If you've been to Lakeshore Road in downtown Oakville lately, you would have come cross a new custom drapery store. On August 6, 2024, George Akers Home Fashion at 77 Lakeshore Rd West held an opening ceremony for family and friends.
The owners of the store are Lian Duan and Kai Liu, a couple from China, who in 2005 started a business in Beijing to distribute wallpaper and fabrics from Italy, France, Germany, the United States, and other well-known brands.
During that time, Lian and Kai also sold home and commercial internal decoration products from many well-established Chinese-based companies. At the height of their business, they had nine stores and showrooms.
Traditional Chinese culture believes in fated destiny. In 2018, Lian and Kai came to Canada for the first time where fate had brought them to Oakville. It was love at first sight! They were attracted by the beauty and peaceful community environment and decided they would come here one day to settle down.
Lian and Kai had dreams of introducing beautiful window coverings to Oakville using their expertise in this industry. This meant they had to sell their thriving business and the family would have to leave their homeland in China for a new life.
In October 2023, the family of four together with their lovely Labrador made Oakville their home. Ten months later, George Akers Home Fashion was born and offers exceptional quality, good value creations from China, at affordable prices.
The choices available cover the entire range of window coverings available in the market today, with many types and thousands of fabrics. Among them are the very popular Zebra Blinds, Shangri-La Blinds and Roller Shades with motorized and manual models, and the classic high-grade solid wood California Shutters.
Fabric curtains are their strong point, with excellent curtain design and finishing, and a wide range of fabric colours and styles to meet the functional needs of commercial and residential properties as well as personalized needs of individuals. In addition, George Akers also has very special unique wall decoration products, such as hand-painted and hand-embroidered wall paintings, wall coverings in rich colours and materials.
Apparently, there is more than one drapery store in Oakville. What is George Akers' competitive advantage, or unique business highlights, compared to similar businesses that already exist in the local market?
Lian says, "First, truly customized, any size can be made, including extra tall and extra wide. Secondly, it's fast! Blinds and Shades are delivered in three weeks and Curtains in four weeks. Third, the products are from China's leading manufacturers, quality is guaranteed and prices are competitive. We offer great value where similar grade products are more than 20% lower".
Home is the place where each of us spends most of our time in our life, and we would all like to create it to fit our comfort. And like our clothing, home also represents our temperament, to have our own unique style.