BLOG – 35 YEARS AGO BLOG 35

Well, here it is, my last blog on the subject and the subject being celebrating 35 years of my business, Glass Creations. Started in June 1990 and still going strong, I think.

In looking through some old photos I found one of Maureen my wife who without her I could say Glass Creations would not have been born. That may or may not be true as impossible to prove. I would hope even on my own ( as I was for a while after Maureen died in 2005 ), still be known as a glass artist.

I still have the sign which tells those passing by that my studio is open. We used to place in such a way that no one would miss the message, but this did have the risk of some motorists thinking it was a roadblock and “boy racers” loved to race pass and clip the sign. Until that is the council installed speed bumps along Riverside Road. Now when I load up my car with glass and drive off it’s the perfect test of glass robustness to see if any glass breaks when I zoom down the road!

The opening times of my studio were printed and pasted to the door. Even open Sunday afternoons. Now I am open when I am there and closed when not. I feel I have wasted too much time staying in my workshop waiting for a potential customer to turn up. It’s frustrating when someone has promised to meet me but then doesn’t bother. My mobile number ( 07816762601 ) is on the door for determined people!

I started writing this series of blogs early in the year with the possibility of celebrating my 35th anniversary. For Glass Creations thirtieth I wrote a press release which was published and organised a few glass events but my thirty fifth seems flat. Maybe I need to plan my fortieth now! I suppose when you get to my stage in life (72 in September ) one should celebrate each day as if it’s a special anniversary.