their successful businesses
Kate Haynes (center)
Kate Haynes (center)
Kate Haynes (center)
From left, Don Ricardo Massenburg, Shannon Cassell and Kelly	Grapentin enjoyed The Shade Store’s product displays
From left, Don Ricardo Massenburg, Shannon Cassell and Kelly Grapentin enjoyed The Shade Store’s product displays
From left, Don Ricardo Massenburg, Shannon Cassell and Kelly Grapentin enjoyed The Shade Store’s product displays
From left, Laura Koshel, Dana Waldron and Heather Garrett
From left, Laura Koshel, Dana Waldron and Heather Garrett
From left, Laura Koshel, Dana Waldron and Heather Garrett
Kate Haynes and Craven Miller
Kate Haynes and Craven Miller
Kate Haynes and Craven Miller
Gina Santore, Dana Waldron and Leah Hale
Gina Santore, Dana Waldron and Leah Hale
Gina Santore, Dana Waldron and Leah Hale
Local Raleigh designers enjoyed The Shade Store showroom
Local Raleigh designers enjoyed The Shade Store showroom
Local Raleigh designers enjoyed The Shade Store showroom
A packed house at The Shade Store Raleigh
A packed house at The Shade Store Raleigh
A packed house at The Shade Store Raleigh