Sad day for WV: Blenko Glass to shut down (Charleston: luxury, cabinet)

[tbailey1138]

Looks like we a losing one of our last two glass makers. Fenton will be the only one left and even they have scaled backed after being saved from closure a couple of years ago. Hopefully something similar can be done in this situation. Here's the link:

Blenko Glass to shut down - The Herald Dispatch

[Sharedspirit]

Very Sad! I love WV glass, well, most of it. I'm not a Fenton fan. I have a lot of old West Virginia Specialty Glass pieces from the 50's.

[CTMountaineer]

Actually most of the West Virginia glass companies left a long time ago... Hazel Atlas in Wheeling was a huge employer until the 60s, Senaca in Morgantown, Fostoria in Moundsville... driven out by cheap imports. It is sad to see the Huntington area take another economic hit like this, especially during these bad economic times. Maybe the community could help them pay their gas bill?

[Bobilee]

I'm very sorry to hear this. My family had three generations in the glass companies in Huntington, working for Tumbler, Pilgrim, and others. I have a company photo of the Tumbler factory about 1930, I'll see if I can post it tomorrow. Here in Philly a few years ago during a local PBS fundraiser they featured a show on Blenko and had the Blenko chairman in the studio with special pieces of glass for the bigger donations. It went over pretty well.

[harborlady]

tbail martha stewart is a huge fan of both blenko and fenton glass. I think they should market their wares to her upscale clientelle. She's got her own niche in macy*s. The rest of the economy is all about utilitarian purpose. People won't be spending on luxuries the way they were a few years ago. Mainstays like food and dr visits will continue on business as usual.

As for the rest of the issue over blenko; love to see the address of this gas company get a ton of nasty mail. Is there an address for big two mile?

Oh I think I found it. Big Two Mile Gas Company
900 Pennsylvania Ave
Charleston, West Virginia 25302-3548
(304) 343-2201

Best I check out if it's current tomorrow. Maybe leave some voice mail.

[millersangel]

Fenton reorganized and made a come back so maybe Blenko can do the same. I have some Blenko pieces and a lot of older Fenton which I prefer to the newer pieces.

I hope they can pull it out.

So who does that leave in business besides Fenton?

Ron Hinkle, Appalachian Glass, Pilgrim. Who else?

I think the issue is price. Except for Appalachian Glass which only makes things like Friendship Balls that don't cost all that much, these pieces are pretty expensive.

In this economy, people just aren't going to spend money on a little animal figurine that costs $50. Let alone a vase that's $200.

Btw, I love the tag that comes with the Applachian Glass that says "Keep the tradition alive." I hope we can.

[Threerun]

Fenton was an 11th hour restructuring. They almost went down, but the QVC account keeps them alive..

It's really difficult for companies like these to survive a crisis like this. Hell, it's hard enough for them to stay afloat during good times! Unfortunately they sell a product(s) that don't have a lot of mainstream appeal. Hopefully they can survive in their niche markets, but time will tell.

[harborlady]

Plenty of mainstream appeal, just not very affordable for the everyday joe. That's why I said a while ago if fenton and blenko can come up with utilitarian products--- like say glass knobs for cabinetry, doors, and dressers... small pieces can be more affordable. Designers using a bit of blenko or fenton craftsmanship touch can keep things moving a bit. The $200+ vase market isn't going to be hopping with frenzy for a while. Luxury items simply won't sell as easily as utilitarian.

[snorpus]

It's not glass, but Homer Laughlin (Fiesta-ware) is still in business, way up in the northern panhandle.

[harborlady]

double post deletion. technical errors