central glass works

We are very happy with our experience at Central Glass Works. Our son and daughter-in-law took us there this week to make hand-blown glass Christmas ornaments. We each had the opportunity to make two ornaments and they turned out wonderful. Of course the staff did the real work, but it was very enjoyable and the ornaments are beautiful. Our only suggestion is about the pick up process. The ornaments have to cool and must be picked up the following day. When we picked them up, our ornaments were not separated from other classes' ornaments. Since the colors change as they cool, there is the possibility of incorrectly identifying an ornament. It turned out fine, though. Again, we are very happy with our experience and the ornaments.

My wife scheduled a glass blowing class for us during our stay in Centralia. She found the opportunity with groupon. The coupon said we could make a dish. Once there, we were told we could make a paper weight! During the class, there were friends or workers? Milling about with beer cans in their hands. This place seems more like a society of lazy shiftless derelicts than a professional glass blowing gallery. Never once did they talk about the history of the gallery or guide us to buy any of the glass or educate us about the artist who blow the glass. After we were done they said it would be 24 hours before we could pick up our creations. I gave them 20 dollars and asked if they could ship them. They said yes and put the money in their pocket, not the till. My wife and I have been waiting for two weeks now and no shipment. Go figure. Do yourself a favor and save your money and your precious time.

Taking a glassblowing class has been on my bucket list for a long time, inspired by a visit to Pilchuck many years ago. So when I had an opportunity to take a class at Central GlassWorks, I jumped on it. I can't believe how easy it was! The instructors really knew what they were doing, and went through the process step-by-step with each person so there was no anxiety. They even have classes for kids over age 7, which really put my mind at ease. Be aware that the pieces have to cool for 24 hours, so you might want to make arrangements with staff if you live far away.

First of all, Centralia is a fun little city to visit - loads of antique shops, etc. just off I-5. The Central Glass Works on Main Street in Centralia is a small studio run by experts. They made our private glassblowing class fun and interesting. The guys all know there "stuff" and were patient, funny and informative at the same time. We each did a paperweight, using all the hand tools and then we did either an ornament or a float using the blow pipe. Our pieces were done the following day and were just great! We are planning another trip to make a bowl or plate!

We stopped by to see the place and they were just starting a small private class. We were welcomed to watch. It was fun to see how they do the glass blowing and to watch part of the class.

Our family of 5 went down this past week for a private glassblowing class and I can not say enough great things. Kevin, Billy, Chavez, and Chris absolutely made the entire experience as great as it was. 4 of us participated in the 2 hr class; myself and three kids, 14, 11, & 11 (Dad took tons of awesome pics!). The guys were so great with the kids - patient, funny, informative. We were a few minutes late, so when we finally got in, they just started us right out so we could still get the most of our time. The studio is super laid back, great music, and awesome pieces just set the tone for a cool few hours. We all made our paperweights and ornaments, laughing, joking, and learning all about the amazing world of glass. In the end though, as great as the experience was glass blowing, the guys hands down made it amazing. Can not thank them enough!! We're hoping to be able to get down there soon to do it again!