industry information

Hello everyone - My desire is to open an art glass stuido which will
offer supplies and class instruction in the areas of stained glass,
fused glass and mosiac work. I'm in the process of writing my business
plan and cannot find any information on the art glass industry. I need
information on industry size, estimated sales, and growth projections.
I've written to every glass manufacturer, 2 distributors, and the Art
Glass Association. 2 glass manufactures wrote back and said they know
of no such information and referred me to distributors, 1 distributor
wrote back and said the same and referred me to the Art Glass
Association but I can't get a reply from them.

Does anyone have knowledge of such information? I know warm glass is
hot right now - I hear manufactures can't keep enough diachronic glass
in stock but I need facts and figures.

thank you so much for any lead that you might have or if there is
another group that I might visit let me know that as well.

K

"kat" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello everyone - My desire is to open an art glass stuido which will
offer supplies and class instruction in the areas of stained glass,
fused glass and mosiac work.

A "studio" or a "retail store"? Or a blend? Big city or hamlet? Red
State or Blue State? "Artist" or "craftsman'?

I'm in the process of writing my business
plan and cannot find any information on the art glass industry. I need
information on industry size, estimated sales, and growth projections.
I've written to every glass manufacturer, 2 distributors, and the Art
Glass Association. 2 glass manufactures wrote back and said they know
of no such information and referred me to distributors, 1 distributor
wrote back and said the same and referred me to the Art Glass
Association but I can't get a reply from them.

Candidly, this information probably isn't germaine to a small start-up
business. What's more important, I'd think, would be your local
demographics, local/regional competition, established glassworkers who are
currently buying elsewhere and are live prospects, local home builders who
might use your services in custom designs, etc. Of utmost importance to a
lender (beyond your assets and credit-worthiness) is your personal
experience. How long have YOU been doing glass? Time on the job counts for
a LOT!!!


Who is doing what nationally or globally isn't likely to have much impact on
what you do in your locale, unless you are planning on making a "really big
splash" and competiting with Delphi or Ed Hoy or the like on a national
basis. If you absolutely HAVE to have this information, maybe you could
get circulation figures from the trade magazines like "Glass Craftsman" or
"Glass Patterns Quarterly"? At least you'd have some idea of the
magnitude.

I think it'd be easier to count tombstones in the SG business than it would
to project growth and estimated sales. The oldest and most skilled
retailer/teacher in my area just went belly up after 20+ years.



Does anyone have knowledge of such information? I know warm glass is
hot right now -

Izzat a pun?

I hear manufactures can't keep enough diachronic glass
in stock but I need facts and figures.

So, have you determined if the shortage is because of a high consumer
demand? Or is it because there are manufacturing difficulties or raw
material shortages or the glass is sitting in a container ship on the high
seas?

And if you are right that the mfg's and distributors can't keep up, it
makes me wonder what makes you think they'd sell to you rather than long
time established customers? They are going to fill their backorders before
they take on any new customers.



thank you so much for any lead that you might have or if there is
another group that I might visit let me know that as well.

K

Kat, I, like everyone else, am aware of no such published figures. I
think you're going to have to come up with your own figures, which is
what most prospective business-owners end up doing. You might base them
on a combination of magazine distribution rates and other publicly
available figures. A proportion of pure speculation also comes into
play. You might try contacting the SBA in your area; they offer a class
on writing a business plan, and once you've taken the class they have
experienced volunteer mentors who can help coach you.

Good luck.

kat wrote:
Hello everyone - My desire is to open an art glass stuido which will
offer supplies and class instruction in the areas of stained glass,
fused glass and mosiac work. I'm in the process of writing my business
plan and cannot find any information on the art glass industry. I need
information on industry size, estimated sales, and growth projections.
I've written to every glass manufacturer, 2 distributors, and the Art
Glass Association. 2 glass manufactures wrote back and said they know
of no such information and referred me to distributors, 1 distributor
wrote back and said the same and referred me to the Art Glass
Association but I can't get a reply from them.

Does anyone have knowledge of such information? I know warm glass is
hot right now - I hear manufactures can't keep enough diachronic glass
in stock but I need facts and figures.

thank you so much for any lead that you might have or if there is
another group that I might visit let me know that as well.

