From Smart Shades To Stronger Local Ties With Bumblebee Blinds

The right shade can change a room, but the right partner can change a business. We sit with Luis Ferioli of Bumblebee Blinds to explore how smart window treatments, outdoor enclosures, and thoughtful design turn hot, bright spaces into calm, livable rooms. From porches that finally feel good at noon to bedrooms that darken at the tap of a button, we unpack the details that make comfort immediate and maintenance light.

Automation takes center stage as we walk through voice control, scheduled scenes, and climate-aware settings that manage glare and heat without sacrificing views. Luis explains why material choices and motor quality matter, how exterior shutters and screens extend the season for Charleston’s porches, and what it takes to specify solutions that look elegant and work flawlessly. We also get practical about operations: a hands-on showroom on Daniel Island where you can test fabrics and lifts, plus nearby warehouses that keep installations on time and on point.

Underneath the product talk is a story about community-powered growth. Luis credits the Mount Pleasant Chamber with opening doors, connecting partners, and accelerating the learning curve from launch to scale. We get candid about shifting focus year to year—residential to new construction to commercial—and how sponsorships, collaboration, and showing up create compound trust. There is a clear throughline: buy quality, integrate smartly, and build local relationships that last.

If you care about home comfort, energy efficiency, and design that earns its keep, this conversation is packed with ideas you can use today. Hear how to choose the right shades, when to automate, and where local manufacturing adds speed and service. Love what you hear? Follow the show, share it with a friend who’s upgrading their space, and leave a quick review to help others discover us.

This is a grounded guide for founders, contractors, agency owners, manufacturers, and service leaders across Charleston and beyond who want a no-nonsense path to an exit. We share red flags that can sink deals, the role of local market knowledge, and how Viking’s success-based model aligns incentives. Join us, get practical next steps, and walk away knowing exactly how to make your future sale smoother.
www.vikingmergers.com

Presenting Sponsor: Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce

Studio Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Episode Sponsor: Viking Mergers & Acquisitions

Expo Podcast Sponsor: ‪Pollen Social‬

Production Sponsor: RMBO.co

Design Sponsor: DK Design

Interested in Sponsorship? Click here.

Committee:
Kathleen Herrmann | Host | MPCC Past President | Mount Pleasant Towne Centre
Mike Compton | Co-host | Marketing Committee | RMBO.co
Rebecca Imholz | Co-host | MPCC Executive Director 
Amanda Bunting Comen | Co-host | Social ABCs
Benjamin Nesvold | Co-host | MPCC President | Edward Jones

Transcript

Meet Bumblebee Blinds

SPEAKER_00 1:04

Welcome to the Building Business Podcast.

SPEAKER_02 1:06

My name is Mike Count and I'm with Hi guys, Stephanie Barrow here.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

And we have a special guest, Luis Ferrioli with uh Bumblebee Blinds.

SPEAKER_02 1:13

I love your name and I love your logo.

SPEAKER_01 1:16

Yeah, we do it too.

SPEAKER_02 1:17

You do too.

SPEAKER_01 1:18

We love it too.

SPEAKER_02 1:19

And it's very good.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

What does Bumblebee Blinds do? Say that ten times. What does Bumblebee Blinds do?

Outdoor Comfort And Lifestyle

North American Manufacturing Focus

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Yeah. Yeah, so our goal is to provide the highest level of service and experience for our customers as they are in search of window treatments. Okay. So we do everything from a blind, uh, shutters, shades, uh, a lot of automation now, you know, with homes becoming smarter and more integrated. So we do that. And of course, we're in Charleston, so we do shutters. We do shutters inside the house, we do shutters outside the home. And we also provide a lot of outdoor solutions. Okay. So solutions like you know, enclosed areas, you know, automated shades, you know, a lot of people have beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 2:07

I'm imagining like the beautiful porches, yeah.

Showroom And Operations In Charleston

SPEAKER_01 2:10

I mean a little sunroom. We have amazing sun, yeah. But the challenging thing with the sun, it makes it hot. It does. You know, and people cannot enjoy their outdoor spaces. So we help uh close that gap and we make the spaces uh a little bit more manageable. Yeah. And uh automation just also makes it easier. So, you know, it's just something that easy control. So not only can you enjoy your pool, but you can sit and relax in a little bit of better temperature. So I love that.

Why The Mount Pleasant Chamber

SPEAKER_02 2:37

So you're selling that's our scope, a good product, and you're also selling a lifestyle.

