It’s a Global Effort!

Bill Sr. here; it’s about time I chimed in with a blog article or two! Now that the holiday rush is behind us, we’re turning our attention to planning and buying our 2026 inventory. This is always a big moment for us as we line up our manufacturing partners and make sure we’re set up for another strong year.

As many of you already know, a chunk of our retail covers are made in Vietnam, while our custom covers, and less commonly sized covers are produced here in the U.S.A. We do this to provide a range of products at different price points and meet the delivery requirements of our customers. Last year, we ran into some delivery hiccups with our domestic manufacturer, so we decided it was time for a change. We’re excited about our new U.S. partner, who should be fully up and running by mid April — and they’re aiming for a four business day turnaround. Yes, please!

Teamwork Makes the Deam Work!

Vietnam continues to be a huge part of our story. Most of our commercial covers are made there, and our Vietnamese manufacturing team has been an amazing partner. They’re incredibly supportive, always open to feedback, and constantly looking for ways to make our products even better. I’d go as far to say that without our Vietnames teammates, our company would not exist. During Covid, as the world shutdown, we were able to learn so much about the textile industry, fabrication, and printing process. The time taken to perfect our product would not have been possible under normal operating circumstances.

Here’s the funny part: despite working closely together for years through emails, WhatsApp messages, and Zoom calls, we’d never actually met them in person. That finally changed when their team stopped in Los Angeles on their way to the Magic Show in Las Vegas. We invited them up to my house for cocktails and dinner, and it was an absolute blast!

“aha” Moments

During the visit, we realized something surprising — they’d never seen an electric garage door in action. 😲 In a country dominated by Tuk-tuks, shooters, and bikes it’s a real luxury to drive a car, and even more so have a garage! So, naturally, we headed to my very messy garage for a real world demo. While they’d built test frames back in Vietnam, seeing a garage cover installed and operating in real-life was a game changer! You could literally see the lightbulbs going off in their minds as they installed the cover, operated the zippers, and watched the product action.

I think many of the challenges and improvements our customers have requested became apparent and contextualized during the demo. If nothing else there were lots of “aha” moments, a few laughs, and plenty of photos followed. By the end of the night, we all agreed on one thing: it’s time for us to make a trip to Vietnam next year.

Strengthening these relationships — and sharing experiences face to face — makes a real difference, and we’re excited about what’s ahead. While Garage Celebrations remains a small family-run business, our “family” extends beyond the U.S.A. We are thankful to work with such amazing partners domestically, and abroad.