Ridgefield Glass to hold grand reopening in Danbury Tuesday

Ridgefield Glass has a reputation for providing reliable, high quality service since opening in 1974. Located at 12 Backus Ave. in Danbury, it handles everything from showers and bath enclosures to mirrors, counter tops and more.

The Danbury location was temporarily closed due to the shutdown of a nearby bridge, but all is well now and a grand reopening is set for Tuesday. (It had been scheduled for Aug. 29, but Hurricane Irene had other plans.)

Ridgefield Glass features a 3,500-square-foot shop and warehouse. Beyond the usual services and products, the company also does repairs. This time of year especially, demand jumps for repairs of storm windows, screens and fogged windowpanes.

John Petchonka is co-owner of Ridgefield Glass with Rob Sassone. Discussing some of the extravagant waterside railings their business provides, Petchonka said Ridgefield Glass is in the process of completing a project in Westport.

"It's a beautiful house right on the (Long Island) Sound and they're putting in a glass railing system around the pool that overlooks the Sound, so it gives a clear view from wherever you sit on the pool patio," he said. "It's about 150 feet of ¾-inch thick glass, ultra clear, which gives you a true view."

While Ridgefield Glass gets that sort of creative request, it also handles many typical jobs, such as the installation of frameless glass showers.

"We use the least amount of metal in a frameless shower. Back in the '90s, we came up with a system where we pretty much design our own glass and are able to do it with a minimal amount of metal to give a real open, noncluttered look," Petchonka said. "Also, because we design it ourselves, it keeps the price very competitive."

"Ridgefield Glass has always been a very reliable and responsible contractor for us, and constantly accommodates tight deadlines," said 

Petchonka added that glass can be a classy and economic alternative for many jobs. He suggests such things as glass backsplashes, which can be painted any color to match the room.