K


--
-Kalera
http://www.beadwife.com

The particular mix that you are interested in seems weak to me. If you
are planning on supplying people who do this, then you have to survey your
area to find out who is doing it by contacting the small shops who sell it
and buy locally. If you are planning on selling this mix of things, then
you have to do the same thing.
Hot glass has been hot for some years, warm glass has been warm for some
years (pun intended). Get your hands on Niche magazine.
The real problem is that most small fused and hot glass is done as
production items, even in small studios, and sold through wholesale markets
like Rosen and the ACC. If you visit places selling glass for decorating,
etc., you will find 10-20 artists represented only 3-4 of which are local,
because the public wants choices of style for decorating.

--
Mike Firth
Hot Glass Bits Furnace Working Website
http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/hotbit47.htm Latest notes

"Moonraker" wrote in message
...

"kat" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello everyone - My desire is to open an art glass stuido which will
offer supplies and class instruction in the areas of stained glass,
fused glass and mosiac work.

A "studio" or a "retail store"? Or a blend? Big city or hamlet? Red
State or Blue State? "Artist" or "craftsman'?

I'm in the process of writing my business
plan and cannot find any information on the art glass industry. I need
information on industry size, estimated sales, and growth projections.
I've written to every glass manufacturer, 2 distributors, and the Art
Glass Association. 2 glass manufactures wrote back and said they know
of no such information and referred me to distributors, 1 distributor
wrote back and said the same and referred me to the Art Glass
Association but I can't get a reply from them.

Candidly, this information probably isn't germaine to a small start-up
business. What's more important, I'd think, would be your local
demographics, local/regional competition, established glassworkers who
are
currently buying elsewhere and are live prospects, local home builders
who
might use your services in custom designs, etc. Of utmost importance to
a
lender (beyond your assets and credit-worthiness) is your personal
experience. How long have YOU been doing glass? Time on the job counts
for
a LOT!!!


Who is doing what nationally or globally isn't likely to have much impact
on
what you do in your locale, unless you are planning on making a "really
big
splash" and competiting with Delphi or Ed Hoy or the like on a national
basis. If you absolutely HAVE to have this information, maybe you could
get circulation figures from the trade magazines like "Glass Craftsman" or
"Glass Patterns Quarterly"? At least you'd have some idea of the
magnitude.

I think it'd be easier to count tombstones in the SG business than it
would
to project growth and estimated sales. The oldest and most skilled
retailer/teacher in my area just went belly up after 20+ years.



Does anyone have knowledge of such information? I know warm glass is
hot right now -

Izzat a pun?

I hear manufactures can't keep enough diachronic glass
in stock but I need facts and figures.

So, have you determined if the shortage is because of a high consumer
demand? Or is it because there are manufacturing difficulties or raw
material shortages or the glass is sitting in a container ship on the high
seas?

And if you are right that the mfg's and distributors can't keep up, it
makes me wonder what makes you think they'd sell to you rather than long
time established customers? They are going to fill their backorders
before
they take on any new customers.



thank you so much for any lead that you might have or if there is
another group that I might visit let me know that as well.

K

thanks for the responses thus far.

It will be a blend and we'll open shop in a hamlet 45 miles outside the
big city of Chicago. Chicago being part of a blue state but it seems
we are pretty blended out here. Artist or craftsman? - good question.
I'd consider myself a craftsman but my partner is definately an artist
so again a blend. We both bring different things to our journey.

You've given me alot to think through and I've begun to come to the
conclusion that I was trying to figure out current demand and maybe
there isn't any demand because people our here aren't really aware of
stained glass as a hobby or as something that is an option to the
HomeDepot entry sidelight. Stained glass is not displayed prominently
around here anywhere that I've seen so maybe we will be making our own
market and creating the demand .. make sense?

and yes - did you like my pun :-)

I'll also look into the magazine distribution... I didn't even think of
that - thanks!

