The most remarkable aspect of The Blind Man, however, is that although it does have a showroom, it operates almost strictly on the road. In other words, The Blind Man comes to the customer, not the other way around.

Free In-Home Estimates & Consultations

"I learned early on that I often had to go to somebody’s home anyway to measure the windows," Gross explained. "It’s so much easier looking at options and colors when clients are in their homes rather than in a showroom."

So, Gross and his wife decided, they might as well begin in the home, rather than just end up there. "We simply eliminated the step of the customer coming to us," he says. "What I do is a turnkey business. I do everything from start to finish and wrap up every detail.

Complete Service

“Some places will just show you what they have and give you the blind. We don’t do that. We measure, install the blind and service it." And estimates are free.

To illustrate how customers like this approach, note that The Blind Man does minimal advertising and receives the vast majority of its clients through word of mouth and repeat customers.

Word Of Mouth / Repeat Customers

It is not unusual for a customer to be so thrilled with the product Blind Man has installed in their second home in Santa Barbara that they want the company to do the window treatments in a permanent residence in Florida or Los Angeles as well.

"Our goal is to not have any unhappy customers, ever," Gross says emphatically. "We’ve pretty much lived up to that. To the best of our knowledge, everybody’s thrilled with our service."

And their selection. The Blind Man can supply every kind of shade, shutter, drapery, cornice, exterior shade – even outdoor awnings. The firm gets a lot of requests for motorized window coverings, which it specializes in. And if they don’t have a certain product or material, they very likely can get it.

"If somebody can dream it up, we try to make it happen," Gross says cheerfully. Whether the product is for a multi-million dollar home in Montecito, a rental condo, or someone redoing a nursery window, Blind Man has the perfect window treatment.

"We want to provide a kind of one-stop shopping," Gross says. He notes his window treatment lines and sources are too numerous to enumerate. Of course, The Blind Man does carry the perennially popular Hunter Douglas line of shades, blinds and verticals. "I try to take the best of what’s available," Gross assures.

The firm also does a good deal of custom work, and contracts with local seamstresses, who do high-quality work, to fulfill some clients’ requests.

Unlimited Selection

Although Gross carries about 200 fabrics with him, sometimes a client will need more selections to peruse. The Blind Man has a showroom in Santa Barbara filled with fabrics and further selections, but it can be visited by appointment only since Gross and his staff are frequently out on jobs.

This on-the-road method of business also enables Gross to keep his staff small. "I’m so hands-on as the owner, that having a bunch of part-time people, with not nearly as much training would not represent the company as thoroughly as I would like." By keeping the staff small, he keeps well-trained, experienced personnel – and happy customers.

Competitive Rates - Top Quality Products

Yet, for all this service and selection, The Blind Man’s prices are comparable to any other window treatment company or store – including those in Los Angeles. "There’s nothing to be gained by going down to L.A. We’re extremely competitive across the board."

The Blind Man is approaching its sixth anniversary. The company is a spin-off of one started by a childhood friend, who now lives in Colorado Springs. Gross and Michelle first moved to Vail Colorado to help start the Calvary Church, which operates out of Berry Creek Middle School. While living in Vail and working as a sales rep for a music company, Gross would go down to Colorado Springs to help his friends, Tom and Wendy Keller, in their Blind Man business there. Gross looked at the booming construction trade in Eagle County and decided The Blind Man would be a hit here, too. After building up a thriving business there, they moved back to Santa Barbara where they're now located.

Window treatments were a dramatic career change for Gross. Originally a musician, Bob ran a recording studio for a while and also worked on a variety of TV programs and for CBS. But actually, when you think about it, both music and creating beautiful windows requires creativity. Gross keeps his fingers in the music world today by leading the music program at Calvary Church.

Gross, who works frequently with builders, architects and designers through The Blind Man, reminds consumers it is never to early to start thinking about window treatments.

"We regularly meet with owners during construction," Gross explains. "Although blinds may be one of the last things to go into the house, it is never too early to start. There are enormous amount of things we can incorporate into the home if we are there at that first step." Things like clearings for cornice boxes or recesses in the ceiling to hide motorized blind mechanisms, or working with the electrician early on so those motorized blinds will work properly.

Friendly & Personalized Service Is Secret To Success

It is this attention to detail and service that has made the Blind Man a hit since it opened in Vail Colorado in 1998 and now in Santa Barbara in 2004.

"I think that’s what makes The Blind Man different is that we do stand behind our service," Gross says. "I think hundreds – even thousands of customers would attest to that. We try to make it very simple for the homeowner."