Zwick Window Shade Co. — making old fashioned quality window shades in the USA since 1930

One of the most retro window coverings around: Roller shades. If you want to get technologically fancy, add a clutch system. If you want to get aesthetically fancy, add a scallop at the bottom… add some old-fashioned trim… and finish off with a pull attached by a Higbee button. Finally, if you want to buy from a company that has made these kinds of shades in the U.S. since 1930, take a look at Zwick Window Shade Company.

This is another company that I learned about from Laureen Skrivan of Wren & Willow. She used the shades throughout her 900 s.f. 1940s cottage. Thanks, Laureen!

Here’s what the About Us page tells us about Zwick Window Shade Company:

Our company was started in 1930 by Ralph Zwick. He began by picking up and delivering shades to be washed for 30 cents each. Shortly thereafter he began making new shades.  In those days there were not multiple qualities of materials and components. All that Ralph could buy were top quality components. Primarily the bulk of components were from Joanna Western Mills Company. The early versions of window shade cloth were all hand painted on big racks with rollers. The base materials were cotton and cotton cambric.  

In the early 1940’s Ralph joined with his father Benjamin, and brother Earl, in a combined window shade and hardware business. This combination continued until the early 1960’s. At that point the two brothers, Ralph and Earl, decided to separate the businesses. Ralph kept the hardware, and Earl kept the window shades. Being a neighborhood business, selling quality was an absolute. 

As neighborhoods changed, and our customer base began to move to the suburbs, because of our reputation we also began doing their new homes in the suburbs. As years went by, their children also became our customers. Today we are making shades for the grandchildren of our original customers. 

In 1981, Earl’s son Michael and his wife Deborah took over the family business. By 2006 it became time for Michael’s son, Emanuel to join the family business. 

The reason we are still able to do what we do is simply manufacturing and selling quality products. Every component that we use, from the rollers, to the sewing thread, to the window shade cloth, has all been thoroughly tested. Our components have been cherry-picked from the pre-eminent manufacturers in the United States and Europe. We always have, and always will, stand by and service everything that we make.

Design your shade online(ish)

Zwick has an online shade-builder that kind of gets you going. It inserts the shade material you choose, but you can’t see how your shade will look with various bottom designs and trim alternatives.

Bottom designs: Lots of cool choices — including a bunch of scallop designs in each scallop category.

And there there is the trim:

Categories of trim:

Again, these are just the categories, get onto the website and click the category and see the array of choices?

The Retro Trims are awesome:

Oh my… the 1970s are calling my name right now:

Link love:

• Head over to Zwick, their url is windowshades.net.
• See all our research about window treatment options here.

 

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