Opening lampwork studio!

glowfishstudios · #1 2012-07-10, 9:32am

In the last three weeks my husband and I made the leap to purchase a gallery in our town and to add a 10 person torch setup in the back. We've been so excited about this possible career change I've hardly had time to think of anything else. We will be located in southeaster MI in a town called Wyandotte. The lampwork area is a huge room that used to be a stone volt for fur coats. The ceiling is high but walls floor and ceiling are all cement. If any of you have experience in running a business that is similar I would live to hear your thoughts. There are so many facets to think about.
Right now we are waiting for the mortgage to go through and then I will get a plumber out to do the natural gas and also have a local heating and cooling company out to look at ventilation.
For th efun part I need to start purchasing glass, beads, metals and other jewelry making tools and supplies. If you have any suggestions for wholesalers to go through or shows I should be attending please let me know.
Thanks so much for your time!

jensy · #2 2012-07-10, 12:40pm

Good for you guys ! How exciting it must be . No advice here but just make sure the ventalation is good. Enjoy the process and good luck.

KayTStudio · #3 2012-07-10, 2:23pm

Oh, how exciting!
Very close to my dad's house.
I'll have to make a point to come see you when you get all set up.

RSimmons · #4 2012-07-10, 2:26pm

What kind of torches are you going to be running?

Robert

istandalone24/7 · #5 2012-07-10, 2:47pm

good deal!
like someone else mentioned, if it's an old vault, ventilation might be an issue. be sure to do smoke testing and such.
i wish someone would do what you're doing in my neck of the woods!!

PiP · #6 2012-07-10, 6:01pm

I wish Wyandotte and Lowell were closer.....

clh · #7 2012-07-10, 7:59pm

Sweet! I work in Wyandotte 2 days a week and actually live close by! Can't wait to see you guys start up!

Best of luck with everything.

essiemessy · #8 2012-07-10, 10:13pm

Wow! congratulations

All the best, and let us know how it all goes.

blong2001 · #9 2012-07-11, 11:58am

How exciting! Best of luck for your new adventure!

Beadanna · #10 2012-07-11, 1:41pm

Do your homework in the Studio and Safety sections here. I see you've been a member for some years so you've probably done that already

I wish you all the best with your new venture!

tiptrinket · #11 2012-07-11, 1:44pm

Sounds grat! Would love to see pictures.

glasslass2 · #12 2012-07-11, 3:15pm

It would be wonderful if you could attract some of the big names for teaching classes. There really isn't anyplace in Michigan that does that. Closest I've found is Chicago.
It sounds like you'd have the perfect set up. Good luck and keep us posted.

glowfishstudios · #13 2012-11-24, 10:57am

Thanks everyone. Since my last email it has been a whirlwind of work (i am a hs teacher), moving, adopting a two year old bouvier, and lining up work to be done. I had forgotten that I had even posted. We are going to have a plumber out to look at hooking up our gas. It has been diffivult finding someone that knows what they are doing. Thanks again for the well wishes. We hope to be open in February. Will post pics. Take care.

glowfishstudios · #14 2012-11-24, 10:59am

Rsimmons we plan on having minors but want all torches on disconnects so people could bring their own torches.

RSimmons · #15 2012-11-25, 5:08pm

Thanks for the follow up, sounds lke you have been busy. How is your ventilation for the teaching area set up?

Robert