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Sunroom Repair, Maintenance |
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A bright idea
After all, when you market sunrooms, a bright sunny day can really enhance their appeal. Matthew Ostrowski, who owns Creative Enclosures with his wife Jennifer, says that his main product is as much about appearance as it is about comfort and enhancing a home or office. That's why the firm's slogan is “We help you live better at the same address.” And the Ostrowskis have been doing that for the past two decades. The husband-and-wife team runs a successful small business that employs a staff of 10, including the owners, clerical help and a production team. Over the years, the Ostrowskis have diversified their business, offering general remodeling, energy-efficient windows and other services. The firm just recently began offering a gutter-protection system and even markets special wide-format screens for garages, decks and porches along with an adjustable louvre roofing system for residential and commercial decks, patios and outdoor areas. The Ostrowskis say that while the firm continues to diversify its base of business, sunrooms still represent about 70 percent of annual revenues, and the rooms are still popular with residential customers, despite a tightening economy and sometimes tight-fisted lenders. Creative Enclosures offers the Four Seasons brand of sunrooms, and the image of a modest little sunroom off the back porch is far removed from what the Norwich firm offers to customers. The sunrooms range in size from small to expansive, from several thousand dollars in cost to tens of thousands for large expansive rooms. Ostrowski says that he's seen some slowdown in demand. “People are scaling back projects a little,” he says. “And getting financing is a little bit more of a challenge,” he adds. But the business is 20 years old this year, and both Ostrowskis say they've seen business cycles before and they expect that lending will loosen. They also believe that there will always be a demand for sun rooms and the remodeling services that the firm offers. In fact, Jennifer Ostrowski says the firm is seeing an uptick in demand for energy-saving devices, such as the vinyl and wood efficient windows they offer. ”We've been here for 20 years. There's a benefit to that,” says Ostrowski. “We've been through the tough times.” Ostrowski purchased the two-story building where the couple now has their corporate offices and showroom in 1999. It was a two-family home at the time, and over the years the residence had been modified and was in need of a lot of work. ”It was a mess,” says Jennifer Ostrowski. Her husband's background was in the building trades, which came in handy. Matthew Ostrowski's father was in commercial construction. “I was always digging ditches or sweeping floors,” he quips of his days working with his father. After graduating from technical school as a carpenter, Ostrowski went back for an advanced degree in construction-related technology. His early years were spent working for another firm selling windows and sun rooms to dealers, but Ostrowki wanted to be more hand's on with his own business. So he opened Creative Enclosures out of his home in 1988, met Jennifer the following year. The two have been partners in the venture ever since. Ostrowski also has been active with the Salem-based Builders Association of Eastern Connecticut for many years, sitting on its board and serving as a past president. He's been honored as its remodeler of the year several times. He says he enjoys the building trades, enjoys having his own business where he can see the results of the couple's, and the firm's, labors with the construction of a new sunroom, or windows or a remodeled kitchen. ”The key to being here twenty years,” says Ostrowski, “is listening to your customers and taking care of them.” A.CRONIN@THEDAY.COM Click HERE to read the full article in The Day.
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Sunny days are best for Creative Enclosures' spacious showroom on West Main Street in Norwich.
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