Description
The Curtain Agency, Scotland's sole specialist Second Hand Curtain & Lighting Agency is looking for an enthusiastic good communicator to work in our rather unusual unique (for Scotland) business.
Starting Salary: Expected to be in the region of @ £18,500 per annum depending on Experience + potential bonus, usual statuary holiday & full time work entitlements etc, although the first 3 months of contract would be a probationary one
This a Full Time position (although Part Time Sales Assistant applicants might also be considered for additional hours of work each week).
Working Hours: Tues-Sat 9.45am-5.15pm
Additional Background Information:
Working in our attractive location, a converted barn, looking out onto tended gardens & located on the southern edge of KIRKLISTON village, just to the WEST OF EDINBURGH , where we have over 1,500 Top Quality Curtains on Display, (one of the largest Curtain Displays in all of the UK), @100 chandeliers and additionally lots of Samples of our Seamstresses Curtain Making kills, the Agency has developed a good reputation for excellent service & always offering fantastic value over our 21 year trading history.
Our principal business is taking in:
a) Good & Top Quality Curtains and Selling them on a Commission Basis for their Owners,
whether they are from hotels, castles, grand country houses, elegant city town houses & flats, show homes, high ceilinged tenement blocs or modern family homes.
Additionally we sell:
b) Discounted Quality Fabrics & a Limited Range of the Contemporary Fabric Lines at Discounted Fabrics
& employ 6 seamstresses & other subcontracted services to provide
c) Curtain Alteration & Restoration Services,
d) 1st Class “Made to Measure” Curtain Services, as well as Blind Making & other soft furnishing f Making Services &
e) Curtain & Track Hanging Services (offer a vetted list of experienced Track Fitters) .
+ a small sideline activity that works well by simply hanging & selling them alongside our huge tall curtain displays
f) Traditional Brass, Bronze & Crystal Chandeliers, sold on a Commission Basis (as per the Curtains)
Skills needed: Experience of Working with people in a small team. Must be a good communicator with a natural flair for Sales & Efficiency (previous work experience in a Sales environment required), able to work unsupervised, be flexible, good numeracy, literacy and basic I.T skills (inputing data etc) into a computer and hopefuly some working knowledge of social media. Above all, individual should have an eye for detail and a genuine interest in decor & fabrics and in assisting people solve their window decor dilemmas and help them save money in purchasing from the wonderful Curtains & Fabrics in our displays, with lots of enthusiasm that will always shine through when communicating with our buying & selling clients.
Hopefully having moved home a few times & having had to choose curtains each time yourself, in doing so you will be able to relate to our clients, most whom are visiting us for the same reasons. Some maturity would therefore be of use to you but at the same time in assisting our clientele, work at the Agency's salesrooms requires members of the sales team to be reasonably physically robust (enough to climb ladders, hang curtains at tall heights, fold, carry & store 12ft/3.5m+ tall & sometimes manoevre heavy curtains into awkwardly positioned storage units etc and carry these same items, to client's cars etc .
Any ability to make curtains yourself would be helpful but not mandatory but an understanding of how "made to measure" curtains & blinds are sized for windows is a basic requirement. Reporting to a Part Time (former Full Time) Sales Manager, who has been with the Agency 15 years & intends to retire in a few years, over time you will be taught how to "price" second hand curtains & the skills of our trade (a skill that probably less than 30 people in the UK possess). The successful applicant is someone that we would select of the basis of a genuine desire to learn this interesting niche trade. We are looking for someone who we would hope would enjoy working here for many years to come, (with a possible view of taking on the Sales Manager role in due course)
As part of our selection process, those selected for a final shortlist would be expected to work for a trial day at the Agency, because when working within a small team, it is just as important that we like you as you might like us. As a small family business, involving both husband & wife, we very much work on a team basis and enjoy excellent friendly working relationships with our ever growing client base, some of who have been regularly visiting us for 15-20 years. .
To apply, please send a CV and covering letter (preferably by e-mail) to:
Ronnie Maxwell
Proprietor
The Curtain Agency
Breastmill House
Kirkliston
Edinburgh
EH9 9EA
0131 333 3606
We regret that all applicants for this particular job role job must be non-smokers, as an ability to be able to smell and reject curtains exposed to cigarette smokers is a mandatory part of our work.