For over the last 25 years, Tabitha Matheson, owner of Picture Perfect Window Coverings has been dedicated to building a business in delivering quality custom window treatments and creating unique interior designs for many clients across the region.
Matheson, who has steadily grown the business, which is based in Brantford, explained her journey.
“My mother has told me a story that when I was really young, around three or four years old, I took it upon myself to take some sheets and a piece of clothing that was around the house and cutting it all up to make a costume all on my own,” she recalled. “From there, I just took to sewing and that just became a passion of mine which my mom nurtured anyway she could [including] putting a sewing machine in my room. It was wonderful to have such a skill and one in which I was able to turn into a career,” she recalled.
After years of working out of her basement while raising three children, Matheson decided it was time to venture out into the community to build her business.
“I would go on to school for fashion design. And then I started creating wedding dresses out of my basement of my home. I would also gain experience working as a supervisor for a company in Woodstock, learning how to run production,” Matheson reflected. “One day, I realized I needed to come out of my basement and go on my own, as I was also doing sewing work for interior designers. Eventually, I started my business with a storefront at that time, selling blinds. After some time, I found this location on Brant Avenue, and that’s where we’ve been for the last 15 years.”
However, Matheson discovered she had an ability to find talent to help grow her business.
“After finding the location on Brant, I started to create a team of amazing people. We have ladies on staff who are very skilled at sewing…they are talented artisans. Along the way, I would end up needing an interior designer, and so I worked with a few until I hired Judy O’Donoghue. She has been our interior designer for the last 12 years and has been amazing,” she mentioned. “A strong suit of mine is finding and hiring great people…and after all these years, we still work so well together; enjoying what we do and building great relationships with our customers and our community.”
Originally focusing on custom window treatments like blinds, Matheson would embrace interior design with O’Donoghue providing the much-needed creative guidance.
“We are now a full interior design house [and] Judy has been so successful in understanding and fulfilling the customer’s needs when it comes to interior design. The thing with Judy is she has a knack for bringing the clients’ vision to life. I know there are interior designers who have their own signature look and people go to them because they are attracted to their style or really don’t know what else to do in some cases. But sometimes, what these customers are missing is someone like Judy who takes the time to learn about their style and their needs, helping them elevate their space, and staying true to their vision, rather than presenting her own personal aesthetic,” she maintained.
While the storefront continues to attract customers, Matheson believed the key to the success of the business in going to directly to the customer.
“Anybody can come and visit us in the store and take a look around here. We are selling area rugs now, we do wallpaper [and] we sell furniture, but coming into the store and looking at all these items and concepts isn’t really the same as being in your home. Customers can’t see the styles under our lights for example. So, we have figured that it’s better to take the showroom right to them. We encourage clients to book an appointment with us, even if it’s for something like getting new blinds. And when we are at the client’s homes doing the consultation, we can hold the samples up [and] we can see how things can work in their space. It’s a free service and there’s no cost for us to provide a quote too. We love doing this for our clients, and consulting with them to get the best results.”
Nevertheless, 2024 was a special year for Matheson and her team as they won a special award in Dallas, Texas at the Gracie Awards, which reflected her business’ creative aspects.
“We won an international award which was pretty amazing. We entered a contest with one of our designs and won for a project where we did a blinds and draperies combination. The final design was absolutely stunning,” Matheson recalled. “It was a really proud moment for us…coming from Brantford and winning this international design award, being up against top notch designers across North America.”
While capturing an international honour is certainly special for Matheson, it is the recognition from the community which really gives her satisfaction.
“I take real pride when we win awards from our community. We won four Brantford Vote awards this year. We won the Platinum award in blinds and window coverings as well as a Platinum award in home décor, interior design and interior decorating. I just think it’s wonderful that we have this fantastic community around us, supporting us,” he added. “I’m so grateful for our community…and we want to do our best in serving the people here by being honest, reputable, and offering the best products,” she said.
Matheson also focused on supporting the community, including other small businesses.
“We help promote and support other businesses by always shopping locally. As a small business owner myself, I know how important this is and encourage everyone to shop in the community. There are so many great businesses around Brantford to discover,” Matheson said. “And now being in business for 25 years, I’m so filled with gratitude on a daily basis for what we have created, and what amazing support we have from our community and our surrounding communities.”
