Celebrating 70 Years in Business

It was 1946 when Bud Stone started Craft-Bilt Manufacturing Company in the basement of an old schoolhouse. Along with two partners, Bud manufactured, sold and installed venetian blinds on homes and businesses around the Philadelphia area. Seventy years later, Craft-Bilt has grown from a venetian blind company to a leading manufacturer of shade products for homes and businesses.    
 
The introduction of shade products began when the company’s current President, Andy Stone, visited his in-laws in Sweden. He saw that almost every building had retractable fabric awnings. Upon returning to his home in Pennsylvania, Andy noticed how many backyards, decks and patios remained empty on nice summer days. When he realized it was because people were going indoors to escape the heat, he knew the solution was retractable fabric awnings. Craft-Bilt started to manufacture retractable deck awnings and a complementary line of basket and window awnings and market them under the name Aristocrat® to reflect the high-end nature of the beautifully crafted and long lasting fabric products.
 
Throughout the next several decades, Craft-Bilt added a variety of shade products to the Aristocrat line, including Canopies, Exterior Solar Shades, Horizontal Shades and Tension Shades. Looking ahead to changes in energy savings and consumer needs, Craft-Bilt works consistently to improve the design and quality of our entire line of products.