One of the few remaining handmade glass factories in the United States faces an uncertain future after production was stopped.
Employees at L.E. Smith Glass Co. were told at the beginning of July 200…
One of the few remaining handmade glass factories in the United States faces an uncertain future after production was stopped. Employees at L.E. Smith Glass Co. were told at the beginning of July 2004 that production had been halted, though a retail outlet on the site will stay open indefinitely. High gas prices, foreign competition and a weak economy led to the shut down and failure of talks with a potential buyer in late June 2004, said Martin Noonan, president of Boston-based L.E. Smith Glass. Customers of the specialty glass maker include Martha Stewart and retailer Williams Sonoma. The Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania glassworks has been producing glassware of all kinds since 1907. Don Gould, a glass designer, said financial troubles at the factory are signs of a dying art. “This is virtually the last hand-molded shop of its size in the nation,” he said. “It“s truly a piece of our American and regional industrial heritage going away.” The closure could affect nearly 100 people, though half of those workers have already been laid off. Three furnaces were still working over the weekend of 3-4 July 2004, while the company continued its search for another buyer.