Owner: Kevin Tappin
When did you open your stained glass retail store?
My father opened the store in 1987, pivoting a hobby into a small business after being downsized. In 1995 I wandered in, needing a gift for a wedding, and never left. I took over the business in 2007. A fire heavily damaged the store in 2012, we survived with the help of many friends and family. In 2021 we moved into our fifth location, a 5000+ square foot storefront in a busy suburban plaza.
Tell us about something funny that’s happened in your store over the years. Ah, I say "Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy" a lot on our social media posts. We even made a sticker about it!
Sometimes I “accidently” drop an unloved piece of glass on the floor in front of unsuspecting people.
What makes your stained glass store unique?
We are lucky to be in a sweet spot, the national capital with a stable workforce, a large social media following, online sales across North America daily.
How long have you been a member of our organization?
For About 10 years!
What do you value most about being a member of the Retailers of Art Glass & Supplies organization?
Meeting fellow store owners at the annual conference, sharing ideas, being able to send an email out to the group when any unusual situation comes up for input or advice, or when trying to find an obscure rare discontinued glass or product. Somebody usually has some tucked away.
How has your business approach evolved over the years?
The first major change was getting into warm glass in 2002, Kevin took a class at a supplier with Dan Fenton, a glass industry artistic legend, then taking more classes with leading fusing artists. Going to Glass Craft & Bead Expo in Las Vegas every year introduced him to people across the glass world. The store was paper and pen up until the pandemic in 2020. We rapidly made up an online store and never looked back. In the last year we upgraded our store capabilities with a Wazer waterjet, a sandblaster, and a 3D printer.
How do you keep yourself updated with changing customer needs?
Classes have changed to shorter lengths, project specific, less experience required. But we now offer more variety of stained, fused, mosaic and coldworking classes almost very day of the week. We bring in local and international glass artists to compliment our class offerings.
What are some of your most popular classes currently?
We can’t offer enough Beginner Stained Glass classes to keep up with the demand. We now offer Evenings, Daytime, and Intensive Weekend Beginner classes and they all fill in a few days.
What is your website?