By Rich Monetti
JSJ Window Treatments knows there are many different places to go to enhance home views and secure interior privacy. However, this doesn’t have staff at their new Greenwich location rushing over with a heavy sales pitch. Instead, JSJ rests on a long-standing professional commitment to work with clients in the showroom and at their houses, and thirty years of serving the community isn’t the only barometer that bears out this success.“We usually get about 95% of the jobs,” said Greg Cameron, who originally founded the Cos Cob business in 1989 with his University of New England college roommate, Keven Feighery.
A bigger space became available in Greenwich so JSJ took it and having the community find them again hasn’t really been a bother. “It’s been seamless,” Cameron said.
Fittingly, it was another changeover that brought Cameron into this business venture in 1989. Cameron had just retired from Mobil, and the college connection had him join forces with Feighery, who had worked in window treatment in NYC.
The duo started with a little money but got a big boost when their previous landlord let them sign on the dotted line. “Former First Selectman Griff Harris was the owner of the building, and he took a chance on two Irish kids,” said Cameron.
Harris also knew a lot of people in the area, and the familiarity provided another boost to get the business off to a good start. But, JSJ hit a bump when Feighery died prematurely in 1994.
His children stepping in kept the business from experiencing any prolonged hiccup, and Stephen Feighery filled his father’s shoes as co-owner and VP. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” boasted Cameron.
The overall business doesn’t hold to a similar continuity, though. “Years ago, there were only a few items you could select from,” said Cameron, and there wasn’t much by way of shades, shutters and drape options, he added
JSJ, named for Keven’s children, Jennifer, Stephen and Justine, make it their business to keep up. “We go to trade shows and seminars around the country and take classes to be on top of modern trends, he said.
Whether customers entered the Cos Cob store or the current locale at 311 Hamilton Ave, a kaleidoscope of displays reflects JSJ’s knowledge and so does a thick roster of fabric and design books.
The stand-offish sales approach, though, doesn’t mean they shrink in terms of helping potential clients narrow the search. JSJ takes a look at budgeting concerns, lends a hand in turning the pages and then sends staff designers out to the house to advise.
The estimate free, JSJ professionals log in the privacy concerns, consider the colors, the sun’s positioning and help delineate needs between kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms and bathrooms. For instance, bedrooms and bathrooms obviously need more of a blackout capability, while living rooms usually have clients looking for a light and airy purview. “There are different opacities,” said Cameron.
The present day also allows for material that keeps the heat in during winter and cools in the summer. Of course, whatever the savings and scenery concerns, you wouldn’t put silk curtains in the kitchen and more formal rooms might add a valence to suit the drapery to the setting.
JSJ also manages the scenery by offering shades, shutters and blinds. Cameron has plantation shutters in his house, while anything working on strings has less pull on the market. For child and pet safety, the chords are either inside the shades or run on a motor. “The manufacturers have lifetime warranties,” Cameron asserted.
Those include Hunter Douglas, Prestige, Duette, Horizons, and Conrad, and once the collaboration decides on the products, the tape measure comes out and the order goes in.
This leaves only the final installation and encompasses an entire process that takes between two and five weeks. “It will freshen up the room,” he said
There’s also upholstery service, and if you’re into DIY, SJS can provide a discounted service to get you on your way.
On the other end, Cameron and crew will take away your old treatments for recycling at the center in Greenwich. But he doesn’t see himself pressing on much longer at JSJ and is certain that the business will carry on in the image of his old friend. “I think he would be proud of what his son has done,” Cameron concluded.
For more info : http://www.jsjwindowtreatments.com
