New shades showcase

[attach]849[/attach]Ed Bonisch launched his business as a teenager from his North Toronto bedroom with $75.

Now bringing in upwards of $1.5 million per year in sales, Bonisch’s business, Brading Specialty Shades, has moved into a new, 370-square-meter space at Yonge St. and Lawrence Ave.

He celebrated the move across the street from the former showroom with a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by dinner at Soho Bistro, featuring Ontario-grown foods, Niagara wines and beer from the Steamwhistle Brewery on Sept. 24.

After graduating from Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute in 1978, Bonisch learned that homeowners were receiving grants from the government to make their homes more energy-efficient, so he started selling a Window Quilt, a type of energy-saving window shade.

And his bedroom business grew from there.

The 30-year-old company specializes in high-end window shades that are not only efficient, but energy saving.

Energy efficient window coverings, he says, can save homeowners on average $40–50 per month on their summer air conditioning bills — and even more during the winter months.

“It’s an easy way for a homeowner to become green,” says Bonisch.

He says that as much as 20 per cent of heat loss during the winter months can be lost through a skylight — a window that by most homeowners is left untreated because of its awkward height and shape.

Bonisch says that having such a niche market is what has helped him not only get through three recessions over his 30 years in business, but has actually kept his business on top of the game.

As many people are let go from their jobs, Brading has had the opportunity to hire architects, installers and a new plant manager for its facility at Black Creek Dr. and Eglinton Ave.

“Recessions are a great time to grow a business,” he says. “But, I’m only as good as the jobs I’ve completed yesterday.”