By Myles Ma
Paul Veronsky has been selling window treatments since he graduated from Rutgers University 20 years ago. He started by working out of his house, shuttling window shades, blinds, shutters and drapes around in his van.
“As the industry grew, I couldn’t just carry everything in a van anymore,” he said.
Veronsky opened up a permanent shop called Window Accents 15 years ago on State Road in Princeton, and he has been there ever since. The business has grown since then, partly out of a demand for variety in the products. When Veronsky started, he carried two styles of blinds. Now he carries a number of styles in materials like wood, reed and even grass.
In addition to carrying the Hunter Douglas Gallery, which includes anything you’d want to cover up a window, including sheers, shades, honeycombs, blinds and shutters, Veronsky also offers custom furniture, wallpaper, awnings and interior design services.
Part of offering the Hunter Douglas Gallery comes with the option for customers to replace their custom treatment if they’re not happy with it.
The process of buying a window treatment starts in the Window Accents gallery, where there are full-size samples for customers to peruse. After they’ve made a choice, Window Accents will deliver the treatment to the customers’ house, measure and install the product. While Veronsky said some people opt to put up the treatment themselves, he offers full installation on most of his products, and most opt to use the service.
Veronsky has observed many changes in the industry since he started out. He said the variety of fabric choices has exploded. The emergence of the green movement has meant that customers are starting to demand recyclable material and chemical-free dye. As shades and blinds have become greener, more diverse, more complicated, and in some cases, motorized, Veronsky said Window Accents was constantly updating its inventory.
He said better-quality shades and blinds are more effective for light control.
Veronsky said Window Accents offered a greater variety of products at a better quality than its big-box competitors. He credited the fact that the business is family-owned. He and his wife, Ilene, have owned Window Accents since it opened, which Veronsky said added a personal touch to the store.
“You don’t have to go through a corporate ladder and get an 800 number,” he said.
He added that many of his customers keep coming back thanks to that personal feeling.
“We get a lot of repeat customers because we take care of customers,” Veronsky said.
Window Accents is located at 45 State Road in Princeton. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, call (609) 924-0029 or go to windowaccents.hdwfg.com.
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