About

Shelter Shutters History

Shelter Shutters™ was created in 2013 when an elementary school principal in New Jersey asked a local window shop owner to fit an odd-shaped vision panel in the gymnasium.

Principal Dr. Doreen Ryan had just attended a seminar about school safety and asked Steve, the owner of Belmar Window Shop, to create a window cover that consisted of specific school safety criteria. The shutter needed to quickly and completely black out visibility into the gym from the hallway and immediately recover to its original position after school lockdown drills. It had to be discreet, durable and effective.

With the requested criteria in mind, Steve researched and tested various materials that could get the job done. After several prototypes and tests done on various designs, Steve engineered the most efficient lockdown door and sidelight window cover that many schools have come to rely on. Our patented design is now used in many facilities where protection and privacy are key.

Before Shelter Shutters™ ...

Before Shelter Shutters was created, teachers only had a few ways to protect their schools. They used construction paper, fabric or felt strips that were difficult and time-consuming to reposition after a lockdown drill.

The materials used didn’t make the classroom appear dark and unoccupied. Statistics say that dark rooms deter intruders from targeting certain rooms. Most other products used leave gaps on the sides, exposing too much visibility into the room.

With all this in mind, Steve created Shelter Shutters. By applying his 40+ years of custom window treatment expertise, Steve came up with an ADA-friendly and fire rated window cover that works on any surface and quickly and completely blacks out visibility into rooms.

Two years later, Shelter Shutters™ was awarded the US Patent No. 9,243,445 and has since successfully installed more than 40,000 Shelter Shutters™ in schools nationwide and in Canada.

Inspiration

US schools are vulnerable now more than ever. .

Teachers are advised to lock all doors and avoid windows during school lockdowns, but the materials they have to work with are not the safest.

As a result, schools often ask us to replace their existing window coverings that aren’t as convenient or effective as our design.

Shelter Shutters™ is determined to keep schools safe at all times.

Disclaimer: If the bottom of your window is higher than 48 inches from the floor, your shutters can be made longer to meet ADA standards.