An Honest Comparison
Same Family.
Same Trade. Since 1993.
The Grand Strand has a handful of good, family-owned window-treatment shops. If you're calling more than one of us, here are the questions worth asking — and how we answer them. Same family, same trade, same factory since 1993.
The questions worth asking any shop, and how we answer them.
Call or text either showroom
The short version
We started in Monroe, NC in 1993 — Dalton, Patti and Jeff Taylor in the original workshop. Chad, Carter, Matt, Jennifer and Heather run the Cherry Grove showroom today. Same family. One trade. Add to that: authorized Hunter Douglas dealer, full custom drapery, and two walk-in showrooms. Every shop does things a little differently, so below are the questions we'd ask anyone — us included.
At a Glance
What to ask any local shop before you sign.
Questions worth putting to every shop you call — us included. Here's how we answer them.
| Question to ask | A Shade Above Coastal | Worth asking elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| Is the family on the door the family running it today? | Yes — the same family-owned shop since 1993 | Varies from shop to shop. Ask who owns it and who runs it day to day. |
| Do you manufacture your own shutters? | Yes — Monroe, NC workshop. Same kiln-dried basswood, same triple-coated finish, same family-run factory since 1993. | Some local shops build their own; some resell. Ask where the shutters are made. |
| Are you an authorized Hunter Douglas dealer? Which lines? | Authorized dealer — Silhouette, Pirouette, Vignette, Luminette, Palm Beach. All named, all in stock as samples. | Ask which Hunter Douglas lines the shop is authorized for. |
| Do you carry full custom drapery? | Yes — full custom drapery, motorized drapery tracks, fabric library. | Not every shutter shop does drapery. If you want everything on one quote, ask first. |
| Who measures vs. who installs? | Chad, Jennifer or Karl measures & quotes; our own crew (Matt & Carter) installs. No unknown subcontractors. | Ask who measures and who shows up to install. |
| Veterans / active-duty military discount? | Yes — confirmed on every install. | Some offer one. Worth asking. |
| Walk-in showroom hours, or appointment only? | Walk-ins welcome at both showrooms — Cherry Grove and Ocean Isle. | Some shops are appointment-only or in-home only. Worth knowing before you drive. |
The Things Worth Knowing
Where the real differences live.
Same family since 1993.
Our shop has stayed in the same Taylor family the whole time. Dalton, Patti, and Jeff Taylor started Artisan Shutter in Monroe, NC in 1993 — building plantation shutters one window at a time in a small workshop. The Cherry Grove showroom is run day-to-day by Chad Alexander with his son Carter, plus Matt, Jennifer and Heather. Same family. One trade.
Why this matters for shutters specifically: a plantation shutter is designed to last 20–30 years. If a shutter needs attention in year 18, you want to know who'll answer the phone. With any shop, it's fair to ask how long the current owners have been there. Here it's the same family, the same factory and the same name.
Where the shutters are made.
If a shop says it builds its own shutters, it's fair to ask: Where's the factory? What are they made of? How long has it been running?
Here are our answers. Our plantation shutters are built in Monroe, NC — a few hours inland from Cherry Grove. The shutters use furniture-grade basswood, kiln-dried, triple-coated. The factory has been running under the same family since 1993. We've got photos. We've got the founding story. And we still hang every shutter we build, on this coast, with our own crew.
Plenty of good shops resell instead of building, and that works too. We do both — we build our own shutters and we're an authorized Hunter Douglas dealer for the things HD makes better than anyone else.
Which Hunter Douglas lines.
More than one local shop offers Hunter Douglas products. Worth asking any of us: are you an authorized dealer, and which Hunter Douglas lines do you carry?
We're authorized for every Hunter Douglas line we display — Silhouette window shadings, Pirouette translucent shades, Vignette modern romans, Luminette privacy sheers, and Palm Beach polysatin shutters. Plus PowerView® motorization, the PowerView app, and the Pebble® remote. Every line is named on our shades pages. Every fabric book is on the wall at the Cherry Grove showroom. Walk in any weekday and we'll show you the difference between Silhouette and Pirouette in your hands.
Everything on one quote.
Not every shutter shop does drapery, roman shades, woven woods or motorization, and that's fine — some shops specialize. If you're outfitting a whole house — shutters in the bedrooms, drapery in the dining room, woven woods in the living room, patio shades on the porch — it's worth asking whether the shop you're calling can do all of it on one quote.
We carry the full window. Plantation, poly, and wood shutters (built in Monroe). Roller, roman, cellular, woven wood, banded, and solar shades (Hunter Douglas and others). Wood and faux-wood blinds. Full custom drapery and motorized tracks. Patio shades and sun screens for the exterior. PowerView motorization on anything that takes it. If a window in your home needs covering, we've sold one for it — and we've built one of them.
Help You Decide
Honest take — when to call us, when to call elsewhere.
A Shade Above Coastal is the call if …
- → You want the same family that started the shop in 1993 still running it today
- → You want an authorized Hunter Douglas dealer with every named line
- → You're doing the whole house — shutters + shades + drapery + motorization on one quote
- → You're a veteran or active-duty military and want a discount applied
- → You want to walk into a real showroom on a Tuesday afternoon without an appointment
- → You want a 30-day price hold, in writing
Another local shop might be the right call if …
- → You live well outside the Grand Strand and Brunswick County and want the closest local shop
- → You're buying basic faux-wood blinds or one roller shade — a smaller shop may run it faster
- → Hunter Douglas and custom drapery aren't on your list
- → You want screen porches, retractable awnings, or Eze-Breeze sunrooms — a category we don't currently offer
- → You've already got a relationship with another local shop and they've done right by you
Common Questions
What to ask any shutter shop.
What should I look for when comparing local window-treatment shops?
Is A Shade Above Coastal still owned by the same family that founded it?
What's the difference between "we manufacture" and "authorized Hunter Douglas dealer"?
Why does continuous family ownership matter for window treatments?
Can I get a quote from a couple of shops before deciding?
This comparison describes general patterns we see across local window-treatment shops on the Grand Strand and Brunswick County, NC. Individual shops vary widely on policies, warranty terms, and product catalogs. The honest answer is to ask the same questions to each shop you call and compare the written quotes side by side — that's the comparison that matters. If anything in this comparison reads as inaccurate about us, call 843-273-4573 and we'll fix it.