Blenko Glass announced today that it is resuming partial production of its hand blown glass.
Katie Trippe, Assistant Vice President for Blenko, says that 7 to 9 people are coming back to work this week. The production manager turned on three of the plant's seven furnaces yesterday. Employees will rotate shifts to give everyone a chance to work.They hope to be up and running by early next week producing more glass.
Trippe says resumption of glass production is due to sales of Blenko glass since the end of Janaury and community support.
Back on January 30, the Milton-based company announced that it was shutting down production while it considered filing for bankruptcy.
Approximately 50 people work at the company, which started production in 1921.
27 comments:
Hey Guys; I just visited the Blenko website and found this.
Blenko Glass, an American family tradition.
March 9th, 2009
Blenko has resumed limited production and its' online catalog. All new orders are expected to take up to 8 weeks to fulfill. Thank you for your continued support and patience.
I am not sure what the overall status is but to me this is a good sign.
I am taking a short rest before trying to upgrade my website and start posting pictures again. Moving $100,000.00 worth of inventory into storage is by no means a small task. Have a great Blenko day. I made a day trip to East TX over the weekend and only saw 2 pieces of Blenko. (yellow and blue fan vase $85.00, and a blue 2007 water bottle $18.00) very disappointing I ought neither
Larry from TX
larry@serenityantiques.com
Thats some good news.
Let the thing die in peace.
Why do all this?
You sell to people saying your furnaces are closed all the time you are in the back making glass more deciet from blenko
Know you don't read that Milton blog but if you did wanderwv I think the name is did a long post he says most of what is said here.
Why ? Why? Why? Do the same thing over and over?
He also questions the new managements ability. We agree totally.
Bad management is key to this failure. Adding a 24 year old w/o experience to the mix spell
well.
Its Blenko.
That is GREAT news for WV, Milton and lovers of BLENKO! The shopgirls at The Old Timey Shop of Milton celebrate the continuation of an historic WV business and good neighbor.
Hilly
Did they really stop limited production?
Sol
Blenko Glass announced today that it is resuming partial production of its hand blown glass.
Katie Trippe, Assistant Vice President for Blenko, says that 7 to 9 people are coming back to work this week. The production manager turned on three of the plant's seven furnaces yesterday. Employees will rotate shifts to give everyone a chance to work.They hope to be up and running by early next week producing more glass.
Trippe says resumption of glass production is due to sales of Blenko glass since the end of Janaury and community support.
Back on January 30, the Milton-based company announced that it was shutting down production while it considered filing for bankruptcy.
Approximately 50 people work at the company, which started production in 1921.
did you see this press release?
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FOR THE BEST PRICES ON BLENKO GLASS SHOP VICKY'S
NOT BLENKO VISITORS CENTER
IN MILTON
SAME LESS 1/2 THE COST.
I SWITCHED YOU SHOULD ALSO.
MOUNTAIN RITA
Anonymous said...
Let the thing die in peace.
Why do all this?
You sell to people saying your furnaces are closed all the time you are in the back making glass more deciet from blenko
3:08 PM, March 09, 2009
No the workers of Blenko were not in the back making glass the whole time,the furnaces had been shut off,because of the great supporters buying blenko they are able to restart production.No I do not work there but i do know this to be a fact.Thank yous to everyone that has been supporting blenko and helped keeping these jobs,may we all continue to do so! God bless you all.
Quickly before I start what will be a very long clinic day.
Buy Blenko Glass. This week make it a point to either order something online - YES the web site is open for ordering, or go into the gift shop. Buy Blenko. Support the Men of Blenko, the craftsmen who make the glass, being angry with management or angry period helps nothing.
Support Milton, WV - Support WV- Support Blenko.
Make this week a good one for the over worked, very beautiful, kind and courteous ladies at the gift shop in Milton. Note: The men were not making glass during the shut down. Trust me on this.
