Shower Glass of Central Mass Downtown Gardner Robert

Sep 19, 2023

GARDNER ― The owner of a new business downtown is hoping residents will replace their dirty old shower curtains with a shiny new glass door.

"I joke that I want to start a new ‘throw away your shower curtain’ movement and tell people that they can install an amazing glass door," said Robert Bourassa. "It can be a 30-year-old shower, but when you put a piece of glass on it, it looks brand new."

Bourassa opened his Shower Glass of Central Mass showroom at 44 Main St. in mid-November. He's been installing shower enclosures exclusively for about the past six years, following a long career in construction and design. Bourassa said he decided to start his own business after his sales representative suggested he open a showroom to display his work.

"I had never really thought about that, but he made a good point, and I’m very glad I did because I love it," said Bourassa, who lives in Winchendon.

He chose downtown Gardner for a store location because of how lively the area had become in recent years. "There's a lot of traffic, a lot of nice shops there and great business owners," Bourassa said, "and I just wanted to be a part of that. There was a spot for lease, so I just jumped on it."

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Bourassa decided to focus exclusively on shower glass installing after he noticed that many contractors doing bathroom retiling and remodeling were hesitant to deal with glass.

"Just from being in the business, I know a lot of contractors and they’d rather just not mess with the glass because a little bump here, a little something there, you break it, you’ve got to buy a new one," he said. "And when it comes to getting a ‘nice’ shower door from the big-box stores, you don't have a lot of choices. So, you come to me and there's a vast array of different products and hardware and glass and colors – there's just so much to choose from."

Bourassa said he had a passion for designing and installing custom glass doors in new or existing shower enclosures.

"That's why I chose this," he said, "because this is what I love, love to do."

Another benefit of choosing Shower Glass of Central Mass, Bourassa said, was that in addition to being the owner, he was also the business's only designer and installer.

"You’re only going to deal with me," he said. "You get the owner from start to finish, with a very high level of experience and great motivation to do a really good job for my customers."

Bourassa said a trend he's noticed growing in popularity among his customers was a desire to furnish shower enclosure hardware – including hinges and handles – with a matte black finish.

"Before, people would love the shiny chrome, but now everybody loves the matte black finish – it's extremely popular right now," he said.

The showroom is still a work in progress, with more displays to be added and a lounge area and refreshment area to be built. Bourassa, who admitted he was a newcomer to social media, said he was also still working on developing a bigger presence on Facebook and other online platforms.

"I’m just trying to get my feet wet with that," he said.

In addition to all of Massachusetts, Bourassa said his service area also covers southern New Hampshire and southern Vermont.

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson and City Council President Elizabeth Kazinskas recently visited the showroom to welcome Bourassa to the neighborhood and present him with a citation congratulating him on opening the new business.

"They were super welcoming and I was totally blown away," Bourassa said, adding that it didn't take long before customers began contacting him. "I’ve been getting quite a few orders right out of the gate, and I’ve got some jobs coming up locally."