Instructor Bio

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Jim Shinn

Jim started in the industry at the unrealistic age of 5 years old, but his father (who was an installer at the time) still insists that little “Jimmy” could restring a drapery rod at 5 years old. As the years past, Jim would spend more and more time working as a helper to his father in what must seem like the age old practice of apprenticeship. Growing bigger and stronger opened other opportunities at a young age such as working inside decorator showrooms, drapery workrooms and upholstery shops. Working for his father for high-end designers proved valuable in teaching him the importance of combining knowledge with imagination. After serving 4 years in the U.S. Air Force, Jim returned to Long Island ready to test for his A&P licenses and continue working on multi-engine jets for the airlines; unfortunately Braniff Airways had just gone bankrupt, flooding the national market with unemployed highly skilled airline employees. Jim loved working on planes but since there were no airline jobs to be found, continuing to install window treatments seemed like the natural thing to do. Over the years Jim has worked in almost every aspect of the custom home furnishings industry; running teams of installers, managing a large furniture store and warehouses, both wholesale and retail sales, theater/stage installations, and even furniture manufacturing. After many years it became obvious that this was the trade best suited to his skills and personality, mainly due to the fact that he truly enjoyed what he was doing. Jim moved to Charleston, S.C. in 1998, but his wife quickly became disenchanted with the area. Two years later, he moved his family once again, this time a much closer voyage to Columbia, S.C. where they presently reside. Jim currently installs window treatments for several designers, workrooms and manufacturers, he also owns “The Shutter Guy”, a retail plantation shutter business. He has been an instructor at Cheryl Strickland’s conferences since 2003 and still writes installation articles for the CHF magazine. In 2007, he founded the South Carolina Midlands Chapter of the WCAA and remains a staunch advocate for more professionalism in this industry.