Mr. Bill Blenko himself told me how distraught he was about having to lay off his men, Blenko employees are part of a large family. Mr. Bill Blenko and other Blenko Family members continue to invest personal monies into Blenko Glass. As a Blenko Collector you belong to the extended Blenko family, join now, learn more about the workers, the community be a part of this collecting group. For the remainder of this year ' Let us support one another without further thought of self gain. ' hjh
Note: I apologize for not responding to emails the last 6 weeks, during spring break my plan is to update my correspondence. Thank you for your patience.
www.blenkoproject.org
http://media.herald-dispatch.com/blenko/blog/
YOU DID NOT ANSWER MY QUESTIONS ABOUT BLENKO AND HOME SHOPPING OR QVC WHY DO THEY NOT DO THIS?
FENTON IS MAKING A KILLING, RICK IS BRIGHTER AND CUTER AND KNOWS MORE THAN GEORGE WHY NOT USE THESE SKILLS?
OR EVEN DEER IN HEADLITE BUT GET BLENKO ON TV.
MOUNTAIN RITA
Not everyone has to be older or have a MBA to do well in business. Just ask Bill Gates, Paul Allen and Michael Dell if they each regret DROPPING OUT of college to venture into business just to name a few.
MountainRita, approximatley 90% of today's Fenton glass is imported, not made in the USA.
WELL I WOULD CERTAINLY RATE YOUR KT RIGHT UP THERE WITH THOSE GUYS
GREAT JUDGEMENT YOU HAVE IRON
NOW ABOUT FENTON YOU ARE VERY WRONG AND MAKING LIABLE STATEMENTS ABOUT ANOTHER COMPANY IS NOT GOOD.
SPOKE WITH THEM ABOUT THIS MONTHS AGO.
WRONG WRONG A BLENKO MYTH PROBABLY BROUGHT ON BY YOUTHFUL MIND WITH LITTLE TO DO I HEAR MICKEY D'S CALLING
MOUNTAIN RITA
MOUNTAIN RITA
LIBEL
MY FINGERS AND SPELL CHECK ARE NOT ALWAYS SYNCHRONIZED.
Watched the channel four news early this morning and last nite at five. Heard it from the KAT'S mouth. Very well done, the glass worker was and is over joyed to be back at what he loves. It is what I call a blessing. I hope that they get their problems worked out with the gas company and carry on with the family tradition, which have they not proven that history repeats itself. I hope to get Rog in the car after watching the news and seeing the glass he became more interested. Likes glass he does, only, his extra cash is being spent on this old house. Only, we will start twenty one years together as significant others, and I do get a present for that. heehee. Am waiting for him to ask me what I want, a ride to blenko and I will see. I drink a margarita once in awhile, Applebee's makes the best one, and they have good food. Spinach dip and salad and strek and shrimp. I have grown-up pass the drink till I am sick and hung over NO fun. Just one drink or afew simps of Rog's drink, will make you sleep good. You will not have your stomach going backwards and need Tylenol. When with the right group of people the dancing, singing and spending money would be easy and all the rest. I just love having a happy heart and not feeling my age of 54. As well as it is not what goes in a man that hurts him, it is what he lets out, I also beleive that you are as young as you feel in your heart. Right Margie and nursing home friends? I am a child of God so I guess I am to feel young in my heart and enjoy doing all those simple childhood things that make life grand. Good luck Blenko! Tell your Mom to e-mail me if she is going down to work in the yard I will go help her. Almost got my yard and garden ready to plant. Having a big garden this year. Will be canning and deciding to freeze or to dry, veggies that I cannot can. God Bless, Roxie
Roxie
don't ya read the blog, the blenko volunteer gardeners were fired about 5 or 6 weeks ago. Sol wrote about it.
This is reopening may be great news for cabell county and west virginia. Fingers crossed.
MountainRita,
I talked to Mr. Fenton myself about their imports in Atlanta at AmericasMart, the gift show. In fact, Fenton does import far more wares than they produce in the USA. They not only import glass, which has a different mark on the bottom than the glass produced in the US, they also import pottery items and Christmas items much like you would see from Department 56.
