Precious Rubies

By Tim Petree, BST Concierge for Whittington Creek Life, (N2 Publishing) January 2011 edition

R&R Custom Draperies hand crafts and installs window treatments by combining simple, elegant design with personal service. Product lines include draperies, shades, bedspreads, throws, pillows…and just about anything that requires custom sewing.

The company is actually a second-generation family business with a twist.

While Ruby Ramsey is the owner of R&R Custom Draperies, the R&R in the company name is not Ruby’s monogram. The R’s stand for two ladies named Ruby – the current owner and her grandmother who started the business decades ago.

Ruby Lee Ramsey began her apprenticeship in sewing custom draperies at the age of 16 in “Grandmother’s Real Life School of Drapery Design.” Nanny Ruby and Ruby Lee provided window treatments for homes and businesses all over upper East Tennessee and southeastern Kentucky.

Eventually, life dealt Ruby Ramsey a tough blow, and the sewing stopped.

“When Nanny Ruby passed away, I was lost and put all of the business’s supplies into storage,” the younger Ruby explains. “I spent several years trying to find myself, doing other things.”

After a hiatus and time to heal, Ruby decided to follow her heart and return to sewing. When former customers heard that Ruby was back in business, R&R Custom Draperies grew rapidly.

Projects are still sewn on the same machines Nanny Ruby used 40 years ago. It’s still a family operation. Ruby’s husband of 34 years, Darrell, and their two children help with various aspects of the business. Ruby holds dear the values her grandmother instilled in her.

“Each project I do is a reflection of her,” says Ramsey.

Customers who have installations from R&R Custom Draperies give Ruby an excellent rating in quality of work and eye for detail. Ruby prides herself in getting to know her client and making sure that her design matches the customer’s needs, style, and personality.