25 Years of Glass: From a Balcony to the Blue Ridge Mountains

We started out making glass on a tiny balcony in St. Petersburg, Florida (shhh...don't tell the apartment complex). Today we're working out of a 600+ square-foot studio in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Here's how we got from there to here. 

Back in 2001, Brent was fresh out of culinary school when a friend introduced him to glassblowing. He instantly fell in love and has been at the torch ever since.  

2004: Meeting Each Other

Brent was working as a chef and already selling his work to local boutiques when the two of us met.  Heather was working as a retail buyer and saw the potential to grow his glass business. He made the glass, she had the retail know-how, and after a couple of years together, we spent our weekends selling (mostly jewelry) at local art markets. 

2008: Making it official

In February, we opened our Etsy shop, and Full Blown Glass (FBG, as we affectionately call it) officially became a real business. A month later, we posted our very first YouTube video. In October, we launched Andromeda Glass as its own brand featuring all of Brent's heady pipe creations.  By the end of the year, Brent quit his chef job and was blowing glass full-time. 

2013: Hello, Asheville

To grow our business, Heather quit her day job, and we moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains and found our home in Asheville.  We also began offering You Choose the Color, along with creative add-ons, so each customer can customize their glass pieces. This was a huge hit!

Our glass is now in the Gallery of the Mountains at the prestigious Grove Park Inn and at the Grand Central Holiday Fair and Bryant Park holiday markets in New York City. 

As Asheville is one of the most-visited mountain towns around, we get asked all the time where people can see our work in person.  While our home studio is not open to the public, you can shop FBG downtown at Kress Emporium and at the Marquee in the historic River Arts District. 

2024: Hurricane Helene

Helene hit our region hard.  Thanks to this resilient community, support from local artists, business grants, and our long-running online shop, we were thankfully able to keep working and stay in the place we love.  Yes, we know how lucky we are! ❤️

2026: Everything in One Place

Back in 2008, it made sense to keep our two brands separate. Now, for the first time, Full Blown Glass and Andromeda Glass share one home with the launch of our brand-new website.  Here's what you'll find: 

• Shop Full Blown Glass and Andromeda Glass (21+) in one place
  
• All our socials in one spot
• New videos
• And this blog, our very first!  (Early to YouTube, fashionably late to blogging. 🙃)

Thank you so much for being a part of our story for the last 25 years. We couldn't do it without all of you.  We are extremely thankful to all the friends, family, artists, and customers who have supported us through the years.  Neither of us imagined, back on that little balcony, that we'd be sharing this post 25 years later.  We can't wait to show you what's next!