New owners have eyes opened to blind business

It's late afternoon and Tim Reinke and Doug Cox are hard at work. Reinke is having a hard time completing a thought because the phone keeps ringing. It's another order. As he talks, he jots down some notes on a large "To Do" board, which tracks customers' orders.

Doug Cox, meanwhile, is building a custom mini-blind. While he's working, Reinke's wife Jill, who teaches at Nixa Junior High School and keeps the books for the Carr Shade Factory, stops in to see how things are going.

The Reinkes and Cox have only owned Carr Shade Fac-tory Inc. for two months, but they're already looking for ways to expand and improve this 65-year-old Springfield business.

"Right now, 75 percent of our business is commercial," said Jill Reinke. "We'd like to expand and capture more business in the residential market."

In 1937, Clyde W. Carr founded the Carr Shade Fac-tory which manufactures custom mini-blinds, pull-down shades, vertical blinds, Venetian blinds, wooden blinds and aluminum blinds.

After founding the business, Carr set up his own manufacturing facility at 909 Boonville Ave., which still serves as the company's headquarters.

In 1946, Johnny Fittro began working for Carr at the Carr Shade Factory.

Following Carr's death in 1970, Fittro ran the company for two years before purchasing it in 1972.

Several years ago, Fittro met Cox. Cox had just started a company called Shine-a-Blind, which cleans and repairs blinds for area businesses and homeowners. As it turned out, many of the blinds Cox cleaned and repaired were manufactured at Carr Shade Factory, and he came to rely on Fittro to supply him with fabrics and other materials he needed when making repairs.

When Fittro decided to retire and sell Carr Shade Factory earlier this year, Cox inquired about buying the business. He soon realized, however, that he would need a business partner, so he contacted his old high-school friend Tim Reinke, a jack-of-all-trades who was itching to become an entrepreneur. Reinke discussed the idea with his wife, and the threesome purchased the company.

Buying a company that has been in business since 1937 had advantages and drawbacks, the owners say. On the plus side, the Carr Shade Factory has a well-established customer base and good name recognition.

In addition, Cox's Shine-a-Blind company has provided many internal customer referrals, which have helped generate even more business.

"It's been amazing. We bought the business, plugged in the phone, and it's been ringing ever since," Tim Reinke said.

On the downside, Cox and the Reinkes have had to learn how Fittro ran the business and adapt his processes to their own business style. In addition, they've undertaken the daunting task of reorganizing and cataloging the 65-year-old company's inventory, which includes many vintage fabrics.

Still, they said, the advantages far outweigh the drawbacks, and they're focused on the future. That future includes several possible changes.

One of the things under consideration is a name change. According to Cox, people who are unfamiliar with Carr Shade Factory often assume the company does window tinting for cars and other vehicles.

The owners also are considering moving the company to a tract of land the Reinkes own in Nixa. They say moving the business would provide them with the room needed to expand the company's manufacturing facility.

They also are considering opening a retail store in south Springfield. The store would give customers an opportunity to view and select from a wide range of custom blinds and shades manufactured by the company.

Still, Cox and the Reinkes said they are reluctant to make any changes until they've truly immersed themselves in every aspect of the company's operations. For now, they said, it's business as usual at the Carr Shade Factory.