I had thought it odd the last time I was at the local stained glass supply store. I’d asked for a couple of lengths of the half-inch zinc U-came that I use to frame most of my panels. The clerk had turned to the wall behind the counter where the long boxes that held the six-foot long strips of came were shelved.
After making a vague show of glancing into a couple of boxes, he announced, “We don’t have any.”
“When do you expect to have more?” I inquired.
“I wouldn’t count on it,” he said.
He wouldn’t count on it? I wanted to say, “You didn’t really look very hard. Maybe there’s some in the back room where you guys disappear to sometimes to retrieve the less frequently requested supplies.”
But I’m not the pushy kind, so instead I hopefully asked, “But you do expect to have more sometime?”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” he replied.
If I were the pushy kind, I would have then said, “What do you mean, ‘I wouldn’t count on it?’ Surely I’m not the only one who buys this item. And if you no longer carry it, you should say so, or say you can order it, or say where I might find some. But just ‘I wouldn’t count on it?’ What lousy customer service!”
But of course, I didn’t say any of that. I’m more of the strong silent type. Or perhaps the wimpy silent type. Most likely the latter. Regardless, I left the store sans zinc and puzzled by the whole encounter.
I returned to the store yesterday, thinking that if someone else were working the counter I would ask again about the zinc came, and maybe inquire as to exactly what “I wouldn’t count on it” meant. That would have been quite pushy for me, too, but I was still rankled by the prior clerk’s lackluster comments.
I got my answer even before stepping foot in the store. A notice posted on the front door read “Going Out of Business.”
After 12 decades in business, Cline Glass in Portland, OR was shutting its doors.
I’ve frequented Cline’s ever since I began dabbling in stained glass in the 1990s. Before moving to the Portland area, I would drive the 80-some miles from the coastal town of Tillamook to purchase supplies for my projects. Over the couple of decades since my introduction to stained glass, it has evolved from “dabbling” into something more akin to my “lifeline.”
A bit melodramatic perhaps, but glass is my greatest outlet for creativity. A form of meditation. My home studio is my place to get into “the zone” and settle my anxieties for a bit of time. A place to let the ruminating side of my brain take a rest as the technical side figures out how to score the glass to get that inside curve to break cleanly.
Sure, I can order glass and supplies from catalogs or online, but buying stained glass long distance is really a crap shoot.
There are often significant variations even within an individual sheet of some types of glass. And what you receive in your long-awaited delivery from across the country may or may not resemble the sample photo you saw in the online catalog. Usually it does not.
When buying stained glass online, you can’t hold it up and see how it reflects light, how it filters light, how it comes to life and brings the ambient light around it to life.
You can’t place it next to another selected piece and see how the colors and textures will relate with one another, evaluate whether the pieces will work together to create the effect you want, determine whether the unique patterns on the quarter-sheets in front of you are capable of telling the story you want your finished piece to portray.
Needless to say, I’m bummed. I asked a clerk yesterday (not the “wouldn’t count on it” guy) where I might go from now on to get my glass, and he said, “Try Seattle.” Another 173 miles away, but I will make the drive when I need to.
I’ll need to plan out my projects better. I will no longer have the luxury of thinking, “You know what would look good here…” and zipping off to Cline’s to see if they still have that kind or color I saw on a previous visit.
As a general rule, I don’t like change. But I guess every 120 years or so, change is going to happen. I will miss Cline’s, but Seattle’s a nice town to visit. Maybe I’ll find a good source of glass there, a retailer that will be in business for another fifty years at least.
If I find that source, I will likely stick with it for the next few decades or so, or until I can no longer break out inside curves, whichever comes first.
That, I would say, is something you can count on.
What Rhymes with Stanza? 
That´s a pitty. I suppose many people don´t mind buying it on the internet, then…
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Buying online is okay for standard colors and styles. But glass is heavy, too, and you end up paying a fortune in shipping costs. Oh, well… now I’m just whining.
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No, not whining at all Maggie. I really feel for you. You are a true craftsperson, and what you need to create your exceptional pieces simply can’t be bought online – according to how you have described above.
Sure, you can get some set pieces and standard colours online – and pay a fortune for them – meaning you might think twice – but creativity is essentially spontaneous – a great idea gets you and you need just that right hue in the glass – or you see an unusal colour in Cline’s and you are struck by inspiration.
I think you’ll just have to make that trip to Seattle. 350 ish round trip is a long way though – hope you have a big car to bring back lots.
It’s always a shame when old businesses die – but then many are also coming back. hopefully you fill find the perfect stained glass shop just near you.
OR – here’s a thought – how difficult is it to make? Can you make your own?? That would be a huge learning curve I would imagine.
Good luck!
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Thanks for your comments. There’s no way I could make my own. It’s quite the process. The next time I get to tour a glass factory I’ll try to take some photos and share them in a post. There are actually two companies in Portland that make wonderful art glass, Bullseye and Uroboros. I’ll have to look into them. They sell worldwide, but I don’t know if they sell retail or just wholesale.
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Wonderful! Make it happen! Tell them you are a famous blogger and you will spread their word far and wide!!!! It’s worth a try. Take some pics of your work to show them to0. Just BELIEVE! ….
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Why did Cline Glass close? I just noticed it the other day…
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They couldn’t renegotiate their lease feasibly.
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Greedy bastards. Landlords I mean!
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Things are really changing in the art glass world now that there is a sudden hype about hazardous chemicals coming from glass factories. It will be difficult for many glass shops to stay in business, I would think.
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Hi, Maggie,
I was a stained glass artist in the 1980s before I moved on to other artistic pursuits (carved brick murals, paintings and starting a custom sign business with my husband). Fast forward some 30 years later and I’ve found myself left with quite a stash of stained glass material that I’ve hung on to. I have approximately 100 pieces of various sizes & colors, many 4 square feet or larger. We are downsizing & wondered if you or someone you know might be interested in buying. I had no idea Cline glass went out of business until I read, and very much enjoyed, your blog. I, like you, bought all my supplies there. We are located in Oregon City. Please reply whether or not you might be interested. Marilyn
By the way, your work is beautiful!
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Hi, Marilyn. Thank you for the compliment. I will email you about possible glass purchase.
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I know there is a lot of rumors as to why Cline Glass closed, but all that really matters is that Roses Glassworks Art Glass School is open, has everything that Clines ever had and better customer service, plus, where do you think all the glass and supplies went to. Check them out or look at their website or facebook page.
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Hmm. For some reason I wasn’t aware of Roses, but I see you’ve been in business for a while now. I’ll have to check out your shop the next time I’m headed west.
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Bullseye and Uroborus both have retail shops at their factories in Portland.
While they won’t have Zinc, they’ll certainly have tons of fascinating glass…
(we drive down from Seattle)
In the Seattle area, the shops to hit are Glass Expressions in Burien (near SeaTac airport), Seattle Stained Glass (NE 45th st), Covenant Art Glass in Everett, Cascade Art Glass in Renton (you may have to call Northwest Art Glass … they’re the same folks).
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Thanks for the info. I will definitely head to Seattle when I am in need of materials.
I agree, the Uroboros and Bullseye glass is amazing.
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