What Glass Is Best for Shop Fronts?

When you have a shop, you want the front of it to look as appealing as possible so it can draw in customers. However, what is the best type of glass to use for your shop front?

Laminated glass is the best type of glass to use for shop fronts. It is comprised of two thick pieces of glass and a plastic layer. The plastic layer is between the two glass panes. This makes it incredibly hard to break entirely through it, which increases the security of the shop front.

More information about the different types of shop fronts and what you need to consider when you are choosing the glass for your shop front is included below.

What Makes for Good Shop Front Glass?

When choosing the type of shop front that you want, you need to decide what type of glass it will feature. When choosing the glass, you need to make sure it isn’t easy to break so your store will stay secure when the door is locked. Laminate glass is often used because the laminate coating prevents the glass from breaking apart. Have you ever watched a video of a robbery and seen the robber break the window, but have to tear away the glass after breaking it multiple times? That is laminate glass. (Source)

Most of the time, you don’t want the glass of your shop front to be tinted because that prevents potential customers from seeing the full beauty and quality of your products from far away. However, to prevent blinding your employees as the sun sets, you will want to tint the windows slightly or apply a tinted film that is light enough so your customers can see through the windows, but most direct sunlight is blocked.

Most shop fronts don’t feature colored or stained glass because potential customers can’t see products or services through it. It is also more expensive than clear glass, and many store owners consider the extra cost to be an unnecessary expense that is not worth paying. However, restaurants sometimes have colored glass windows.

Overall, the best type of glass to install into your storefront is transparent glass that is extremely durable and hard to break through.

How to Determine the Best Glass for Your Shop Front

To determine what the best type of glass and structure is for your shop front, consider what type of business you own, the products you sell, and the other business that are nearby. You want your shop front to stand out, but you don’t want it to look out of place, because then people won’t want to come in and buy something, even though the products look appealing.

Talk to other business owners on the street and ask them why they chose that setup for their shop front. If they have a business that is similar to yours, take their advice to heart, especially if their business is extremely successful.

Meet with a shop front contractor and ask them what type of shop front they think is best for the business you own. They likely have installed hundreds of storefronts and they know the benefits and hassles of each type of storefront. They can also take your budget into account. Take into account the level of security it will give your store and how hard it will be to maintain.

How to Make Your Shop Front Glass Stand Out

To make your shop front stand out from the rest of the businesses on the street, put your business’ logo on the windows at eye level. Make it large and feature a cool and interesting font that is easy to read. Make the logo a fun color like pink, blue, or purple. You could also keep the logo color simple and make it a bright white, clear, or dark black. The logo will catch potential customers’ eyes and make them want to go into your store.

Also, place products in the windows. The products will be seen through the glass easily and attract customers. When you are having a sale, put signs in your shop front windows. However, make sure the signs don’t block products being advertised.

Most of the time, you don’t want the glass of your shop front to stand out, you want it to be clear so your products can easily be featured. However, if you want to add designs to the glass to attract the eyes of customers, add paint to the interior or exterior of the window. Make sure the paint can be easily removed so the glass isn’t damaged. Many stores that have paint on the windows make sure the paintings correlate with the season or upcoming holidays.

Overall, there are many things that you need to consider when renovating your shop front, but once it is done, the change will likely increase the business that your shop receives.

Types of Shop Fronts

There are many different types of shop fronts that you can incorporate into your shop, and all of them are great. However, it is up to you to decide which one is the best one for your shop. To help you make this decision, information about each type of shop front is below.

Aluminum Shop Fronts

Aluminum shop fronts involve glass squares framed by aluminum. Many of these shop fronts are found in industrial areas and shopping centers. Many shop owners like having an aluminum shop front because it doesn’t take a lot of maintenance to upkeep. (Source)

The aluminum of this type of shop front is durable and corrosion-resistant, even though it is relatively lightweight for metal. Because aluminum is strong but extremely common, it isn’t incredibly expensive to install an aluminum shop front in your store. This type of shop front is extremely customizable, so your shop won’t look exactly like the others on the street.

The large windows of aluminum shop fronts allow a large amount of natural light into the store, which makes people want to come into your shop because it seems to be light and airy. The windows also allow people that are passing by to clearly see what is inside of your store, which increases the possibility that they will go in and buy something.

