The Clear Choice
The newly opened Pella Experience Center in Plymouth Meeting offers limitless possibilities for anyone seeking windows and doors of unsurpassed quality, efficiency, and craftsmanship.
Step inside the recently opened showroom of Pella Windows & Doors in Plymouth Meeting. Leisurely peruse the displays and experience the extensive variety, energy-saving functionality, and unmatched workmanship, in an atmosphere of superior customer service.
Just one visit to the Pella Experience Center’s 3,000-square-foot showroom will introduce guests to a world of limitless possibilities.
“When people are spending money, they don’t just want to have something described to them,” says Beth Brady, inside sales manager of the Plymouth Meeting location, which opened in August. “The new showroom gives customers what they want, so they can see and feel exactly what they’re getting. Customers can now see more models and more options. We can show customers more than one window at a time so they can see side by side. They’re going to really enjoy the new space.”
Whether someone is more interested in aesthetics or energy efficiency, the Pella Experience Center offers multiple options to check off both boxes. Options abound in double- or triple-pane windows, double-hung windows, and casement windows. Likewise, front entry doors include options constructed of wood, fiberglass, and steel, while patio doors range from hinged French, bifold, multi-slide, or hinged French. No matter the need, the Pella team at Plymouth Meeting can identify products that best fit each customer’s style and budget.
Bright, airy, and modern, each Pella Experience Center showcases Pella’s state-of-the-art craftsmanship and style expertise. The unique architectural design breaks the store space into artistically rendered, easily navigable areas. The open floor plan features multiple workstations throughout so designers, architects, or builders can work on projects either independently or alongside their homeowner clients.
Jeff Sheard, Pella trade sales representative in Plymouth Meeting, believes customers will appreciate the latest technologies and designs available at the new showroom. He says every aspect of the center is designed to deliver an exceptional customer experience.
“Pella came up with this new showroom plan that can accommodate all the latest and greatest products,” he says. “The showroom is big, with lots of windows and doors. When you first walk in, you look down a galley of samples that can be pulled out from an overhead rack. Windows are on the left, doors on the right. It’s like a long bowling alley of all the current samples. Customers can review them right there, so it’s extremely convenient.”
A regional office of Gunton Corp., a Pottstown-based[GG1][WD2] distributor of Pella Windows & Doors, the showroom serves as an extension of the company’s digital assets online. Within the Pella Experience Center, customers can operate fully functional products, thereby experiencing “the Pella difference” in product performance and design.
“People love the new showrooms,” says Geoffrey Geibel, retail segment manager for Gunton. “Customers can go from online, where they’ll see what they like, to the showroom to see the full-size product. Being able to operate the products is a big part of what sells them to our customers, whether they’re homeowners or contractors. We’re all about helping customers find the perfect windows and doors by providing them the best experience in our showroom.”
The Pella team in Plymouth Meeting has years of industry experience, either on the retail side or working in the allied trades. Sheard, for example, spent years as a carpenter installing different window brands. Pella, he says, surpasses all others.
“When you get up close, past the aesthetics, when you get into the weeds to how a window is constructed, you see the engineering benefits with Pella,” he says. “One thing the industry did about five years ago was offer a warranty of 20 years on the glass and 10 years on the rest of the window. Pella went to a lifetime warranty, which speaks to how well the windows are built. Pella treats all wood components[GG3] with a proprietary preservative. They’ve gone over the top developing systems to make the customer very satisfied.”
Exceeding Expectations
Heat gain and heat loss through windows are responsible for 25 to 35 percent of residential heating and cooling energy use, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Pella’s Lifestyle Series Energy Efficiency package is, on average, 83 percent more energy efficient than single-pane windows. Products in the Lifestyle Series won Energy Star’s “Most Efficient” designation in 2019.
“Pella meets, and mostly exceeds, the government standards on energy efficiency,” Sheard adds. “I tell customers all the time: The benefit is how airtight the window is. It’s beautiful looking and extremely well engineered. We used sealed argon gas, which is a great insulator. Airtightness is paramount.”
The Pella Experience Center also showcases a wide range of doors. Wood front entry doors offer classic beauty and impressive focal points with unlimited design flexibility. Fiberglass entry doors are stylish, known for easy maintenance, energy efficient, and able to withstand extreme weather. Steel entry doors are known for their strength, security, and durability, as well as their stylistic versatility.
“The Pella wood door holds the character of what a home has,” Geibel says. “Fiberglass doors are a steppingstone between wood and steel. It can be stained to look like wood, but won’t rot like wood could. It’s very durable. The steel door is made from a heavy gauge material, with a traditional look.”
Air leaks around doors account for up to 20 percent of heat loss in the home, according to U.S. Department of Energy estimates. Wood, an outstanding insulator, insulates 1,800 times better than metal. Additionally, Pella’s Duracast fiberglass composite offers an insulating value that similar to that of wood. Vinyl may be less insulating by nature, but Pella’s vinyl patio doors have specialized air chambers to increase their insulating ability.
Pella and Gunton have been a force in the window and door business for 90 years. Such longevity in an extremely competitive industry speaks volumes.
“We stand behind our products,” Brady adds. “If there’s a problem, we take care of it. We pride ourselves on being here for our customers. Some employees have been with us for many years. Customers get to know us, and they know they can count on us.”
Pella Windows & Doors of Plymouth Meeting
580 W. Germantown Pike
Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462
(610) 648-0922
Photography by Nina Lea Photography
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, September 2021.
