Made in the Shade warmly welcomes the Johnson family as new owners and operators of Made in the Shade in Annapolis, Maryland. As the matriarch and patriarch of the family, Elizabeth and Leslie join two of their sons, Maxwell and Mitchell on this journey. The Johnson’s are no strangers to a family-owned business having built and continue to operate a highly successful home remodeling company. Everyone at Made in the Shade is excited that this dynamic and talented family has joined our organization and we look forward to supporting the successes that are sure to come.

Professional background

Leslie was in the Air Force for 21 years and retired after 9/11.  After being stationed all over the world, his last stop was Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland where he met Elizabeth. Our congratulations to Elizabeth who recently celebrated her 30-year anniversary at Newport Group where she is a Senior Compliance Consultant and administers retirement plans for companies.

Despite their youth, both Maxwell and Mitchell bring a wealth of experience to their new business having worked side-by-side their parents in the home remodeling business. Maxwell also brings a business education, while Mitchell’s background is in marketing. Both are highly skilled remodelers, which will be a definite benefit in window fashion installation.

Tell us about your family and their interests

Elizabeth and I have been married for 32 years and have three sons: Maxwell, Mitchell and Marshall.  Most of our married life, once the kids came along, has been spent either coaching or supporting our kids in their school activities and sports that included lacrosse, baseball, basketball, soccer and football.  All of our kids played a sport while attending college and we now have all three kids with college diplomas!  With our kids grown and two of them owning their own house we spend most of our weekends enjoying each other’s company and tinkering around the house. Elizabeth just started a new hobby during COVID of finding old pieces of furniture for sale/auction, fixing/painting it and then reselling.

Maxwell and Mitchell really enjoy the outdoors. they are both avid golfers, love to fish and work on improvements to their homes. Although we work together every day, we love family time and always spend the holidays together. Our Great Dane George is always included!

 

What appealed to you about the Made in the Shade opportunity?

When we were looking into investing in a franchise, we realized that the window covering business is very popular and very profitable.  Made in the Shade quickly moved to the top of our list based on the reviews and conversations with Edward and then Cathy.  We were also excited to learn that there was no immediate presence in our area and there is no ongoing franchise fee.  This was a business that would complement our current remodeling company and allow us to increase our current offerings to our clients as well as reduce the impact that this business would have on us physically. We are really looking forward to our journey with Made in the Shade.

Our sons are excited to have an opportunity to have ownership in the operation, to specialize in one category rather than the diversity of the remodeling business and are determined to quickly become window fashions experts.

 

What is your best MITS contact number and business email?

Leslie Johnson

Cell:  410-320-2496

E-mail: ljtilesmith@gmail.com

Mitchell Johnson

Cell:  410-212-9224

E-mail: mitchelljohnson756@gmail.com

Maxwell Johnson

Cell:  443-822-0783

E-mail: ljtilesmith@gmail.com