Celebrating the 40th Annie-versary

I cannot believe I started Annieglass when I was 25 years old? Can you?

That is exactly the kind of wishful thinking that has brought me here today. I can vividly remember the nerve it took me to go register my DOB (doing business as) at the county building on July 3, 1983. I walked in with nothing less than $200 cash, a credit card I was about to burn and more stubbornness than talent or experience. The next day I quit my day job in a glass gallery in Capitola. I was giddy with adrenaline and the thrill of aiming high.

Denial was my go-to. I learned to always minimize difficulty and if that didn’t work, I would talk myself out of trouble. I was scrounging scratched glass out of the back of Santa Cruz Glass and getting ready for my first trade show in San Francisco that July. It became easier to stop looking over my shoulder and only look ahead.

I had dreamed up the name Annieglass as one word in reaction to the many male glassblowers I knew who christened their studios with a last or street name. I did neither and wanted to emphasize it was woman owned.

But not once did I build Annieglass alone. I always had support, often with head shaking, from loved ones and an amazing group of individuals as curious as I was about glassmaking. They were creative, loyal, and smart, figuring out what we could do with such limited means. Most of the Annieglass team has worked here for 2 decades or more. The woman who knows it all, Sherlyn Torres has overseen customer service and shipping for 32 years! I am most grateful to all of the Annieglass teams, past and present.

A great big thank you for the wonderfully supportive community of Annieglass buyers, collectors and fans. None of it would exist without you!

But not once did I build Annieglass alone. I always had support, often with head shaking, from loved ones and an amazing group of individuals as curious as I was about glassmaking. They were creative, loyal, and smart, figuring out what we could do with such limited means. Most of the Annieglass team has worked here for 2 decades or more. The woman who knows it all, Sherlyn Torres has overseen customer service and shipping for 32 years! I am most grateful to all of the Annieglass teams, past and present.

A great big thank you for the wonderfully supportive community of Annieglass buyers, collectors and fans. None of it would exist without you!