Oftentimes, the aluminum squares of aluminum shop fronts are too small to fit through if a robber were to break a window. This increases the security of the store. However, this feature is often considered unnecessary because most shops with aluminum shop fronts have durable, shatter-resistant glass.

Toughened Glass Shop Front

Shop fronts that have toughened glass are often seen in shopping centers and places that feature many high-end shops. A toughened glass shop front allows shop owners and employees to easily feature clothing and products that they sell. Most of the time, people can see through the glass to the rest of the shop and see more of the products that you sell, which makes them want to go inside your shop and buy something. (Source)

The glass used in toughened glass shop fronts is extremely durable and easy to clean. It is treated with chemical and thermal treatments to ensure durability. The glass used in toughened glass shop fronts is sometimes considered tempered glass because of how it is treated before being used. Thieves will have to try extremely hard to break the glass, and they won’t be successful unless they use a large item to break the said glass.

Toughened glass shop fronts make stores feel luxurious and high-end, partially because of how much natural light they allow into the shop. In the winter or when it is raining, the thick glass doesn’t allow the hot air inside of the shop to escape quickly, which means they are energy-efficient and will possibly lower your energy bill, which will help you make money.

Timber Shop Front

Timber shop fronts are often seen on shops in conservation areas because of the limitations that laws put in place. They feature wood doors and panels, along with large windows that allow potential customers to see inside of the store and let natural light in.

Timber shop fronts catch the attention of passerbys and are absolutely beautiful. They may not allow you to feature products as well as other shop fronts do, but that doesn’t mean that they are a bad option for your store. Timber shop fronts make your store seem more interesting and timeless.

Unfortunately, timber shop fronts are often the most expensive type of shop front that you can have because of how much wood is involved and the craftsmanship that is required and often asked for. Most people choose to have other types of shop fronts because of the cost of timber shop fronts, but sometimes there isn’t an option. However, they add value to the building of your store, so if you want to sell it soon, you may make money because of this change.

Timber shop fronts are highly customizable, but the less you customize yours, the cheaper it will be. Before you decide whether or not to have a timber shop front, determine what your budget is and what you would want your shop front to look like.

Curtain Wall

Curtain wall shop fronts are often seen in stores that have multiple stories. They look similar to aluminum shop fronts, but they don’t feature as much metal. Some people think that curtain wall shop fronts are dangerous and not structurally sound, but if the installers do their job correctly, that will not be the case. (Source)

Curtain wall shop fronts add and enhance the character of the building, even though it gives the building a very modern appearance. The large windows that are a distinguishing feature of curtain wall shop fronts allow a large amount of natural light into your store and allows you to feature products easily.

Curtain wall shop fronts are typically custom-built so it fits your store’s building and can support the structural weight. It is sometimes hard to keep stores with curtain wall storefronts warm in the winter because the windows are not as thick as the glass featured in toughened glass shop fronts. That doesn’t mean that your store will be cold, it just means that your energy bill may increase in the winter and summer when temperatures are extreme.

Bi-Folding Doors Shop Front

A bi-folding door shop front is typically featured in smaller shops, but they can be utilized by large stores as well. When open or closed, they let in a large amount of natural light. Bi-folding door shop fronts typically feature 2-6 doors, which allows multiple customers to easily walk into the store at the same time. The number of doors your bi-folding door shop front will feature will vary depending on how many doors you want and how big the door opening is. (Source)

Oftentimes, when stores are open, the employees tuck the bi-folding doors to the side so they can’t be seen easily until a customer walks through them. When you have bi-folding doors on your shop front, your store feels bigger, and it feels like the outside is being invited indoors, which makes your store seem more appealing.

Most bi-folding door shop fronts are made out of aluminum, but you can choose to use other metals as well. Just make sure the windows are large enough so that customers can see into your store, even when you are closed. Bi-folding doors can open either in or out, so it is up to you to decide which one you want to utilize in your store.

Bi-folding doors are extremely durable, so you won’t have to replace yours after you install them. Some people think they are flimsy and make it easy for robbers to break in, but that is luckily not the case. It is quite easy to secure bi-folding doors.

Now that you know all about the types of store fronts and the best glass to use, you are ready to get your store up and running!