A maker of high-performance sight mounts for rifles and shotguns is moving to Downtown Easton.
Scalarworks is moving into 132 S. Third St. in Easton, a building across from Easton City Hall, according to company founder Phil Bartoszewicz.
He said he’s an industry leader in developing mounts that connect a rifle sight to the top of a rifle.
“Our product is lighter, it’s more compact, stronger and easier to operate than anyone else’s,” he said Wednesday.
The mounts go on “modern sporting rifles,” firearms akin to an AR-15 rifle, he said. They mount on shotguns and bolt-action rifles but not handguns, he said. You can see the firearms on Scalarworks’ website, Facebook page and Instagram page.
The rifles stored at his business will be inoperable, he said. Employees will fire the weapons to test the mounts at a gun range about 15 minutes away. No firearms will be discharged in the office, he said.
“I promise you there are far more unsafe gun situations in town than in this office,” he said.
Guns and ammunition will be stored and transported in locked containers, he said.
His customers include U.S. military special operations units, police departments, hunters and people concerned with personal protection. Most customers, however, are target shooters, he said.
All his sales are online. Customers won’t come and go from the space, he said.
“We’re closed to the public. Our office is on the second floor. You’d need a team of Navy Seals to (get to the firearms),” he said.
He is moving downtown because he outgrew his space on 50 Hilton St. in Williams Township. He has nine employees but wants to grow to 20 or 30. He couldn’t turn down the opportunity to build his company in the beautiful historic space overlooking the Delaware River, he said.
Scalarworks, a manufacturer of high-performance sighting systems for the firearms industry, has an office at 50 Hilton St. in Williams Township.Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com
He started his company five years ago in his attic in South Orange, New Jersey, and moved to Pennsylvania because the state is more firearms friendly.
“Easton is right over the border. It seems to be on the rise,” Bartoszewicz said.
He’s an industrial designer who got into target shooting as a hobby, then started tinkering around with building his own AR-15. The rifle part that suppliers couldn’t quite get right was the sight mount, he said. They were always too clunky or too tough to remove. So he developed his own and turned it into a business.
The parts of his products are manufactured in Trumbauersville, then sent to Easton where they’re assembled by hand and shipped to 250 dealers worldwide. Bartoszewicz said he has tens of thousands of customers.
Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said Wednesday he didn’t have much information on Scalarworks but said “everything I’ve heard about the company is very positive.”
Bethlehem-based Alt Realty redeveloped the historic building that will house Scalarworks. The office building, called Heritage Riverview, has Hearst Publishing as its primary tenant.
Alt Realty CEO Lou Pektor said he chose Scalarworks over other prospective tenants.
“They’re spending a lot of money in there,” he said. “They’ve got an interesting growth plan.”
Bartoszewicz said design plans are ready for the office but he’s struggling to find a construction company and materials are scarce, so it’s hard to say when he’ll move in.
The Heritage Riverview building was constructed in the 1920s and previously housed a Packard car dealer, auto supply store, restaurant and bowling alley. The exterior walls were retained to preserve the building’s history.
Scalarworks describes itself in this way on its Facebook page:
WHAT WE DO
“We apply our professional skills to the betterment of firearms and by extension, the people they serve. We look for weak links in the chain and develop better solutions. We apply the cutting edge of our individual disciplines to make lighter, stronger, and more functional parts and products.”
WHY WE DO IT
“Firearms are the only man made objects we know that can preserve life, obtain liberty, and facilitate happiness. Firearms have shaped our civilization and continue to preserve our way of life. We feel it’s an honor and duty to contribute to this noble field.”
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com.
Rudy Miller may be reached at [email protected].