‘Extremely blessed’

OTHELLO — Thirteen months ago, Kip and Ilene Burns cut the ribbon on a trailer containing their two home improvement businesses, Blinds for Any Budget and B&B Overhead Door Specialists. Today, they’re all over the map. 

“We’re up about 300%,” Kip Burns said. “The folks here are just so nice. We made the right move when we moved over here five years ago and built our dream home. Everybody's been fantastic. I mean we could not be any more blessed.” 

The Burnses, who live in the MarDon area, still manage the Moses Lake-Othello area themselves, Burns said. Their grandson moved over from the west side to train at Blinds for Any Budget for six months, Burns said. Then, last spring launched a location in the Tri-Cities. Another partner opened a franchise in Baker City and La Grande, in northeastern Oregon, and that took off as well. 

“And now we have a gentleman who is looking at Ellensburg, Wenatchee and Yakima, and then we have another gentleman looking at Spokane,” Burns said. “That’s our plan for, oh, I’d say the next six months.” 

The door business has also done well, he added, expanding to all of Washington, Oregon and Idaho with the help of a couple of partners on the west side. 

The strange part is, the couple started their businesses as kind of a retirement hobby, Burns said.  

“We didn’t really expect the hobby to be 50 hours a week; we thought the hobby was going to be 20,” he said. “We had a record month in June, and then we turned around and had a record month in July.” 

The garage door business has a small warehouse in Quincy, but other than that, the businesses are both run out of the Burnses’ home office and a couple of vans, Burns said. The blinds and other window coverings are supplied exclusively by Norman U.S.A., a national supplier of shades, blinds and shutters, Burns said. A company he had a relationship with 25 years ago when he previously worked in the window covering business. 

“What I liked about Norman is that they stayed with innovation,” Burns said. “They've improved their products; they got new products out there that no other people have. They just have some great quality stuff. And they got a super good warranty … We haven’t needed to go anywhere else.” 

“That Moses Lake area was pretty devoid of business (last year),” said Tim Lott, Norman’s sales manager for Washington and North Idaho. “There are quite a few retailers that I have in the Tri-Cities area, but not in that Moses Lake-Othello region. There were a couple of retailers that came and went, but Kip has been able to establish himself and set roots even in just over a year. He’s done extremely well.” 

Burns said Blinds for Any Budget focuses on customer service: Always answering the phone, taking care of people in a timely manner, making sure problems get solved. Lott agreed. 

“What Kip and his Ilene have is they are excited about solving customers’ window covering problems,” Lott said. “And I can't emphasize the word ‘problem’ enough. People have a problem with light control, with temperature control, with privacy, and Kip and Ilene have both embraced this solution through window coverings. They understand the product and are great in working with the customer.” 

Burns attributed much of the companies’ success to support from the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce and even more to the people in the place they’ve made their home. 

“We're overwhelmed with the support we've gotten from the community,” he said. “We've tried to give back; we give back to charities and things like that. And to be honest with you, we were as shocked as anybody else (at our rapid growth). We're just extremely blessed.” 

    Kip and Ilene Burns.
  

    These blinds, installed by Blinds for Any Budget at a local restaurant, can roll down from the top or up from the bottom for maximum light and temperature control.
  

    These door blinds from Blinds for Any Budget maintain privacy for a conference room at a local law office.