Sunny Days for The Curtain Shop in New Rochelle

Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. This series is as much about supporting companies as it is about celebrating the places and faces that make our community special.

Our spotlight today is on Louis Vaccaro and Robert Kaessinger of The Curtain Shop.

Business: The Curtain Shop
Owners: Robert Kaessinger & Louis Vaccaro
Website: www.CurtainShop.com
Address: 541 Main St., New Rochelle
Contact_Info: Louis 914.636.8794; Louis@CurtainShop.com

How did you come up with the name?

Back in 1976 when we started, it just came naturally. Curtains were and still our focus. Our website, CurtainShop.com also came about the same way (but not back in 1976!).

Why choose that location? Why start a business in this town?

Main Street is the place to be. Our business and the way we conduct it (with personal service) is a throwback to years ago when service was king. We are Main St USA. People expect that hometown experience when they visit us. New Rochelle just happens to be the place Robert (Kaessinger) was working in 1975 (at Grants Department Store) when it was announced Grants would close. He took his best employees and expanded on his best department (curtains) right across the street from the Grants store. Teh rest is history.

Briefly, what business are you in?

Curtians, window coverings, home furnishings.

What’s the most difficult moment or challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?

Today? This week? During our 38 years? We face difficulty every day. A (bad) economy is probably our biggest problem. We have things people WANT, but not necessarily NEED. So when dollars are being budgeted in a household, we are competing against that new tv or a trip to Disney.

Were there any challenges that made you second guess your decision to be an entrepreneur?

It would be untrue to say that second guessing has never come up. Luckily, there are far more pluses than minuses at our shop so as long as you use a “scale” to weigh things out, the difficulties are overshadowed by victories.

What’s been your favorite moment or proudest achievement since opening?

Our renovation that took place back in 1997 (http://www.newrochelledowntown.com/history/?id=11) really put us on the map. Up until that point, our physical identity was not strong. Now we proudly have one of the best looking buildings on the street that respects the historic architecture and compliments our neighbors buildings. This was all made possible by our Business Improvement District (BID).

What’s the most innovative idea your employees or customers have had that you put into practice?

Wow. There are a lot. Our best asset is our staff. Everything they do reflects on what we are. The staff enjoys home furnishings and as a result they tend to treat each project a if they were shopping for themselves. Lots of helpful advice and a real concern for a job well done are the end results of a staff that sees the big (decorating) picture.

How do you deal with difficult customers?

Difficult customers? We haven’t had one in years. If we ever run into a problem that needs to be solved we always try to see the customer’s side of things and come to a resolution quickly.

How does your business give back or get involved in the community?

Our customer base is pretty large and as a result, varied. We fulfill requests all the times for fundraisers , charities, schools, etc brought to us by our customers.

The plan behind this series at Patch is to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well.

This is as much about supporting local businesses as it is about celebrating the places and faces that make our community special.

Click here to get to a simple form where local business owners can answer a few quick questions to be part of this ongoing feature.