Sunburst Shutters History Of Offering The Best Selling Window Shutters
Sunburst Shutters was started in the early ’70s by people who believed they could make a better shutter than any other shutter on the market. Since that day, the philosophy of the company has been to offer better products and better service than anyone else. Here is a summary of our Sunburst Shutters history.
Our goal to be the best has permeated every aspect of our window treatment business, including the shopping experience itself. Sunburst was one of the first to offer a shop-at-home sales program where design professionals brought samples into the home to guide customers into selecting the best product for their home. In addition to the process, Sunburst set out to hire a superior sales staff that was courteous, friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. The result was an instant success for a brand that was soon to become very popular.
Sunburst Shutters was founded in Phoenix. After a few years, a second store opened in Las Vegas. In the ’70s, draperies and blinds were the standard window treatments in most homes. Sunburst Shutters began introducing consumers to a more durable and energy-efficient window treatment: plantation shutters.
Initially, the company offered wood shutters exclusively. While the quality was superior to other shutters, wood has some inherent weaknesses, including warping, cracking, and stain finishes that fade over time. Sunburst set out to create the ultimate shutter: one that would eliminate any potential quality issues, provide superior energy efficiency, and look beautiful for many years.
Even while Sunburst Shutters opened new stores in Dallas, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa, Sunburst’s CEO Dix Jarman led the effort to create the perfect shutter. Sunburst reviewed numerous material options, looked at a number of compounds, and visited manufacturers and trade shows around the world looking for the perfect shutter material. After much research, sampling, and testing, Sunburst announced the creation of Polywood Shutters.
Unlike wood shutters, Polywood is a synthetic material that won’t warp, crack, or split. Sunburst discovered a unique method for painting shutters that baked the paint on the material for a more durable finish. This process ensures that the paint will not fade, even in the hottest climates. Polywood was also designed with numerous insulating benefits, including weather stripping, solid core components, heat reflective paint, and more.
The result was phenomenal for Sunburst Shutters, and Polywood fueled the company’s growth. The company opened stores in San Antonio, San Diego, Orange County, CA, and Miami in just a couple of years. By the early ’90s, shutters were quickly becoming a popular window treatment, and Sunburst opened stores in 21 other cities and dominated the shutter market.
Polywood shutters are 100% made in the USA: from the raw materials to the extrusion to the painting and assembly, no part or process originates or happens outside of the USA. That’s important for Jarman and the Sunburst team and is rare in the shutter market.
Sunburst’s desire to offer a better product and experience for the consumer has generated partnerships with major retailers in the home improvement category.
In 2008, Sunburst Shutters expanded its name to Sunburst Shutters & Window Fashions and began offering blinds, shades, panel track systems, draperies, curtains, window film/tint, and more. Each of these window products is made with the Sunburst strategy of offering better quality products.
Now Sunburst Shutters & Window Fashions offers anything for the window: any treatment for any size/shape window, all custom built and professionally installed. Product options include colors, textures/finish, energy efficiency, safety (corded vs. cordless), light & sound control, and more. This broadened product line offers more than 2000 choices for consumers.
With stores and dealers servicing 80+ US markets and many foreign countries, coupled with its continued focus on offering better window treatment products and better service than the competition, Sunburst Shutters & Window Fashions is poised for the future.