Our Family Story

Hi, I'm Tom Shinn, owner of The Shutter Factory. I started the company in 2018, but my roots in the window treatment industry go back much further.

The Beginning: Lady Draper (1970s)

In the early 1970s, my grandmother founded a drapery and interior design business in Miami named "Lady Draper". That's where our family's journey began. My father learned the trade working alongside her—installing drapery and other window treatments from a young age.

This foundation of craftsmanship and attention to detail became the cornerstone of everything our family would build in the decades to come.

Growing the Legacy: South Florida Vertical Supply (Mid-1970s)

By the mid-to-late 1970s, my father launched his own business, manufacturing vertical blinds out of his garage: "South Florida Vertical Supply". What started small quickly grew into a major wholesale supply operation. The wholesale company expanded to 20 employees and was manufacturing plantation shutters, roller shades, and vertical blinds, to-the-trade.

He wasn't only in wholesale—he was vertically integrated. His wholesale operation supplied his own retail stores, creating a streamlined system from manufacturing to installation.

At one point, he owned three retail locations:

• •Port St. Lucie
• •Stuart
• •Jupiter

The Stuart and Jupiter locations are still in business today under new ownership. My uncle later purchased the Jupiter store from my father, continuing the family presence in the industry.

In 2021, my father and grandmother sold their wholesale manufacturing company, closing an incredible chapter in our family's history after decades of growth and impact.

Continuing the Tradition: The Shutter Factory (2018-Present)

As for me, plantation shutters were the first product I learned to manufacture. In the beginning, I purchased wholesale materials from my father. He had old broke machinery that he gave me, I fixed it all myself, built new jigs, and successfully opened my shop in 2018, at the ripe age of 19. I was on my own, selling jobs, building the plantation shutters by hand, and installing them myself. I built my own company independently—with my grandmother's and father's advice and guidance along the way.

About a year post COVID, I made the decision to close my shop and focus heavily on sharpening my installation skills. That shift strengthened the hands-on craftsmanship that defines our work today.

I truly grew up in this industry. Some of my earliest memories are in the factory, assembling annual sample books with my dad and siblings for new product launches. Window treatments aren't just my business—they're what I've known my entire life.