A FAMILY business is set to open a brand new store after sales at its previous shop – run from home – sky-rocketed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the pandemic in the UK many shops in Carlisle have had to close their doors but Ezi Blinds Ltd is planning to expand and open their venture – a new shop on Stonegarth in Morton Park.

Graham Elliot, who grew up in Morton, took on the blinds-supplying business 13 years ago and has never experienced such a boom in the market.

“I’ve lived in Morton most of my life and I’ve always said that if I was going to open a shop, I would love to open one in Morton,” he said.

“It’s a dream come true. The space is ideal for what we wanted.”

He added: “It’s very exciting. This last year our sales have gone up five-fold and it was starting to get too much for just myself, and we were all working from my house.

“We’ve got so many shops and restaurants closing but none opening, so I think this is exciting stuff for all of us.

“I do feel sorry for a lot of companies that have been hit hard by the pandemic.”

The boost in demand experienced by the business has been put down to an increase in people taking up DIY and other creative housework during lockdown.

The blinds-mania saw the family’s house soon fill up across the house with blinds, leaving them to consider opening a bigger space.

Graham’s daughter and office administrator, Abbie Elliot, said: “We were surprised how quickly it just blew up. We went from having all the blinds in the garage, to two months later having blinds in the garage, outside, in the shed, and in the living room.

“We had them all over the house. You couldn’t see out the kitchen window.

“Graham is very happy to have his house back!”

The family-run business currently has a wide range of blinds available to look at and an even bigger range of samples to choose from.

From vertical to Venetian blinds, Graham’s shop has everything customers would need to smarten up the windows in their home or office. He also holds consultations for anyone unsure of what they want.

Graham said he is aiming to open his doors today (Monday June 28).

He said: “We are going to be doing an offer of 15% off blinds, in the first week, for customers who make an appointment in the shop.

“I’m really looking forward to it.”