Color Splash

If there’s any place in this great, big world that’s fit for glass, that place has got to be Las Vegas. And last week in my Vegas hotel room window at The Palms (I was there for Glass Week) I could see some distinctive displays of glazing--the purple, red and blue Rio, the glittery gold Trump Tower and the Bronze Wynn and Encore. I’m sure many of you are with me when I say, what would Vegas be without glass?

I still get a kick out of walking the strip and looking at all the casinos. The exterior is one thing, but when you step inside some of the casinos, that’s when you can see decorative glass at it’s best.

From walls and floors and stairways, to shimmery mirrors … patterns, colors, textures … it’s all there. With all this glass, I’m sure many members of GANA (especially the decorative group) were feeling right at home last week.

The Palms was no disappointment when it came to decorative glass. From the cracked glass displays in the elevators, the colorful light fixtures, the Rojo lounge located in the nearby Palms Place, even a colorfully lit casino display, there was a lot to take in.

While I could not get pictures of every piece of glass, and some did not turn out as well as I’d hoped (those casinos are so dark, you know), I do have a couple here I’d like to share: the light fixture, the Rojo Lounge and the lit display.

And speaking of sharing, here’s something else I’d like to share—the link to our new website: www.decorativeglassmag.com. Check it out whenever you get a chance. We launched it on Monday this week and it’s gotten a really great response. You’ll want to check back often, as the site will be updated regularly with news, articles, blogs and much more. You can also sign up for an e-newsletter that we will be starting in the next few weeks.

Bundle Up

Yesterday evening there was a knock on the front door. When I opened the door (to a brisk 12 degrees), there stood a fellow, all bundled up in a heavy coat, scarf, hat, the works.

"Hello, I’m the new area rep for Time Warner. I see you use our Internet services. May I ask what you do for phone and TV?”

This fellow, we’ll just call him Frank, stood there in these below freezing temps trying to sell me on bundling phone, Internet and cable. And the funny thing is, we were just looking into doing that a week or so ago, but had yet to make a final decision. For that original package we talked to a rep, probably sitting somewhere in a heated office, who offered us a bundled price of something like $130 a month. Yet standing there in the cold, Frank was prepared to offer us the same deal for $90 a month.

“And if there is something you have with your satellite that you really want to keep let me know what it is and I will see what I can do to include that for you, too,” he told me.

And while I didn’t sign anything yesterday, I must tell you, that yes, it’s something we’re considering. What’s the hang up? I just really like the Sirius radio that comes with the satellite. Aside from that … we’ll see.

So with all this in mind, I ask you: Is this the direction we are headed? Door-to-door sales in below-freezing weather? Are you prepared to bundle up your best offers, slash prices and take your wares door to door? Architect to architect? Builder to builder?

OK, OK, I know bundling is nothing new and many glass industry companies have offered a bundled package for years. But let me ask you this: how are your selling packages changing in light of the economy and slow construction markets? Why not take a minute or two and tell me about some things your business is doing differently now compared to a few years ago.

Game Day

For many people, Super Bowl Sunday is almost as fun and exciting as Christmas morning. But for me, while I enjoy a good Super Bowl party just as much as the next person, I’ll be truthful: it’s really just a social event for me. I’m more interested in chit-chatting and mingling than I am in whose got the ball at the whatever yard line.

So, I may not have strong feelings over who wins or loses on Sunday, but if I had to pick (and just for Ren Bartoe) I’d say “Go Steelers!”

And then another reason I have to pick the Steelers is because I was lucky enough to meet Rocky Bleier two years ago at a GANA meeting. I even had the opportunity to wear all four of his Super Bowl rings at once. It’s one of those experiences that I always tell people about, because how often do most of us get the chance to wear even one Super Bowl ring?

But back to Sunday's game ... I know for some people out there this year’s Super Bowl will certainly be one to remember. That’s the case, I’m sure, for Tampa-based Rue Decatur Glassworks. This company has the license to produce a commemorative display—and it’s being made from glass.

The company is creating a sandblasted glass display in honor of the game. You can read more about it here.

This is just another example of how decorative glass is popping up everywhere—even at the Super Bowl. I wonder if this means we’ll start seeing these glass displays showing up for all the major sporting events. What a great decorative glass opportunity that could be.

The Big Apple

It seems like decorative glass projects are just showing up everywhere these days. One of the most interesting ones I’ve read about lately is the new TKTS booth in Times Square. Not only does it have a cool, red glass bleacher-style staircase (check out the aerial shot on the right), it is completely made of glass--glass beams, glass walls, glass stair treads, a cantilevered canopy and glass balustrades. As if I needed a reason to visit New York …

Probably the most significant feature of the TKTS booth is that glass staircase that encases the booth. The amphitheatre-style staircase is 27 steps high and has seating room for more than 500 people. The slip-resistant glass steps were fabricated by Austria’s ECKELT Glass, a subsidiary of Saint Gobain, and they are also lit from below with LED technology.

This is one project that has completely grabbed my attention. Contract glazier David Shuldiner did the installation, but they were not the company originally selected; the Scottish firm Harans Glass was. It was when Harans went out of business that the job went to Shuldiner.

And on another note, Shuldiner is now involved with the glazing that’s being installed within the new Yankees Stadium. Yet another cool New York project. Arch Deco Glass supplied some of the interior glass that’s being used there.

But New York is not the only city where you can find interesting decorative glass projects; they are all over—you just have to look for them. If you’ve got one you’d like to share, I’d love to hear about it so be sure and send pictures my way.