Many businesses from all types of industries talk about putting the customer first and going above and beyond to ensure client satisfaction. At Regal Drapes, that philosophy is much more than just an empty promise without any real meaning—it happens to be the reason they were founded in the first place.

Vicky Levin and Nishan Madawala were working together building online software solutions at an e-commerce home improvement company. At some point, they both had negative experiences shopping for custom window treatments.

Madawala, who had just bought a new house, was taken aback by not only the discrepancy in pricing from one designer to the next for similar products, but also the extended wait times to have items made and ready for installation. Levin, meanwhile, was disappointed when the treatments she chose just did not look as expected in her home, only to get stuck with them without a refund option.

"I had to live with these horrible drapes and I hated to look at them every day for five years," she says. "I couldn't do anything about it. Nishan had the same kind of experience in his house and we started talking about how hard it is to buy window coverings. That's the first time the idea for Regal Drapes surfaced."

Officially started in 2012, Regal Drapes is a privately owned business that has developed a stellar reputation for offering high-quality products at reasonable prices, delivered within seven business days of being ordered online. They specialize in custom drapes, Roman shades, valances and pillows, all made locally right here in New Jersey by the company's own workroom.

They also put their money where their mouths are when it comes to the happiness of customers with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If clients do not like the products they ordered, they can send them back within 15 days and receive a full refund, no questions asked.

"There are no catches, and it's not store credit—we give you your money back," Levin says. "We do everything in our power to make sure that customers are getting what they want, because we understand that it's an online business and it's a big purchase. When you're not 100% sure what you're getting, that peace of mind means a lot to customers." It's also unheard of in the industry, especially in regard to custom products.

"To this day, nobody else offers that because it doesn't make business sense—but it didn't come from a business perspective, it came from a customer's perspective," Madawala says. "You might order something that is custom and you don't like it, and just because it's custom you have to live with it. So we thought as a business, let's be on the customers' side on this. If you don't like it, we're the only company that will take it back and give you a full refund."

There are other courtesies extended to customers, such as free resizing of items if a client happens to make a mistake when taking measurements. The goal is to give them exactly what they paid for and to help take their home décor up a notch.

"As our designers say, adding drapes to a room is like the jewelry that complements an outfit," Levin says. "It completely transforms your space, makes it cozy and creates a completely different look and feel in the room."

The Regal Drapes team experienced that difference in their own office when they added drapes to their plain roller shades. "It just elevated the whole space," Madawala says. "You don't even think about it, but it softens everything up and there's a wow factor that even we underestimated ourselves."

The company's designers can work with any kind of décor, from traditional to modern, and natural colors and fabrics are particularly hot at the moment. One style of drapes called Ripple Fold provides a sleek look, comes with a track and is especially popular, but the traditional style of a rod and rings is also in demand, only with slimmer rods and metallic hardware.

All of the products are manufactured in the Morristown workroom, which allows them to control the quality and support their guarantees.

Those factors make Regal Drapes a unique company, and Madawala and Levin have even used their newcomer status to their advantage.

"We've found out that we're not custom, we're super custom, because we're exceeding industry standards," Madawala says.

"A good example is the drapery header, which is 4 inches on your standard custom drape. Our header is 5 inches, which is considered an upgrade, because it gives you deeper pleats and it takes more material to make the product. Things like that happened because we were new to the business, coupled with us trying to do the right thing."

Setting new standards and creating happy customers will continue to be the goals moving forward, even as the company grows and experiences more and more success.

"We have loyal customers who come back, time after time," Levin says. It's because we do everything as if it's for our own homes."

Regal Drapes
1 Cory Road, Morristown, N.J.
1 (800) 256-5005
RegalDrapes.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 23, Issue 11 (September 2023).
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