Another American Institution bites the dust

FENTON GLASS CLOSING

WILLIAMSTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - Competition, natural gas prices and consumers with a lack of disposable income have dealt a fatal blow to one of West Virginia's last glassmakers.



Fenton Art Glass President George Fenton announced Thursday that the 102-year-old company will immediately lay off 25 of its 150 employees and cease taking orders at the end of the month. Glassmaking operations will end in September and the company expects to close by the end of October.



Fenton is known for making handcrafted, handpainted art glass. It was able to survive three waves of economic troubles that wiped out what was once a flourishing glass industry in the state.



"Certainly competition plays a role ... the cost of natural gas," said Fenton, whose grandfather started the plant in 1905. Nine family members still work for the company. "I believe the discretionary income for the middle class, where our major market is, is part of the trend."



The company has been trying to restructure the business and develop plans to move forward, but it finally exhausted its options, Fenton said.



"We didn't have any better option than this," he said.



Williamstown Mayor Jean Ford said the company's closure will be devastating for her city, which will lose revenue and jobs.



"Williamstown is Fenton and Fenton is Williamstown," Ford told The Parkersburg News.



"We are sad for ourselves but we feel doubly bad for the employees," Ford told the newspaper.



Ford said she hopes for a miracle that would allow the glassmaking to continue.



"I give them a A for trying," she said. "It isn't as if they didn't work hard at it."



In a 2004 interview with The Associated Press, Fenton said the company sold "color." The most collectible color is Burmese; uranium creates a pale, creamy yellow, while pure gold turns the glass pink. Glassblowers use heat to tease the colors out.



Around 1970, the Fentons developed carnival glass, a distinctive look that marries iridescence with a patterned surface. Some companies had been doing patterns and others had been doing iridescence, but Fenton was the first to combine them.



The company also is famous for hobnail milk glass, the opaque white, bubble-covered product that helped the company survive the Depression. It was produced into the 1980s.



"We are very thankful to the Fentons for committing themselves to the craft of glassmaking and the city of Williamstown for so long," Ford said.



Gov. Joe Manchin said it was a "shame that global market conditions make it so difficult for this company _ and our entire handmade glass industry as a whole _ to compete."



Fenton said a separate gift shop, which is owned by another company, will remain open. Tentative plans call for creating a glassmaking exhibit.

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Our American Heritage and Art is dissolving all around 'US'; so sad

Boy, it was so very long ago.

It was something I never forgot because it was so fascinating.

My mom still has a couple of vases she bought in the gift shop.

They produced a quality product, and it was pretty stuff.

Cracker Barrel doesn't carry their vases, baskets, and lamps any more!

says so much about the state of our country as a whole.

Death, destruction, sickness, bankruptcy, layoffs, outsourcing, business shut downs: ALL SUCCESSES FOR GEORGE BUSH.

He's killing America one person, one job, one company, at a time.

IMPEACH ALREADY!

"Competition, natural gas prices and consumers with a lack of disposable income"

Just like a lot of other companies whose "moral values" are intact and choose not to outsource their work, these quotes say it all!!

I grew up in West Virginia and always felt proud of our art glass industry, and this is the latest chapter in its slow and sad collapse. For those who may not be familiar with the Fenton tradition in glass, or who may be interested in purchasing some of their last productions, here is their website. I noticed that despite their financial problems, they are still generously donating profits from one of their pieces, a pretty heart-shaped relish dish, to the ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) Foundation.

http://www.fentonartglass.com/

Order your Christmas gifts early.

Don't let this beauty die.

if someone is going abroad and wanted to take their host something beautiful that was actually made in America...the possibilities go on and on....please, let's try to save something worth saving...

and links to Fenton - I'm ordering too :D

It doesn't hurt to try to help these folks, pass this along to everyone you know.

We can't let Bush destroy all things beautiful.

can I have a link to the story, please.

I wonder if Fenton Glass could be saved?

http://www.weirtondailytimes.com/business/articles.asp?articleID=16371

I think we should all send the link to the press release and the articles and their website to everyone we know and encourage them to buy one item, a simple coffee mug or shot glass - I'd doing my christmas shopping now.

It doesn't hurt to try to save them.

:kick:

I wish they would downsize and try to stay in business. Maybe business will improve when we kick Bush out to the curb.

Pfaltzgraff moved their production to China a few years ago and the quality difference is so very obvious.

These are sad days for the American craftsman... :cry:

our major market is, is part of the trend."

Sign of the times :(

what this nation has become.

