Help Save Glassblowing in The Tri-Cities

My name is Earl Wright.  I am the owner/operator of The Glass Punty, a traditional glassblowing studio located in Kennewick, WA.  For over 4 years, we've operated as a public studio, serving the Tri-Cities area.  While we create art glass pieces for sale and for custom orders, our primary source of business is offering mini-classes for our customers to work with an experienced glassblower and create any of a number of pieces of art glass.  With the current COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently restricted from offering those classes, and a lot of the craft fairs where we would have been a vendor have shut down, so we've been relying on custom orders to help tide us over the difficult times while this virus runs its course.

Today, we were handed a second challenge.  Upon opening the studio to work on some custom pieces, I found the glass melting furnace has malfunctioned.  Instead of heating up to a normal 2,125 degrees so we could create glass, it had cooled down to 750 degrees and was continuing to cool down.  Until I can get the machine down to room temperature, I'm just speculating.  There could be a problem with the electronic controller (several hundred dollars to repair/replace) or it could be an issue with the melting coils (about $1,500 to replace).   In the mean time, the normal cost of having the studio (rent, utilities, insurance, etc.) are still there and those people actually want me to pay my bills.  After 3 months of not being able to offer mini-classes, these recurring bills have put a significant strain on me being able to continue operating the studio.  With the furnace out of commission (at least temporarily), there is no incoming funds, just incoming bills.

I'm left with few options for keeping the studio open, and am going to pursue two of those options.  First will be this Go Fund Me campaign.  Any funding we raise through this platform will first go towards repairing the melting furnace so I can at least get back to filling custom orders.  Next, any excess funds will be parked in the studio bank accounts to help pay for the day-to-day operating expenses, including bills and replenishing the stock of supplies we've been using to create our art glass pieces.  I know that, within the next 2 months, I need to order another pallet of clear glass that's used in the melting furnace....literally a ton of glass that will cost a little over $2,000.  Finally, if this campaign explodes as I've seen some funding campaigns do, I'm not going to be greedy.  There are plenty of other local small businesses in the Tri-Cities that need help.  I'd much rather 'get by' with what I need than get greedy.  Excess funds will be used to help other businesses that find themselves in a financial bind because of this rampant virus.

So, what does a successful fund-raising campaign mean to me?  I have been fascinated with traditional, Venetian-style glassblowing all my life.  I retired early so I could pursue this incredible art form.  If you haven't tried it, you have no idea what a fantastic feeling it produces when you make a piece of art glass, manipulating the molten glass into just the shape you wanted.  Equally as gratifying is watching our customers try their hand at glassblowing, watching some of them practically hyperventilating over the experience.  This is what I want to do in my 'golden years', create glass and share the experience.  While I don't have the maestro-level skills like Dale Chihuly or Lino Tagliapietra, I do have the desire and drive to do what's needed to keep this studio open.