Artech Studios

Terry Craig and Jennifer Wanless-Craig spent many years working in downtown Toronto as glass blowing teachers, technicians, and artists, but they were never quite satisfied with their style of life until they relocated to the Haliburton Highlands.

“We left Toronto for a number of reasons,” Jennifer said. “But the primary reason was our daughter Anabelle. When she was born, we knew we didn’t want to raise her in the city. We wanted her to be brought up in the country, and the Highlands were our first choice.”

At the same time as Terry and Jennifer were deciding to leave Toronto, Fleming College’s Haliburton School of The Arts was building their new campus. “Fleming approached me and asked me to design and create their glass blowing studios. They also asked me to act as their technician, which meant that I’d have a continuous job with them,” Terry said.

Recognizing the value of Fleming’s offer, as well as the high quality of life offered by the Highlands, Terry and Jennifer decided to move to Haliburton County in 2005. “We bought a piece of property in Tory Hill, which included an old church. We converted the church into our house and built a glassblowing studio in an out building,” Terry said.

From their Tory Hill base, Terry and Jennifer operate Artech Studios. “We have several different elements to our business,” Jennifer said. “First of all, it takes two days for us to turn on our glass blowing furnace and heat it up. When we do, we keep in on for an entire month. So we rent out time to local glassblowers who pay to come and use our studio.”

Terry and Jennifer also teach classes and seminars at their studio, educating people on the art of glassblowing. They also teach at other locations, and Terry is a regular instructor at The Haliburton School of the Arts. At the same time, Terry and Jennifer design and build glassblowing studios for other artists.

For years Terry and Jennifer were selling their work via a retail model, with their art selling in stores and them paying a commission. However, things began to change a few years ago when they entered the One of a Kind show in Toronto. “The show worked really well for us,” Jennifer said. “We didn’t realize just how much product we needed to have, so within three days we were completely sold out. All we had left were examples of each piece. We ended up taking orders from people and shipping them the pieces from Tory Hill once we’d made more.”

After their initial One of a Kind, Terry and Jennifer began to participate in large shows in a variety of cities. Their work was selling well and they were racing to keep up production. However, after a while they were convinced to switch from a retail model to wholesale.

“Wholesale is differentfrom retail, because the store owners and sellers are showing that they have confidence in your work. When they buy a large amount of your work, they feel confident that they’ll be able to sell it,” Terry said. At the moment Jennifer and Terry have more than 60 stores across Canada and the United States selling their products.

“We designed a wholesale line of blown-glass table wear that is able to sell in a variety of stores. Our products are in furniture, barbecue, gift, and Hallmark stores, as well as wineries and other diverse locations,” Jennifer said. “In college we were always taught that art galleries are the niche we must market too. However, lots of people feel that galleries are too elitist. They feel more comfortable buying the same product at a different location. So we’ve found that our sales have increased.”

With their products selling across Canada and the United States, and with Terry and Jennifer continuing to design glassblowing studios, rent out their own space, and teach classes, business is certainly booming. They continue to present at The One of a Kind Show and numerous other shows across Canada. They even have several employees helping them blow glass in their studio and display their products at shows. Things are going so well that Terry and Jennifer recently bought a new furnace and renovated their studio. They both believe that their business would not be as successful and their lives so enjoyable if they had continued to live in the city.

They have received assistance from HCDC, which made funds available for website development and training. Their website now attracts a lot of traffic. “Our website and blog are quite effective, and we’re also linked with other websites,” Jennifer said. 

“In the city the overheads are so much higher. The business overheads are at least twice what they are in Haliburton,” Terry said. “We simply wouldn’t be able to operate this kind of business elsewhere. In the city, glassblowing was only able to be a job; a way to make money. Here it’s been part of our lives. It’s so much more relaxing and peaceful.”

“When we blow glass we can look out the window of our studio and see the lake, forest, and wildlife,” Jennifer said. “After work, we can take a walk through the quiet forests or go for a canoe ride. We love it here, and so does our daughter. In Haliburton you’re more of an individual. You’re more of a real person.”