It's amazing that they survived this long only to be killed off by the ever-increasing extinction of the middle class.

This is a metaphor for what has happened to this nation, and it hurts like hell.

have new orders :(

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38949

"Last month, Washington approved massive military-aid packages and arms sales to its Arab allies, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and a number of smaller Gulf States. But while U.S. officials say the deals aim to bolster the "forces of moderation" in the region, some local commentators see the move as an unnecessary -- and dangerous -- provocation...

On Jul. 28, the Bush administration announced its intention of providing Egypt with a 13 billion dollar military assistance package, to be paid out over the next ten years. The deal comes within the framework of the Camp David peace accord, to which Egypt, along with Israel, has been a signatory since 1979.

The White House also announced its willingness to sell some 20 billion dollars worth of advanced U.S. weapons systems to several Gulf States, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Despite a degree of domestic opposition, the sales are expected to be approved by the U.S. Congress next month."

My son will never know the America I grew up in--he's 10 and things were pretty bright when I found out the happy news.

Had I anticipated what would come in his short years on this earth--I just don't know, I just don't know...

what will QVC do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so very sorry to hear that one of the last family-owned craftsmen business in the US is closing.

As a fan of all things craftsmen and a collector as well, this is literally heartbreaking.

My heart sank when Pfaltgraff moved their production to China as I saw the end of an American institution then. They will never acheive that quailty again and the difference is palpable. The loss of Fenton is devastating news and I'm literally crying over the loss of a part of Americana that is utterly irreplaceable.

I admire that Fenton has managed to survive this long and will remain a fan and collector. My regards to the Fenton family and to the employees whose work has truly set them apart.

My fondest regards (as well as a few tears pver a very tragic loss),

(Blondeatlast)
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I'm utterly heartsick over this. It's hard for those who aren't aware of the tremendous corntribution of craftsmanship of ceramics and glasswasre to appreciate what a loss this is.

Another vital piece of Americana has died. This is just awful.

intervene here. Of course, these peoople actually make something, so maybe it's best they disappear.

check out the site, but visit a retailer (most antiques stores will have some of their work as well) and actually pick it up.

It's marvelous stuff and a picture simply cannot convey the beauty of it.

This is just awful, DU. If there's a chance in hell of saving this company, we must do what we can.

http://www.fentonartglass.com/Default.asp

MORE BUSINESSES CLOSING!!!

As money becomes less available, expect this to happen more often, in an increasing downward spiral.

Do your part to stop the slide- watch Money as Debt and see why this doesn't have to happen. There's enough work for all of us to do, but not enough money being passed around to pay for it.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9050474362583451279

Ask yourself why that is the case.

....selling Fenton glass items that are made in China.

The trend will not change until the Democratic Party unambiguously makes "improving the economic lot for the American worker class" as their number one priority.

As a politician you can't support both the moneyed Wall St. financier class and still support American workers. This conflict of interest going in the DLC Democratic Party is prominently illustrated by Hillary's latest fundraiser that was hosted by billionaire financier Ron Perelman but prevented her from attending the Daily Kos breakout session. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/08/04/clintons-real-yearlykos-_n_59168.html

production to China.

Give Mr. Fenton some well-deserved credit--he's rather retire the works made in his name than have them cheapened by mass production. They are awash in debt and could easily go overseas and clear it up. He's chosen to preserve the company's well-respected name.

Pfaltzgraff succombed to moving production overseas and the stuff has been crap ever since.

It's hard to appreciate if you don't know the company's history, but Mr. Fenton is doing the best he can do in devastating circumstances. I'll give him credit for preserving the good name of his company and its legacy of workers.

Kudos to Mr Fenton then. Hopefully he can keep his good name and resist the temptation to sell his trademark name. I do believe other factors are changing demographics and consumer fickleness where art glass collecting and demand may not be what it used to be.

But the core issue that has negatively affected Americans for 20 years comes down to a two party system (tweedle dee or tweedle dum) where they both vie for the big campaign contributions that come from the CEO and the financier class that demands "free but unfair trade", and "cheap even if illegal labor".

Our country has frittered away its declining leverage as the big kahuna of consumer markets by not demanding concessions and fairness such as floating currency from China, and others in the WTO for the privilege of allowing their products into our country. Both the Ds and Rs are beholden to the short term interests of big money represented by either multi-national corporations or as the NYC financier capitalists that are both more than willing to cannibalize American business.

I have several pieces my mom bought for me and now I've inherited her collection as well. Their stuff is beautiful and unique.

I collect Loetz art glass but I have admired many Fenton designs over the years.