BUSINESS FEATURE
BY BENTON GRAHAM
TASTE OF GLASSBLOWING $65 : A 20-minute class in which participants learn about the studio, materials used and create a souvenir. SANDCASTING $60 : Open to all ages, the sandcasting class allows participants to create a mold using toys, letters and other shapes that instructors ll with molten glass to create a tile or sculpture. PRIVATE LESSONS $320 : A one- to two-participant private lesson for two hours in which an instructor teaches glassblowing fundamentals. PRIVATE WORKSHOPS $65 : The class is similar to the Taste of Glassblowing o ering, but it is for private groups of six or more. MULTIWEEK COURSE $600 : Classes start at the beginning of glassblowing and help participants reach a skill level at which they can create their own work. Ghost Pepper Glass o ers di erent types of classes for all skill levels. THEARTOFGLASSBLOWING
Katie Plunkard, owner of Ghost Pepper Glass, stands in front of a furnace. (Photos by Benton Graham/Community Impact Newspaper) Ghost Pepper Glass East Austin studio brings craft classes to Central Texas K atie Plunkard returned “It’s de nitely two di erent parts of our brain and two di erent ways that we set up the studio space
Ghost Pepper Glass employee Keith Moy works on a new piece of glassware as Plunkard looks on.
customers are nowmore drawn toward more vibrant, happier pieces. “I think that whether it’s con- scious or subconscious I think that’s de nitely happened,” she said. The East Austin business had to make changes to its practices because of the pandemic as well. Plunkard decided to buy devices to blow the glass, which is traditionally done by mouth. Plunkard said the most important part for her was that she managed to keep the business a oat without laying o any employees. “We do have a really talented team here, and, even though a lot of what people see us for is the classes, there’s so much skill that goes into the work that’s on the [studio shop’s] shelves,” Plunkard said.
home from her rst time blowing glass with a burn on her arm and a smile on her face. As a 16-year-old growing up in Chicago, she knew she had found her calling. “They said I could just come back in two weeks when my arm heals,” she recalls telling her mom at the time. “My momwas morti ed.” Now, as the owner of Ghost Pepper Glass in East Austin, she has built a business that caters to both beginner and expert glass blowers. The three-year-old operation has a four-person sta —eight including the four dogs. It o ers a range of classes for people with a range of experience, which presents some logistical challenges.
physically. When we have amateurs in the space, we want to make sure there’s less hazards, that it’s really easy to teach students in a matter of minutes,” Plunkard said. Plunkard said maintaining a safe environment is critical for everyone in a studio lled with re-breathing furnaces that run above 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. In March 2020, safety took on another meaning for Plunkard. The pandemic wound up altering the business in ways both typical— Plunkard initially scaled back her in-person operation signi cantly— but also surprising. For example, Plunkard said that it seems like
Soap dispensers became a more popular item during the pandemic.
Ghost Pepper Glass 979 Springdale Road, Ste. 100, Austin 512-766-5897 www.ghostpepperglass.com Hours: Tue.-Sun. noon-6 p.m., closed Mon.
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