Let’s Celebrate 40 years!

Gordon’s Window Decor Celebrates 40 Years as Vermont’s Largest Custom Window Shade Manufacturer

Founded in 1986, Gordon’s has grown into Vermont’s largest custom window shade manufacturer, offering a full-service experience from design to install. Throughout that growth, the focus has remained the same: people, manufacturing, and products designed to make homes more comfortable and efficient. Gordon Clements started the company after moving to Vermont with his wife Dianne, drawn by the opportunity to raise their three daughters while building something meaningful.

“I started a business doing what I knew, which was window shades,” Gordon says. Dianne recalls those early days with a laugh: “Gord started the business in the basement of our old home, and I didn’t have any inkling if this business would go for two weeks or two years, let alone 40 years.” Gordon shared, “We have always focused on quality and sustainability, but Kelly takes it to a whole new level.”

From the beginning, Gordon’s was a true family business. The children were involved early, learning what it meant to build something together through perseverance and hard work.

Today, that legacy continues through their daughter Kelly Clements, President of Gordon’s Window Decor. Reflecting on her childhood, Kelly shares, “We didn’t lose them to the business. The business supported the family and gave us this beautiful childhood. Instead of getting grounded, my sisters and I had to come to the shop and put weights in vertical vanes or file or clean. Once I had my drivers’ license, I had the privilege of driving many hundreds of shades all over Vermont and Upstate New York on Winter and Summer Breaks. I started working in earnest in ’03, and positively (and probably much to my dad’s surprise) FELL IN LOVE with the business!”

Kelly remembers, “Our family vacations have always included stops to visit clients and our business trips frequently include kiddos. It is part of what I love about having a family business.”

Made in Vermont, Focused on the Future

Manufacturing has always been central to Gordon’s identity. Designing and building custom window treatments in Vermont allows the company to maintain quality, support local jobs, and stay closely connected to the homes it serves.

“Manufacturing and people are the two things that make Gordon’s Gordon’s,” Kelly says.

Energy efficiency has also been part of the Gordon’s philosophy from the very beginning. Gordon speaks about his early focus on keeping Vermont homes comfortable and efficient, which led to the development of EcoSmart Cellular Shades and EcoSmart Roller Shades, Gordon’s proprietary product line built with high-performance components and long-term durability in mind.

As Gordon’s celebrates 40 years, the pride is shared across generations. Gordon reflects on watching Kelly step into leadership: “My job was to get out of the way. She grabbed the torch, and she ran with it.” Under Kelly’s leadership, Gordon’s Window Decor continues to grow while staying grounded in the values that built the company: thoughtful manufacturing, a strong team, and a belief that businesses should be good for their people and their communities. Kelly shared, “I love being a part of my community. I chose to live in Vermont because I am in love with this state, the people, and of course the huge number of incredibly innovative small businesses.”

Today, Gordon’s offers a full range of custom solutions, from Vermont-made shades to shutters, drapery, and blinds. “It feels pretty great knowing that whether a client wants a Vermont-made product, shutters, drapery, or blinds… we’ve got it all,” Kelly adds. “I just get SO pumped thinking about the future. I think about how Gordon’s Window Decor is going to take every standard in our industry and turn it on its head, in the pursuit of creating the most incredible experience for every single client of ours.”