Home improvement-related businesses like Service Kings Home Services, which does carpet cleaning, and Drapery Tradition Inc., which handles window coverings, both serve greater San Diego and are among those enterprises that have not only survived but thrived during the pandemic.
“Service Kings is a veteran-owned and -operated company,” said owner Tony Romano. “We also own Rest and Relax Real Estate, a concierge real estate company. No other company takes care of their clients like ours.”
Equally successful, Drapery Tradition Inc. is going through an internal transition with the previous owner Mario Pappazi, who has worked in the drapery field since 1973, turning the reins over to Bob Sole and the company’s new owner/president Lizie Delgado. Pappazi is staying on as a business consultant.
“I just acquired the company a little over two weeks ago from Mario,” said Delgado of San Carlos-based Drapery Tradition Inc. serving much of San Diego County. “I can tell you I’m excited to be continuing Mario’s legacy and featuring our showcase showroom at 7424 Jackson Drive.”
“I was 17 when I started and I worked with my parents until I took the company over,” said Pappazi, noting the company started in Michigan before moving to San Diego.
Pappazi said the blinds, drapes, and shutters business is largely pandemic-proof. “Window coverings, everybody needs it,” he said. “It was my baby for a long time. But I felt comfortable with Bob Sole and Lizie taking it over. I’ll still work here for a while. I’m going to be their salesman.”
Of the service quality his carpet cleaning and real estate businesses provide, Romano said, “We’re where you are treated like royalty from start to finish. We do all the work. If you’re getting your home ready for sale or purchasing a home, we have the know-how to get cleaning, or even a small or large remodel, done on your time frame.
“We also offer $1,500 credit to close for veterans, law enforcement, and active-duty service members, as well as health care professionals and teachers. No other company will work harder for you than ours, that’s guaranteed.”
Delgado said Drapery Tradition Inc. sells every imaginable type of shutters, shades, drapes, and blinds including those which are made of wood or are vertically oriented.
“We sell drapes and we do a lot of remote-controlled motorization with rechargeable batteries, the newest thing in window coverings,” she said. “We’re retail, selling new window coverings. We don’t usually do repairs, but we can. We have master-level installers that work with us. We sell and install.”
Noting he’s active with Ocean Beach MainStreet Association doing cleanup and other volunteer work, Romano said his carpet-cleaning business goes all the way north to Oceanside and east past El Cajon. He added Service Kings cleans a lot more than just carpets.
“We clean upholstery, do carpet repairs and commercial and residential floor cleaning, as well as taking care of building damage caused by water, fire, smoke, or mold,” he said.
Romano, who’s been cleaning carpets for 31 years, uses only state-of-the-art equipment.
“We have the best truck mounts for carpet cleaning, a big machine that extracts dirt with 240 degrees of steam,” he said. “It’s a monster.”
Delgado said Drapery Tradition Inc. goes out to clients’ homes to consult with them on window coverings. “We have a van loaded with all kinds of hand samples and sample books,” she said. “We show them what we have, and what we offer, on their windows, which we measure. Consultation is free, and if they wish, they can come and look at our showroom with all that we have hanging there. They purchase, we install.”
Romano, a certified mold consultant, said the machinery and tools used by Service Kings are strictly high-tech. “We go in with infrared cameras and moisture meters to see if there is any moisture in the walls or behind things,” he said. “If you have mold issues, we extract it all then dry it out with air movers and dehumidifiers. There’s no magic. You can’t make them (damaged rooms) like brand new. But I can dry them out and make them look and smell better. And our work is always 100% guaranteed.”

DRAPERY TRADITION INC.

Where: 7424 Jackson Drive, Suite 5.

Contact: drapery-tradition.com, 619-697-8887.

SERVICE KINGS HOME SERVICES

Contact: service-kings.com, 619-677-6523, 916-434-1800, tony@service-kings.com.