SPEAKER_01 2:42

Yeah, you know, and we're very focused on uh North America-made products. It's really important for my wife and I to uh continue to boost our economy in the country and uh help our you know in any way that we can. So a lot of our products are made in in Texas, uh, a lot of our draperies made in Florida, Wisconsin, a lot of our shades are made in Wisconsin. Um, of course, we have some stuff, you know, in Mexico, like shutters and things like that. You know, they they have perfect tray of carpentries, so they do well with that. But we we try to focus 99% of our products North American made. Love that uh just to continue to develop that. Yeah, so we have an actual uh sales uh showroom office in Daniel Island. Okay, and we have a couple uh small warehouses here in North Mount Pleasant and you know towards the bridge. Yeah. Just to kind of make it easier for in and access for our installation crews.

SPEAKER_02 3:41

That's smart. That's very, very smart.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

Why the Mount Pleasant Chamber expo?

Evolving Goals: Residential To Commercial

SPEAKER_01 3:45

Yeah, so first of all, the Mount Pleasant. You know, I was having a conversation with Rebecca, and we love her, right? She just does so much for all of us. Rebecca M. Holst is our executive director. But we were just talking about two and a half years ago, we did this event, yeah, and we had been open for about a month in business. Okay. And um and two years later, a lot of our success, a lot of our partners today that have helped us, uh, they're all chamber members. Yes. They are other business owners that wanna collaborate and make this community better. You know, so I why Mount Pleasant Chamber, other reason is it's it's kind of just like Charleston. It's big, but it's small enough that you can still shake each other's hands, know who you are. You know, we are Luis and Kim Farioli, we're not, you know, somebody that just attends one event or another one. So I think it's more of a cohesive family event. Yeah. And I think we look after each other. So the expo, I feel like it's almost like uh like a social event. Right. Because you're just meeting your fellow business owners and you know, sharing what's working, you know, what's not working, how can you help each other out?

unknown 4:58

Right.

How To Connect With Bumblebee Blinds

SPEAKER_01 4:58

And I think uh, you know, what the team of the chamber does, they enable that bridge and connection, yeah. And then, of course, the business owner, you gotta do your part, right? And then you gotta build from there. But it's uh I love the chamber, that's what we choose to be premium sponsors, and we want to collaborate as much as we can, and you know, if we can't do it physically sometimes, at least if we can financially help in one way or another. I bet you get some. That's what we want to do. Yeah, yeah, it's uh I I love it here. Uh everyone in the chamber, it's like a second family place. That's wonderful. Yeah, it's wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 5:34

Yeah, that's great. Would you uh suggest coming back next year? Of course.

Closing And Acknowledgments

SPEAKER_01 5:41

I think for us it's uh the beauty about this is it's never the same. Like every year changes, you know. Like one year I may be focusing on certain areas of the business, like residential, but you know, this next year I maybe focus on new construction or commercial. So your approach may be a little bit different within the same idea of Bumblebee Blinds, but hey, Bumblebee Blinds wants to do a little more commercial, so then you will talk to your partners in the chamber. Hey, how do I go there? And everybody kind of extends their hand and says, Hey, let me help you here. You know, and I think that's the difference, is that the help. Yeah, you're a commercial for me wanting to join the I mean I'm already a member, but if I never heard it's well I'll tell you, I mean testimony's I didn't know, yeah, I didn't know many people in Mount Pleasant, you know, three years ago. And the chamber has been really very instrumental to closing the gap in their relationships.

SPEAKER_02 6:37

Well, that's wonderful. I'm so happy for you.

SPEAKER_00 6:40

Well, you know, thanks for coming.

SPEAKER_02 6:41

Thanks for being a part of this.

SPEAKER_01 6:42

Thank you for being here. Uh you know tell us how we can find it. Yeah, tell us how we can find it. Yeah, for sure. So pretty easy, you know, bumblebee blinds with the plural s dot com. And we're always uh open doors in Daniel Island on River Landing. If you ever want to stop by, say hi, and we can definitely show you all the goodies we have to do about. Like I tell everybody, if you want blinds, we have blinds to buzz about. So there you go. Nice to have one. Awesome.

SPEAKER_02 7:10

It was so nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.

SPEAKER_00 7:12

Nice to meet you too. Of course, of course. Thanks to our sponsors, People and Social. Thanks to the Mount Pleasant Chamber, Stephanie for a long day of interviews, Larry for helping us out in the production, Kaz and the sound, and you, listeners, we'll see you next time. Bye.

SPEAKER_01 7:29

Next time. See ya.