Five Questions With a Trenton Business Owner: The Lighthouse

Patch freelancer Frank Wladyslawski has been buzzing around Trenton speaking to local business owners and asking them the same basic five questions.

This week Frank caught up with Suzanne Wallace, a Trenton native who owns The Lighthouse.

The shop, which is located near the intersection of Fort and West, is a supplier of residential and commercial lighting and has a huge showroom full of displays.

Customers will find ceiling lights, lamps, outdoor lighting, ceiling fans and a selection of home accents, such as furniture, clocks and mirrors.

The Lighthouse is located at 1595 West Road, about one block east of Fort Street.

Here are the five questions, followed by the responses Wallace provided:

When did you open? Has this business always been in the same spot?

“The business itself has been around since 1957. I’ve owned it for about 15 years. We were downtown Trenton until about 27 years ago.”

How did you get involved in the lighting business?

“I actually started working for the previous owner when they were downtown.”

What makes your business unique compared to others stores that sell similar products?        

“We have a unique display and array of different types of lighting (and) lampshades. We do lamp repair. We have good customer service. We probably have the biggest display of lamps, portable lamps and lights of anywhere around here.”

Why keeps you in Trenton?

“It’s my hometown; I really like this city. We own the building, so we’re obviously not going anywhere and it’s established and people know (of) it because we’ve been here so long and it just doesn’t make sense to move anywhere else.”

Are there one or two specific items you have, which are really unique, that nobody else carries?

“I wouldn’t say any one or two specific items, but we do have unique pieces within the genre of lamps or fixtures. We don’t have the same thing the home centers do. We have the same price points, but have different quality and unique pieces.”