[PA-NJ Glassblowers] Taylor Backes article in the newspaper
Tony Patti
gaffer at glassblower.info
Fri Jun 9 20:34:44 EDT 2017
Will Dexter’s Taylor Backes is featured in the Reading Eagle <http://www.readingeagle.com/business-weekly/article/gallery-of-profit> http://www.readingeagle.com/business-weekly/article/gallery-of-profit
Scroll down for LOTS of photos!
And for those who are counting, this is PA-NJ Glassblowers email# 671…
Enjoy,
Tony Patti
gaffer at glassblower.info
For art studios, galleries can be profitable
Tuesday June 6, 2017 12:01 AM
By Kimberly Marselas
Taylor Backes studio
Location: 150 S. Washington St., Boyertown
Phone: 610-367-4600 <tel:(610)%20367-4600>
Website: taylorbackes.com <http://www.taylorbackes.com>
Facebook: Search for Taylor Backes Glass Studio and Galleries
When Will Dexter and Karla Trinkley-Dexter moved into Taylor Backes, their Boyertown studio, 30 years ago, there were few walls to speak of.
There were water leaks in the workspace and a hole left by a massive engine crashing through 70-year-old floorboards. But the building wasn't the only thing in need of shoring up.
Established artists before moving into a dedicated space, the Dexters faced their share of missteps as they tried to grow their glass-design business into something that could extend their creative reach. Pricing for their ornate, blown-glass pieces were "critically underthought," especially given that the 2,100-degree furnace at the studio runs 24/7. It hasn't been turned off for more than two years because it takes two weeks to cool down and refire.
Early struggles
Up-and-coming glass artists whom the Dexters welcome in to work alongside their employees were witness to early struggles, many of them common among artists who take on the added challenge of studio ownership.
"They would see me sweating when the mail came in," Will Dexter said. "They didn't know about mortgages, utilities, amortization of equipment, workers' compensation, this encyclopedia of costs. When you run a business, those things all come into play."Now, the studio grosses between $250,000 and $500,00 annually, with individual pieces ranging from $40 to thousands of dollars. It's a far cry from earlier in this century, when they thought they'd be forced to shutter Taylor Backes, a studio and gallery-like retail shop that winds itself around the corner of Second and Washington streets. Dexter said much of their hard-won success was dependent on finding the right balance between creating personally meaningful work and accepting commissions from corporate clients and individual customers. "We don't always know what the work will be, and honestly, we kind of like it that way," he said last month, as artists Dan Alters and Tim Frankenfield created a set of custom pineapple goblets. "When we don't have a lot of work going on, we work on what we want and then we'll sell it to our representative galleries. "For too long, though, Dexter said, he tried to crank out pieces that could sometimes be uninspired and underpriced. He likens an earlier wholesale business with 90-plus clients, its sales coming largely from trade shows, as a treadmill. "Your inclination is to do those bread-and-butter pieces, but it's counterproductive," Dexter said. "We shot ourselves in the foot. We became a commodity."
Brand reputation soars
Once he started to focus on creating heirloom-quality pieces, he saw buyer interest increase and his brand reputation soar. Taylor Backes - named after Dexter and Trinkley's mothers - finally had found its niche.
The company supplies elegant awards to the Caron Foundation, designs sconces and chandeliers that grace corporate headquarters around the country and has furnished custom glass tile for the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Locally, their success depends on being a destination within their own community. A dog often greets customers, who are welcome to browse the massive nesting bowls, delicate water glasses and multihued decorative items that dot the shop. The color has an uplifting effect, said Dexter, wearing pink glasses and a tropical-print shirt.
Depends on diversity
Taylor Backes also depends on diversity for success. The company houses two offshoots under its roof.
Several years ago, Dexter partnered with associate Randy Doaty to turn molten "droppings" into glass tears, sculptural symbols of grief. They set up a second business and a tears area where they're available for purchase, at the studio and online. Gallery director Etta Boettger oversees retail sales and manages the secondary operation, a nonprofit teaching facility that rents studio space and provides classes for more than 300 students annually. "It brings money in to sustain itself," Dexter said. "And it's a way to share the love. "Dexter also outsourced some responsibilities, such as bookkeeping and legal advice connected to the nonprofit work. Trinkley-Dexter said critiquing their own work has been key to staying in demand. "You just have to keep evolving," she said. After stepping out of the art world for the most part several years ago, she has recently launched a new series of projects that combine her award-winning skill for pate de verre, or glass paste, with Dexter's glass-blowing skills. The couple, supported by employees who introduce exciting new elements and support the infrastructure, finally have found personal and professional balance. "We spent years stressing and sweating," Dexter said. "It's really, really wonderful that I'm paying off debts that I've had for 15-20 years and I'm able to breathe."
