The Curtain Call is a Nashville-based business that specializes in creating custom window treatments, including, drapery, Roman shades, shutters, roller shades, and blinds. With a team of skilled artisans and craftsmen, they take each detail into consideration and work closely with their clients to deliver innovative and personalized solutions for homes and businesses. Primarily serving the design industry, The Curtain Call works closely with interior designers. First, they measure their clients’ house and windows and provide an estimate, then they work with the client to find their ideal fabrics before finally manufacture their one-of-a-kind product. The team at The Curtain Call is committed to high quality craftsmanship, providing all kinds of customized soft goods from bed coverings, pillows, cushions, and beyond.
Cade Smith, CEO of The Curtain Call, was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida. In 1999, he moved to Tennessee, where he lived all over the state before landing in Nashville. Sewing his first garment in sixth grade, Smith explains he was always ready to take on the next project; It wasn’t until high school that be began sewing again, when he helped create costumes for his school’s theater program. After graduating, he studied Classical Voice Performance at Trevecca University and later began working for a nonprofit educational children’s theater as the Director of Education and Outreach. Simultaneously, he owned a private voice studio where he taught thirty-two students from eighth grade through high school.
Ready to embark on his next endeavor, Smith went back to school to finish his degree – this time, in Fiber Arts. Graduating in May of 2020, he found himself at a crossroad, as many did at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, he relocated to his hometown of Florida to be by his family.
In 2022, Smith moved back to Nashville and began working at the postal service. One day, he wandered upon The Curtain Call, and thinking it was theater related, opened the door to look inside; to his surprise, he was surrounded by fabrics and sewing machines. After speaking with the owner and keeping in touch, he was hired on to help sew a year later, in September of 2022.
“One night, working late, I thought to myself ‘what am I doing? What is my purpose?” he shares. “I wrote down on a piece of paper, that is still sitting here on my desk, ‘I’m doing this because I want to bring respect and success to professional designers through excellent education, innovative products, and outstanding human connections.’”
Little did he know then that five months later, in May of 2023, he was going to acquire The Curtain Call and establish a million-dollar company! Taking the time to curate a skilled and energetic staff, Smith went from being the sole employee to having a talented team of twelve. It has been a goal of his to properly educate all his employees, so they feel confident to deliver each product to the best of their ability. Earning praise from clients all over for their teams’ infinite efforts to create intricate, specialized designs, their hard work continues to pay off as The Curtain Call closed 2024 with a 660% increase in sales from the previous year!
With Nashville as their home base, The Curtain Call actively serves clients in eight states in addition to Canada. While they make and install custom draperies and provide custom hardware, they are excited for future opportunities that allow them to create unique, out-of-the-ordinary pieces. From the time they receive all fabric and trim along with the deposit, their average turnaround time is eight to twelve weeks. Hand stitching at every opportunity possible, The Curtain Call values the importance of the quality of their items.
“We’re constantly pushing towards better quality rather than quicker lead times. Everyone wants everything fast – and I love getting things to them quickly – but we’re not going to sacrifice quality for speed,” Smith shares.
“It’s invigorating,” Smith shares, on what the support from the Nashville design community has meant to him. “I have had established workrooms call and ask for my opinion for guidance on how they should do something… designers who have been doing this for forty years… and I think it’s a mutual trust and respect I’ve been developing throughout the design industry as well as the workroom industry.”
For more information on The Curtain Call, visit thecurtaincallnashville.com & follow along at @thecurtaincallnashville.
I’m doing this because I want to bring respect and success to designers through excellent education, innovative products, and outstanding human connections.