SHOP TALK: Creatively! Glass & More has everything you need to start a hobby
Creatively! Glass & More is an art store and studio that offers Mount Pleasant residents and CMU students a new creative outlet. Upon crossing the threshold customers will notice the variety of glass works sparkling on walls and windows - many of them made in-store.
The store opened in Nov. 2016 and is owned and operated by the crafty Weidman resident Jean Holland. Creatively! Glass & More offers over 700 colors and textures of glass.
CM Life talked to Holland about her unique goods and services what it takes to become a master glass artist.
CM Life: Why is Glasswork important to you?
Business: Central Barber Shop
Address: 600 South Mission St.
Phone Number: (989) 772-4326
Considering that I didn’t start doing glasswork until I decided to buy the business that’s a tricky question. I enjoy crafts, and the repair work we do preserves history. Also, I enjoy creating beautiful pieces for people to enjoy the colors and the light.
What services do you offer?
“I do a beginners class in the tiffany style once a month, it's three weeks, and they’ll make a suncatcher. And then I do workshops once a month in the other techniques, so like I might do a fusing workshop or a mosaic workshop. We do custom orders, repairs, people can rent the kiln.”
What made you want to buy a stain Glass store with no prior experience?
"My kids had done stain glass before and I was thinking of learning how to do it. I’ve always enjoyed crafts and my kids were almost through high school. I was looking for something to do and saw the store was for sale and I had the full support of my husband. It’s been four and a half years and I haven’t regretted it at all."
How does someone get into glass work and what does it take to start learning?
“There are many different techniques to working with glass. The most popular type is Tiffany style which is wrapping each piece of glass in foil and then soldering it. You can also do glass mosaics and we have a kiln to heat glass as well.”
Why do you feel creativity stores/hobby shops like yours are important to a community?
"A great example has been what we’ve been through in the past year, I’ve had a lot more customers looking for things to do to occupy their minds and feel like their doing something useful rather than just sitting at home. I think any form of arts and crafts or hobbies are important stress relievers and we’ve certainly had a lot of stress in the past year."
What are your rates for classes and rentals?
“The kiln rental is thirty dollars and that includes the paper to protect the ceramic shelves. The kiln can hold 4-5 bottles depending on the size of the bottle. As far as classes the beginner class is ninety dollars and includes all of the supplies and everything. I have an open studio on Wednesday nights where if you have experience with stain glass you can come in preferably bring your own tools, and then you get a discount on any supplies that you purchase when you come in and pay for that studio time. The workshops usually run around sixty dollars depending on how long they are and what supplies you use.”
Why should CMU students go to your store?
"It’s a good stress reliever to break glass and make it into something beautiful. I have scrap glass that I sell very affordably for a dollar or two a pound that can be made into mosaics, it doesn’t take a lot of space or tools to get started doing mosaic work with glass. Its always good to keep learning new things and have a creative outlet, and it’s a nice creative break from studying."
Creatively! Glass & More is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
A glass art piece of the CMU "Flying C" shines in the window of Creatively: Glass & More on March 11.
