BLOG – 35 YEARS AGO BLOG 15

When Glass Creations first started trading, we had to think how best to display the glass products in the studio. Obvious choice was glass cabinets with sliding doors. This had the advantage of keep the glass items free from dust. This didn’t work and cleaning the cabinets was extremely time consuming but at least it gave staff something to do when business was slow!

We commissioned Fred Haughton to make some wooden shelf units and because clear glass looks better against a black background Fred stained the wood black. These shelf units are fantastic as I still use them to this day, and they are over thirty years old. I take one unit to craft fayres as they are light and easy to carry. They are in permanent position supporting glass ware in the showroom window.

Recently I purchased several clear plastic boxes to store glass in which of course really does keep the glassware dust free as the lids fit tight. Since they are clear one can see what is inside each box. More importantly I can move the boxes around and stack them without too much trouble. One idea I have to celebrate thirty fives years of Glass Creations is to stack thirty-five boxes of glass to make a wall. This wall may be outside across the road, and I have enquired with the Highland Council how easy it would be to close Riverside Road for an hour or so. A kind of performance art me thinks!

The glass cabinets had lights fixed in the top which really highlighted the clarity of the glass. They cost many hundreds of pounds, and I am not convinced they helped our bank balance. Certainly, didn’t encourage higher profits so wouldn’t recommend to anyone that investing a lot of money in display cabinets was worthwhile. We bought new and know I know the best route is second-hand.

Luckily, the building we bought to house Glass Creations had excellent strong shelves, and we adapted these to display glass. Using old furniture worked well especially if we painted it white. Although we then covered with black cloth which defeated the purpose of white wood. One lives and learns!