A stalwart of the Canberra community, Riteway Curtains & Blinds is celebrating a major milestone this year – they’re turning 50!

A household name since 1972, Riteway’s family owned and run business remains Canberra’s number one seller of Luxaflex, and their Fyshwick gallery is one of the top three in the whole of Australia.

Owner Allan Smith is a pioneer of Australian Luxaflex dealers and has been supporting the Canberra community for around 47 years with one simple business model – everyone is family.

“Being a family business has made us so successful, and we’ve got good staff and a good team,” Mr Smith says.

“You’ve got to have a good team. We have a good team behind us.”

The four person Riteway sales team are absolutely top of the range, providing incomparable customer service and five decades’ worth of knowledge.

Part of the leading team is Mr Smith’s daughter, Rebecca Bensley, who’s spent 20 years of her life working for her father and late mother at Riteway – and Rebecca wouldn’t have it any other way. Her love for her family’s business comes from her utmost dedication to give every customer a memorable experience.

“I think we’re successful because of our passion and we genuinely like our job. It’s not just a nine-to-five business,” Ms Bensley says.

“Dad really enjoys it, and you can see he likes the drive. When he goes in and decorates someone’s home, he will always remember his clients and their houses.

“He gets so much enjoyment out of that, and we class everyone, including our clients and staff, as family. When people come and work with us, we just have the whole family network. I genuinely love coming to work.”

When you’re a client of Riteway, you’re in the Riteway family.

“We’re the only Luxaflex gallery store in the district, and we’re known for our Riteway curtains – you know when you’ve seen a Riteway curtain,” says Mr Smith.

There’s no better business for Luxaflex, curtains, and blinds in Canberra than Riteway, and you’d be hard pressed to find any customer service that matches them.

Riteway’s top seller is the Duette Honeycomb Blinds, which Mr Smith says offer superior insulation than standard double glazing – and Riteway happens to be the biggest seller of the range in Australia!

“I love what I do. I like going into people’s houses, helping them decorate, talking to them … it’s a very family orientated business,” Mr Smith says.

Celebrating their 50th anniversary as a pinnacle of Canberra’s home retail business sector is a thrill for Mr Smith and Ms Bensley, who attribute their accomplishment to their service.

“I feel tremendous to be celebrating Riteway’s 50th anniversary. It’s an achievement,” Mr Smith smiles.

“I’m very, very excited to be here for the 50th anniversary, and I also had my daughter and son working here for a bit, so it’s great to see the three generations working together,” Ms Bensley says.

“We provide everything for our clients – whatever they want, we will do.”

What is the future of Riteway Curtains & Blinds?

“We’re going to be around for a while longer yet,” Mr Smith says. “78 per cent of our business is existing customers referring new clients. A mammoth amount of existing customers will come through our doors asking ‘Is Allan still here?’, and the answer is ‘yes!’

“We’ve also just confirmed the contract for Parliament House, which is a big project we have coming up.”

Five years ago, Riteway opened a Yass store to service the Yass Valley and it is also going strong.

“At Riteway, customer service is our number one. You don’t just come through the door and you’re a number to us; everyone is unique and your home is unique,” Ms Bensley says.

“We want you to experience our special service, we want to make sure you’re number one, and you get what you want. Even if there’s an issue, we always want to solve it.”

Shop 1, 64 Wollongong Street, Fyshwick | 6280 4762 | ritewaysfyshwick.luxaflex.com.au

163 Comur Street, Yass NSW | 6130 3030 | ritewayyass.luxaflex.com.au

To celebrate their 50-year anniversary, Riteway is giving their customers the chance to win 150,000 Qantas points during June and July, if you buy over $3,000 worth of Luxaflex products.