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Fenton Art Glass What’s Next For Williamstown, WV

November 10th, 2011 | Comments Off

Fenton Art Glass

Struggling Fenton Art Glass Company has been on life support since the announced closing of its glass making furnace. The 100 year old glass maker, innovator, and legend in the glass world is a shell of a once great company. In 2005, during the 100 year anniversary (started in 1905), Congress passed a resolution honoring the glass giant. Senator Jay Rockefeller spoke about Fenton Art Glass producing world quality products for the next hundred years. Senate resolutions are no match for changing consumer desires.

Oh wait are we talking about the announced closing in 2007 or the recent closing press release in July 2011. Yes there is a second closing announcement.

Clearly the company has been in poor financial shape since before 2007. George Fenton, company President since 1986, made the announcement. George Fenton was one of eight family members working for Fenton Art Glass.

2007 Fenton Art Glass Saved

After the closing announcement in 2007 citing financial conditions, collectors and enthusiasts alike flocked to dealers and QVC to snap up Fenton glassware, figurines, hobnail, and art glass. There was so much collectible interest in Fenton products the company was able to continue production on a smaller scale. Approximately 75% of the workforce or 300 of the 400 employees lost their jobs between 2007 and 2011.

Fenton Art Glass products began showing up on QVC in 1987. The first exclusive QVC art glass was Birthstone Bears, a series of Fenton figurines. They had numerous regular television shows aimed at collectors on QVC. QVC was able to energize its television audience and save the collectible side of Fenton Art Glass including bringing back the line of Birthstone Bears.

2011 Fenton July Closing Announcement

After cutting another 25 employee in February 2011, Fenton Art Glass announce in July the main furnace would be shut down ending their primary glass making businesses in October. They intended to keep some small industrial production and bead making facilities open. Most of the remaining production employees would lose their jobs.

Fenton Art Glass is located in Williamstown, West Virginia. A sleepy small town in the heart of the Ohio Valley and part of the Marietta, Parkersburg, Williamstown area. Williamstown had a population of under 2900. Fenton Glass was the primary employer and taxpayer for the city. A loss of 400 jobs is devastating for the town and surrounding communities.

Fenton History Carnival Glass & Hobnail Glass

The company started in 1905 by brothers John and Frank Fenton. They moved production facilities to Williamstown two years later. They are credited with two significant innovations in the glass world.

First they started and led the carnival glass movement starting in 1908. Carnival glass is pressed glass with an iridized surface treatment. Essentially it is a cheap brightly colored glass product. It was so cheap to produce that it became a free giveaway by business to attract business. It was often given away as prizes at carnivals hence the name carnival glass

The second achievement was Hobnail glass after World War II. First a clear product and then colored white as part of milk glass. Each item produced was essentially hand made with no two items ever being exactly the same. Fenton Art Glass became the largest producer of hand made colored glass in the United States. Employing hundreds of craftsmen it was a giant in the industry.

It is ironic that carnival glass was produced by perhaps 100 companies prior to 1920. Between 1920 and 1950 no American producers remained as production moved to Europe and South America. After 1950, collectors had such an interest in art glass the companies began replicating earlier production. Carnival glass today is still produced by emerging asian and chinese companies.

What remains of Fenton Art Glass?

Unsure of what the future holds the company still operates the Fenton Gift Shop. There are three collector membership clubs with thousands of collector members. They held yearly events with Fenton including an annual convention with town auctions and sales. The factory was a major attraction for Williamstown with a great plant tour of the glass making facility. At this point the tour of just the bead making operation is ongoing. Note the impressive furnace capable of holding 9000 lbs of molten glass was closed in October. How many family members remain employed is unknown at this point.

Ironic end during Art Glass expansion.

Art Glass as an industry is enjoying a renaissance. Recently many universities have created whole degree programs and departments to meet the needed expansion of this craft into the 21st century. Single pieces of Art Glass often are auctioned or sold for thousands of dollars. Fenton Art Glass was unable to see the market changing away from Hobnail for collectors to the more desirable forms of creative art glass.

While we hope Fenton can survive on bead production the company will remain only a shell of its former self. Hopefully for collectors the value twenty years from now will grown from the depressed price levels of today.

Still the questions remains, “What’s next for Williamstown.”

Resources Web sites:

The Fenton Art Glass Collectors of America

The National Fenton Glass Society

The Pacific Northwest Fenton Association

Fenton Art Glass Company