Alf Onnie's interiors shop, specialising in fabric and curtains, has been going in East London since it was set up in 1920. It's approaching its centenary but the recession and house market slump have hit curtain sales hard. Run by three brothers, both they and the shop are stuck in a time warp, almost as far back as the shop's beginning. And what's more they are paralysed by indecision about how to move the business forward. Alex tries to drag them into the 21st century with lessons in modern window dressing, a contemporary photo shoot and with a trip to the exclusive Brown's hotel in London, where they get the chance to meet her mum who runs it as part of their family owned hotel chain.