Chalk it up to the bad economy and poor management but Prestige Window Fashions out of Edison New Jersey closed it doors today. One source says that the company just locked it’s doors and close to 300 people did not arrive at work. Phones were not answered.

Prestige was once the single largest independent window blind manufacturer in the United States with sales close to 65 million per year. They were very strong on the Eastern seaboard but were sold throughout the United States and Canada. Due to financial holds by Wells Fargo and some bad times, Prestige recently sold to Platinum Equity, a buying group out of California and emerged what appeared to be strong after a bankruptcy bailout.

This is the fourth “big” closure in the window fashions industry since the recession started close to four years ago. This joins the list of companies such as Tecnique, Mark and Aveno that are now gone from the industry.

Shades Shutters Blinds has contacted most of the orders that were still pending and refunded most that could not be matched with a different supplier. If you need parts, warranty work, or have questions, please call. We will do the best we can to solve any issues.

Toscana roman shades have been discontinued until further notice. Our supplier is having issues. We are searching for an alternative vendor for these popular roman shades. We can continue to finish out orders as they trickle in.  We are still providing the Serenade by Comfortex and the hugely popular Caslan by Timber Blinds.

Wovens- Columbia Heights Peru eta 3-5

Rollers- Motors, 2100 White Bone P09 eta 2-26

Verticals- Elegance Off White and Camel eta 4-6, Lucerne Black and Montana Cocoa eta 2-26

Due to inherent challenges when using Symphony Blackout and Virtuoso Blackout materials with the Ovation Cellular Slider, this ordering option will be discontinued as of February 1, 2010.
Â
The 3000 and 4000 Series fabrics are much stiffer than their light filtering counterparts and can cause inconsistent and/or unsatisfactory performance in the field.
Â
If a blackout fabric or room darkening application is required, Comfortex recommends using the 3/4″ Baritone Blackout fabric.

Just in and great news for another manufacturer in this poor housing economy. We wish them success.

Dear Customer:

I am pleased to inform you that Platinum Equity has acquired Prestige Window Fashions. This is an exciting development that will create significant opportunity for our company as we forge a stronger partnership with you, our valued customer.

Platinum Equity is an investment firm with a unique focus on business operations and they have made it clear that ensuring a seamless transition and maintaining the highest levels of customer service are top priorities. Our teams are now working through the transition and we will keep you informed of developments in the weeks ahead. Our immediate focus is to maintain normal operations with an emphasis on delivering quality products.

In the meantime, I thought it would be helpful to provide you with some background information about Platinum, its business approach, and some of the firm’s experience.

Platinum is a global acquisition firm headquartered in Los Angeles with principal offices in Boston, New York and London. Founded by financier Tom Gores and privately held, the firm has completed nearly 100 acquisitions with more than $27.5 billion in aggregate annual revenue at the time of acquisition.

The firm has consistently demonstrated its commitment to helping its portfolio of businesses deliver world-class products and services to a global customer base. Platinum operates companies in a broad array of business markets, including telecommunications, logistics, chemical manufacturing, steel services, industrial fastening systems and automotive aftermarket products.

Further information about Platinum Equity is available at platinumequity.com.

Thank you for your continued support of Prestige Window Fashions, especially during this past year’s challenging times. As we move forward, we will make every commitment necessary in building a long and productive relationship with you.

Should you have any questions, please contact your Account Executive who will be able to provide you with additional information.

Regards,
                                     �
Joel S Botwick
President

The stockouts are growing from all of our vendors. Here is the current list. Please keep checking back and sorry about the delays.

Woven Woods

• Hunter Douglas Provenance Kathey Bejing Pecan
  WWKA448- ETA Week of Jan 25th
• Hunter Douglas Provenance Mindanao (all colors) & Safari Jaguar Week of 3-1
• Timber Rio Mariana Walnut, Jacento 50, Tonga 66, Nova Pointe 38, Tapara 68, Lucia 96- eta Week of 3-1
• Presitge Collection Los Altos Saddle Brown INWE360 & Molokai Camel TI122 eta week of 1-25

Roman Shades

• Roman Shades Toscana Silk Gold- DISCONTINUED

Cellular/Honeycomb Shades

• Coffee Bean 3469, Star Magnolia F15-951, Cinammon 3467, Blush FAB180 eta week of 1-25

Verticals

• AB136 ABACO FLORAL WHITE W/O 02/05
  BD3306 BORDEAUX GOLD W/O 02/05
  DWS354 DOVERWOOD OAK W/O 02/05
  DWS356 DOVERWOOD ST CHESTNUT W/O 02/05
  EG5588 ELEGANCE CAMEL W/O 02/12
  MT7280 MONTANA CHESTNUT W/O 02/05
  TRIM WHITE  W/O 02/05

Faux Wood

• Horizontals- 2 1/2 Fauxwood Cherry Embossed eta Week of 2-1

Roller Shades

• ROLLER SHADES 1000445 12 VOLT UP MOTOR W/O 01/29
  ROLLER SHADES SS14006 SOFT SCREEN BEIGE W/O 01/22
  ROLLER SHADES TE329 TERRA BARLEY W/O 01/29
  V01 STY3000 PALE GRAY W/O 01/29
  V23&1000445 STY2410 CHARCOAL W/O 01/29

I hope everyone is having a wonderful New Years Day. I am posting from my house today and the company is closed until Monday. The sales for January are probably going to increase so check back. We usually get the following months promos around a week in advance but three of our major vendors did not get back to us in time. What is kind of cool until the end of Feb. is a decent shutters promo which is rare. Check that out (and check back) below:

Free hidden tilt bar (a $10% savings) on Woodloreâ„¢ Real Wood Plantation Shutters by Norman. This allows better views, a more modern look and less opportunity to break the tilt mechanism. *Note* this option is not available online. Place the order as usual and write “Free Hidden Tiltbar” on the special directions section during checkout or just call. 

Deal of the Month* Woven Wood Blinds *Free top-down, bottom-up upgrade (a $25 value)

Rio Woven Woods by Timber Blinds.
Prestige Group 1, Prestige Group 2, Prestige Group 3

We are playing it by ear tomorrow. If it’s slow like today, we will close at noon. Have a nice new years and we will be back in full swing on Monday.

Recent backorder notice for the Brilliance Pleated Shades by Hunter Douglas- They are having trouble getting some of the Rainforest fabrics. They should be in no later than Feb. 2nd.

We had phone and internet outages today and sent most the staff home. We will be open at the normal time on Tuesday and any pending requests will be filled tomorrow. Sorry about any delays.

These products are now discontinued and are no longer in stock. There might be limited supplies left so please call.

• 1″ Mini Blinds- Icecap White 040, Burgundy 500, Dove Grey 160, Parchment 260
• Band Edging for woven wood blinds and sliding panels- Briquette Colt EB200, Aspen Brownstone EB310, Essence Russet EB228, Sparkle Ash EB100, Sparkle Golden EB110
• Roller Shades- Contour CT550, Dakota Buffalo DA720, Moccasin DA710, Prairie DA700 and Dakota Saddle DA730
• Pleated Shades- Battenburg Ivory 7010 and White 7000