As I have said many times before......DO NOT GIVE UP YOUR DAY JOB!

aside from all the other posts, I strongly suggest you have VERY DEEP
POCKETS and a substantial cash reserve to carry you

24 years experience in lampshade shade making.

Home based manufacturing, teaching, and any other way to create a "buck"
(net, after all expenses) from this endeavor.

Once you have "fixed" expenses, you MUST have enough reserves to carry you
through the lean times, enough to enable you to buy at the bottom or close
to that figure. Strong work ethic (discipline to keep at it) and enough
business sense to know when to say no!
I do no "busy work", I do not cut my own prices to sell stuff, and find the
crap from the 3 world countries so bad that my clients know the difference
and can afford to pay for custom work. There is no way one can compete with
$1.00 to $2.00 a day labor, DO NOT EVEN TRY!

QUALITY SELLS........I do not take welfare checks or food stamps in lieu of
REAL MONEY.

H

You need to understand the difference between a studio and a retail
store. A studio YOU make the hours. Retail store, the customer makes
the hours (nights,weekends). Retail you need a sizable investment in
supplies. Not needed in a studio. Retail you need a storefront
(costly). Studio needs factory space (cheap). Maybe the way to test
the market is a studio that does commissions and teaches classes. If
you get enough interest in classes THEN maybe consider a retail store.

Yeah - start with a studio and setup at the flea market for exposure is
what alot of people have told me but our desire is to teach and neither
one of us have a space big enough to do that. So to teach we have to
find more space. Maybe a studio space would be less expensive then a
storefront and I'll certainly check that out but with our demographics
out here I'm thinking most of our classes will have to be offered in
the evening or on weekends and I worry that people wouldn't be
comfortable in a less visible place... maybe I'm wrong though. hmmmm
more to think about.. thanks

Classes - you should be able to find a space that is respectable but less
costly,
for example, "Behind the Baskin Robbins at Main and 3rd"
Most communities have some form of Continuing Education, here in Dallas it
is offered
both as Community College classes and as Fun Ed. By offering classes
through these
operations you can get promotional opportunities that you would never be
able to afford.
The classes of this type here were offered in neighborhood school chem labs
and the
instructors brought in all the basic equipment (10-15 sets) for use and sold
glass (lab fee)
and tools. Some classes are offered in the instructors' studio space.
If there is not any kind of learning operation in your area, then it would
suggest a less than
active craft/self-help community. Here in Dallas activity was much higher
several years ago and
activity is much higher in the snazzier northern suburbs than it is down
here east of downtown which
more blue collar - survival oriented.

--
Mike Firth
Hot Glass Bits Furnace Working Website
http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/hotbit47.htm Latest notes

"kat" wrote in message
ups.com...
Yeah - start with a studio and setup at the flea market for exposure is
what alot of people have told me but our desire is to teach and neither
one of us have a space big enough to do that. So to teach we have to
find more space. Maybe a studio space would be less expensive then a
storefront and I'll certainly check that out but with our demographics
out here I'm thinking most of our classes will have to be offered in
the evening or on weekends and I worry that people wouldn't be
comfortable in a less visible place... maybe I'm wrong though. hmmmm
more to think about.. thanks

well get the annuals from the net (gross income) of the 6-7 main players in
the glass business.

Spectrum
Bullseye
Armstrong
Wasserman
Kokomo
Allegheny
Wassermann (sounds like an STD test)
XXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX

there are more, but if you get the main players you will get close.


"kat" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello everyone - My desire is to open an art glass stuido which will
offer supplies and class instruction in the areas of stained glass,
fused glass and mosiac work. I'm in the process of writing my business
plan and cannot find any information on the art glass industry. I need
information on industry size, estimated sales, and growth projections.
I've written to every glass manufacturer, 2 distributors, and the Art
Glass Association. 2 glass manufactures wrote back and said they know
of no such information and referred me to distributors, 1 distributor
wrote back and said the same and referred me to the Art Glass
Association but I can't get a reply from them.

Does anyone have knowledge of such information? I know warm glass is
hot right now - I hear manufactures can't keep enough diachronic glass
in stock but I need facts and figures.

thank you so much for any lead that you might have or if there is
another group that I might visit let me know that as well.

K