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About Us - The Ideal Drape Makers Story
The story of Ideal Drape Makers dates back to the mid-1980s when Georgia Vamvakas decided to make a business born from her love of drapery, its design and manufacture.
Through most of the seventies the Greek Immigrant family had made a living as owner operators of a ‘Milk Bar’ followed by a ‘Sandwich Bar,’ which although successful enterprises, did not provide an opportunity for creative outlet Georgia felt was missing in her life. It was not until the early 80s when a family friend and drapery professional asked if Georgia wanted to learn the craft of Drapery, that Georgia saw an opportunity to take her business acumen and marry it with the creative outlet she was looking for. She embraced the opportunity with both hands and never looked back.
Working with the family friend she soon learned the basics of drapery, quickly developing her skills and expertise, often-times through trial and error and at other times through research and through the seeking out of other specialist drapers who were generous of with their time and knowledge with Georgia.
Over the next few years a back room of the family home was transformed into a curtain making workroom, supplying finished custom made drapery treatments through wholesale and trade channels while supplying an increasing number of retail clients, as word of the quality of her makings, spread beyond her immediate sphere of extended family and friends.
The following period of growth led to a succession of larger workrooms as the business and number of employees grew. By this time Georgia’s now older children were firmly entrench in the family business with both Nancy and Pari Vamvakas playing central roles at her side in the day-to-day operation and ongoing success of the business.
A larger part of the business now consisted of Trade and Design Professionals across Melbourne. The retail business still continued with word of mouth recommendations and continued to grow organically, contributing substantively to business revenues.
Georgia Vamvakas
1948-2013
In mid-2013 Georgia Vamvakas the business founder and very much the family matriarch, passed away after the sudden, brief and devastating bout with cancer. Georgia left behind a family devastated by her sudden passing.
Despite the pall of great sadness that descended on the mourning family and all who worked with the Ideal Drape Makers, Nancy and Pari Vamvakas assisted by their father Pete Vamvakas, and the long term staff at Ideal Drape Makers, regrouped and focused their efforts as the now second-generation owner-operators of Ideal Drape Makers.
Nancy and Pari, today share the responsibility for the day-to-day operations of one of Melbourne’s larger independent drapery workrooms; determined to continue and build on the business legacy their mother has left behind, and upholding Georgia’s unflinching commitment to quality (very much the family mantra), in the manufacture and supply of their custom made to measure window treatments.
Today the business has moved back into high gear having survived the GFC and the passing of its founder. Ideal Drape Makers continues to manufacture and supply quality custom-made window treatments to both the trade and retail sectors. Still focused on the servicing of the Melbourne metropolitan area, the business is now online, with the second generation owner-operators adding, in a very short time, a web presence and large social networking following.
With business continuing to expand the family at Ideal Drape Makers look forward optimistically to the next 30 years, continuing to manufacture and supply the best quality custom-made window treatments in Melbourne.