More than 30 local designers gathered at The Shade Store in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, on June 14 for a morning of networking and a lively panel discussion hosted by Business of Home.

Attendees gathered to hear editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen and local designers Katie Shroder of Atelier Interior Design, NeKeia McSwain of NeKeia + Co and Nadia Watts of Nadia Watts Interior Design. The group shared their insights on how they have built and run their successful design businesses.

After the panel, guests enjoyed light bites while making new connections within the community, browsing The Shade Store showroom and signing up for the company’s trade program.

“These Denver designers offered insights that provide a real on-ramp to business growth. They opened up about the pain points of messaging their businesses and how they’ve shifted the way they interact with prospective and new clients to protect their processes and reaffirm their value,” said Petersen. “It’s an important conversation to have, and I’m so grateful to partner with The Shade Store in a series that allows us to help designers connect and create community.”

“We have been a part of the Denver design community since we opened our Cherry Creek showroom in 2014,” said Kara Marmion, senior vice president of marketing and communications at The Shade Store. “With our recent openings in Boulder and Littleton, we are expanding our presence in the market to meet the growing demand, and it was the perfect time to reconnect with some existing trade customers and welcome many new designers into our space and introduce them to all the ways The Shade Store can partner with them on their business.”