Customer Appreciation 2021

 

In 2019, our July Customer Appreciation show looked like was a lot different than what you will experience this year.  It was an in-studio event with all staff working the day of the show.  A laid-back vibe that included a snow cone machine and hot dogs cooked on the grill out front for the customers.  We pulled out every piece of glass that was a test sample, a prototype and all the class/ teacher samples and sold them for random discounted prices.  We just wanted to chill out and vibe with our customers and sell some glass!

 

Props from the studio that I was tired of using, misc. tools we didn’t need, and a variety of other weird items made their way to the sales table as well.  It was our version of a studio garage sale!!

 

Then came 2020.  At the first part of the pandemic, we cleaned the studio and organized it, getting rid of the things that no longer served us.  A sort of Marie Condo of the studio.  Then, as the weeks slid by, we continued to re-define who we are.  Do we really need that grinder we haven’t touched in 10 years?  If we were going to use it, now is the time, and I have no desire to do so, do you?  We asked this of ourselves with many items around the shop.

 

Some items made the cut, others filled the dumpster, were donated, or sold.  We closed our Cedar Point operation for bigger dreams closer to home and things became manageable.  A sense of peace and discovery came back to us.  We began to focus on the things that mattered most to us, the creation process, the discovery, the delivery.

 

In that process, the Gathering Point emerged.  Our online, live glassblowing show.  We discovered an audience of friends, a worldwide fan club, and more customers interested in our products, services, and our demonstrations of information sharing. 

 

And now here it is, July and it’s time for our Customer Appreciation event.  How on earth to do this show now?!!  Our customers are no longer local so tables in the studio and hot dogs outside aren’t going to cut the mustard!  We needed something bigger, online and all encompassing.  It’s taken me weeks to work out the details, kept me up at night, and had me contemplating all sorts of scenarios in my mind.  But now the time is up, the final decisions must be made; it’s Go Time!  Fingers crossed we’ve made the right choices….

 

And so- here are the ways we can honor you~ our fans and customers in one brief moment of time.

 

The event will take place online and in the studio, so the playing field is all encompassing.

 

• This event is for 3 days only-July 23, 24, & 25- 2021

 

• We will have FREE SHIPPING on everything sold on the website and the specialty items featured on the event. (48 states, Alaska and Hawaii excluded and we cannot do International shipping for this promotion.  However, our international friends will get more surprises in their box to make up for this!)

 

• Sales over $50 (pre-tax) get a FREE Glass Academy enamel pin

 

• Sales over $75 (pre-tax) get a FREE magnet or puzzle (while supplies last)

 

• Sales over $100 (pre-tax) get a FREE Twistie key chain

 

• Sales over $250 (pre-tax) get a FREE cloth tote bag with our logo- a super beautiful bag we had designed just for this event!!

 

We think you are going to be incredibly happy with these offerings and the specialty items you will see on the show tonight.  We are so excited to offer you these deals!!!

 

Are you local?  Will you be coming into the gallery?  If so, when you arrive, you’ll get greeted with a special surprise.  YOU as our longtime fan and customer, will be treated right!  Of course, you can shop from home like everyone else, but you can also come in and shop the gallery for items.  We’ll have some surprises for you, but you have to come in to find them!

 

July is typically our month to protype new designs for pumpkin and holiday shows as the studio is so hot and glassblowing only increases the heat.  It’s a slower month for us in terms of sales so giving away free shipping has me biting my nails.  The cost of shipping anything is a valid cost for a business owner. Boxes, tissue, labor to wrap the items & rising shipping rates, they all cost something.  How can we do this for free?  We can’t, it’s not a sustainable thing.  We’d have to overall raise our prices and “hide” this cost in the product.  We are a small studio, making a living, doing what we love. FREE SHIPPING for 3 DAYS, is a one-time BONUS for our customers. 

 

A way we can give back and show our appreciation to you.  Our gift to you for watching our shows.  Buying our products.  Taking a chance on a business you knew nothing about.

 

Maybe the idea of free shipping will grab your attention? I’m not sure, but we’re going to give it a go.  We want each and every one of you to know, these past two years, your business has saved us.  Each and every purchase you made, allowed us to take a step forward.  To keep the business alive thru a pandemic?  That was YOU!  Your faith in what we were doing, supporting us all along, that’s what pulled us along to where we are now.

 

We sincerely hope our small token of appreciation is noted during this brief 3 day event!  We appreciate each and every one of you.

 

To receive the FREE shipping use the code:  THANKYOU at checkout and shipping will be removed from your order.  As for the free gifts, we’ll add those to your order as we ship them.  Trust that we’ll pick the perfect one to match your order!  