What to do when your local glass shop closes

As doing business becomes more and more expensive, many small glass distributors are closing their doors. Some, like Hot Flash Glass in Albuquerque, choose to take their business online, others distribute their wares with fire sales and say goodbye. But what can you do when your local glass retailer closes up?

1. Look for estate sales, Craigslist ads, or Facebook marketplace ads selling glass. Many folks who took up glass arts in the 80s and 90s are retiring and liquidating their stashes. This can be a great way to get glass for cheap…of course, you can never be sure what you’ll find, or how much additional material you’ll have to adopt/go through.
2. Find other local artists – other locals may be willing to share their stash if you’re desperate to match something for a client or looking to shop in person. With the closing of Hot Flash’s in-person sales, TLC Stained Glass has boosted its glass retail offerings, and now offers in-person sales by appointment.
3. Go online – I’ve never found this to be the ideal solution, given the poor quality of photos found on most distributors websites, but I’ve always found Delphi’s Glass Finder tool to be hugely helpful, and most distributors will sell glass packs with a wide variety of shades and textures within.

Don’t forget, if you’re a small business, you can sign up for wholesale accounts with distributors and can apply for tax exemption as well!

Happy glassing!