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | From left, Taylor Backes founders Karla Trinkley Dexter and Will Dexter and gallery director Etta Boettger in the Boyertown gallery.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Glassblower and artist Tim Frankenfield works on a goblet in the Taylor Backes studio.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Glassblowers and artists Dan Alters, left, and Tim Frankenfield work together on some goblets in the Taylor Backes studio.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Taylor Backes studio director Etta Boettger in the gallery,
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Glassblower and artist Dan Alters works on a goblet in the Taylor Backes studio.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Glassblower and artist Tim Frankenfield works on a goblet at Taylor Backes.
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Courtesy of Victoria Parisi | Atmosphere was key for Victoria Parisi's business. As owner of Blush and Brushes, a Shillington-based art and wine studio, she wanted to create a space that stood out from other brick-and-mortar studios that host painting parties.
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Courtesy of Taylor Backes studio | Established artists before moving into a dedicated space, the Dexters faced their share of missteps as they tried to grow their glass-design business into something that could extend their creative reach.
<http://www.readingeagle.com/storyimage/RE/20170606/BUSINESSWEEKLY/306069971/EP/1/8/EP-306069971.jpg&exactW=700&Q=80&exactFit=crop&RCRadius=20>
Courtesy of Victoria Parisi | Targeting adults means that Victoria Parisi often finds herself double-booked on Friday and Saturday nights, a welcome problem that has forced her to broaden her part-time staff to five instructors.
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Courtesy of Taylor Backes Studio | Taylor Backes grosses between $250,000 and $500,00 annually, with individual pieces ranging from $40 to thousands of dollars.
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Courtesy of Taylor Backes Studio | The studio grosses between $250,000 and $500,00 annually.
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Courtesy of Taylor Backes Studio | Glassworks from Taylor Backes Studio: a Dexter-Trinkley collaboration bird.
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Courtesy of Taylor Backes Studio | Aliana Houston glass signage by Taylor Backes.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | The Taylor Backes studio, Boyertown.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | A recent collaboration between Will Dexter and his wife, Karla Trinkley-Dexter.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Glass on display in the Taylor Backes gallery in Boyertown.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Glass on display in the Taylor Backes gallery.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Taylor Backes' founders Karla Trinkley-Dexter and Will Dexter in the gallery.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Taylor Backes gallery director Etta Boettger works in the gallery.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Glass fish art in the Taylor Backes gallery.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Taylor Backes owner Will Dexter in the gallery.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Ornaments for sale in the Taylor Backes gallery.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Tumblers for sale at Taylor Backes.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Dan Alters, left,and Tim Frankenfield work together on some goblets at Taylor Backes.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | In the Taylor Backes gallery.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Tools hanging in the Taylor Backes studio.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Glass stored in the Taylor Backes studio.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Taylor Backes owner Will Dexter talks about some of their work in the studio.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Glassblower and artist Dan Alters works on a goblet in the Taylor Backes studio,
<http://www.readingeagle.com/storyimage/RE/20170606/BUSINESSWEEKLY/306069971/EP/1/29/EP-306069971.jpg&exactW=700&Q=80&exactFit=crop&RCRadius=20>
Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Glassblower and artist Tim Frankenfield works on a goblet at Taylor Backes.
<http://www.readingeagle.com/storyimage/RE/20170606/BUSINESSWEEKLY/306069971/EP/1/30/EP-306069971.jpg&exactW=700&Q=80&exactFit=crop&RCRadius=20>
Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Glassblower and artist Tim Frankenfield works on a goblet in the Taylor Backes studio.
<http://www.readingeagle.com/storyimage/RE/20170606/BUSINESSWEEKLY/306069971/EP/1/31/EP-306069971.jpg&exactW=700&Q=80&exactFit=crop&RCRadius=20>
Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Glassblower and artist Tim Frankenfield works on a goblet at Taylor Backes.
<http://www.readingeagle.com/storyimage/RE/20170606/BUSINESSWEEKLY/306069971/EP/1/32/EP-306069971.jpg&exactW=700&Q=80&exactFit=crop&RCRadius=20>
Courtesy of Victoria Parisi | Artwork hanging at Blush and Brushes.
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Courtesy of Victoria Parisi | After opening two years ago, Victoria Parisi designed an aesthetic for adults, where groups would want to hang out on a weekend. In her second-floor studio in a converted warehouse, you won’t find the bright primary colors typical of studios targeting children and families.
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Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Glass on display in the Taylor Backes studio.
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