After 40 years in business, it’s fair to say that managing director, Paul Smith, has his fair share of stories to tell. None stick in the mind more so than the time of the World Student Games in 1991 when his company, Moonlight Textiles, was contracted to fit out the athlete accommodation with curtains and blinds. 

Given that over 3,000 competitors would be descending on the city, this was a tall order for anyone and Paul and his team enrolled the help of a local Scout group to help them fulfil the contract within the tight deadline.

“There were thousands of rooms, to fit” recalls Paul. “I remember going down to site and showing the Scouts and Guides how to put a track up and then hang a pair of curtains.”

Everything was going swimmingly until a contractor inadvertently left his toolbag somewhere he shouldn’t have, causing a security scare.

“They had to draft the bomb squad in from Doncaster!” chuckles Paul, who can now see the funny side. “They sent in a little robot and could see it was full of screws, springs and nuts and bolts. Not wanting to take any chances, they had to blow it up with a controlled explosion.”

At that time, Paul was still working under the stewardship of his father, Robert, who had started the business in 1985 alongside his mother, Jo. Moonlight Textiles actually started life as a party planning business but soon evolved into selling slight second ready-made curtains from Eversure  Textiles, a huge manufacturing company based out what is now Meadowhall. 

Today, Moonlight specialises in the measurement, manufacture, supply and installation of bespoke, made-to-measure blinds, curtains, tracks and poles for both the domestic and commercial markets. 

Paul joined the family business aged 17 straight from college, initially to drive and help his dad sell the ready-made curtains at various venues around the country.

“Channing Hall on Surrey Street in town was the big one,” he says. “Every month or two we used to do a Thursday to Saturday sale. You can imagine customers coming along and saying ‘they’re a bit too long, can you shorten them?’.”

And so the move into creating custom-made sets started. The business quickly grew, opening its own showroom just off Ecclesall Road opposite what was once Napoleon’s Casino, before relocating to its current premises on Abbeydale Road in 1992.

This far larger showroom, which had its own workshop and workroom, allowed Moonlight Textiles to do everything in-house, from initial enquiry through to installation. It’s something they still pride themselves on to this day.

After Robert Smith retired in 2008, Paul took over as managing director and has grown the business even further, adding new product lines and services and more recently revamping the website and updating the showroom.

Inside the showroom you’ll find a huge range of textiles from leading manufacturers and designers across the globe. Thousands of samples can provide you with the inspiration you need to make your project and, of course, Paul and his team are always on hand to offer advice and expertise.   

Paul’s eldest son, George, joined the business three years ago and has been instrumental in giving the company a more contemporary edge. 

“Trends continually change and we’ve found ourselves selling more high-end products,” adds George. “Silent Gliss – a top-end tracking system – has been a real game-changer and been really popular with our customers.”

Other innovations have included electronically-operated curtains and blinds that can be opened and closed via your smartphone or home automation systems. 

Tapping into these new markets has been key for Moonlight Textiles but so has retaining their long-serving staff who have a wealth of experience in the industry.

“Companies that used to be our competition – John Lewis, Debenhams, Laura Ashley – have all now gone and we’re not ashamed to say we’re up there with all of those if not better in our opinion,” beams Paul. “We’ve got five seamstresses, all very experienced, and then two full-time installers, both have been with us 30 years or so. People join us and they tend to stay.”

Moonlight Textiles work across Sheffield, South Yorkshire and the Peak District and their commercial work takes them even further afield too. 

“We work with professionals across a wide range of industries,” explains Paul. “These include architecture practices, corporate buyers, designers, healthcare providers, the NHS, housing associations, breweries, plus numerous private sector developers to supply industry standard compliant curtains and blinds wherever needed.”

Whether you’re a domestic or commercial customer, above all, Moonlight Textiles prides itself on the quality of the service and products that they offer alongside customer satisfaction. It’s easy to see why they’re celebrating 40 years in business – and there’s much more to come.

Moonlight Textiles Ltd
76 – 88 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield S7 1FF

Tel: 0114 258 8555
Email: sales@moonlightltd.co.uk
www.moonlightltd.co.uk