So, in short, I do know what I am talking about as I got my information straight from the lead horse's mouth.
IRON
YOUR PREVIOUS COMMENT WAS 90% OF FENTONS GLASS IS PRODUCED IN CHINA.
I AM SENDING THIS NEWEST COMMENT TO MY FENTON CONNECTION AND IF HE AGREES HE SAID THIS; AND IT IS TRUE THEN I SHALL APOLOGIZE.
OTHER WISE IT REMAINS A BLENKO MYTH
BUT I AM CERTAIN THERE IS A BILL GATES, OR A FUTURE DELL HIDING AT BLENKO JUST AS YOU SUGGEST. WHAT DO YOU ALL DRINK DOWN IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF WVA? WE NEED SOME OF ** UP HERE. ** MAKES EVERYONE FEEL AS IF THEY HAVE SUPER POWERS DOES IT NOT?
MOUNTAIN RITA
Hillary, The lady asked about chocolate set, Bev got it at a moving sale , the lady said it was at least 50 years old but the maker is unknown. Question for Tammy, Do you know the time line on the GF items that Tom Connaly signed. INthe third photo today i see Bischoff Indinia Rainbow Gibson, What did i miss?? Larry T>
MountainRita,
First off, I do not live in WV. Many people laughed in the faces of Bill Gates, Paul Allen and Michael Dell when they first started out. Give someone a chance to actually do something. Remember that these problems were there far longer than those who are trying to pick up the pieces today. Give them a chance.
Secondly, I stated that approximately 90% of Fenton's glass produced today is imported. I said nothing of China as they import items from several countries. I probably should have used the term "wares" instead of glass. As a very large part of Fenton's products are of imported pottery and imported glass/fiberglass Christmas items like Department 56 stuff. I stand behind my comment that almost all of Fenton's business is that of imported items. In fact, there was probably 5% or less of Fenton's display in Atlanta that was US made products, the rest was imported.
Unless your connection is Mr. Fenton himself, then your connection will not be able to verify what Mr. Fenton and I talked about. I know what we talked about and I know what I saw, which was a whole lot of imported stuff and very little US made stuff.
IRON WHEN I GET THE ANSWER IF GLASSLADY WILL ALLOW IT YOU WILL SEE IT.
GEORGE IS MY CONNECTION I HAVE YET TO HEAR BACK BUT WILL BE SEEING HIM LATER IN THE MONTH AS WE ARE A COUPLE OF THE SAME BOARDS.
PEACE.
MOUNTAIN RITA
Larry
I doubt you missed anything. I was asked for pictures of our collection. The one picture does show Bischoff, Indinia Handcraft, Rainbow, Gibson, and Pilgrim.
Greenwich FlintCraft was introduced at the Atlantic City China and Glass Show in 1969. The line was discontinued after three years.
The Designer Tom Connally continued to work at Indiana Glass after this line was discontinued and so did some of the workers that left Blenko for Indiana.
Larry
I doubt you missed anything. I was asked for pictures of our collection. The one picture does show Bischoff, Indinia Handcraft, Rainbow, Gibson, and Pilgrim.
Greenwich FlintCraft was introduced at the Atlantic City China and Glass Show in 1969. The line was discontinued after three years.
The Designer Tom Connally continued to work at Indiana Glass after this line was discontinued and so did some of the workers that left Blenko for Indiana.
Mismgr
We were sad to learn your shop closed.
Appreciate your photos and the knowledge you share.
Dr,Bob;
Not to worry. The store may be gone but not the inventory nor the spirit.I am taking a little time to grieve and recover from all of the lifting and other strenuous activity involved with moving. I will soon begin to sort and photograph all the glass to try to sell and pay of the business debts. Support the glass companies that remain in both WV and Ohio. Mosser and Boyd are still producing pressed glassware in Cambridge Ohio. A nice weekend trip from Southern WV. Very different operation from Blenko. larry from TX
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