2 weeks Ago
John Gilvey began glassblowing 50 years ago, but his quaint business in upstate New York has never been busier thanks to a hit reality TV show. Netflix's 'Blown Away' follows a group of 10 master glassblowing artists from around the world as they compete to win $100,000. It first captured audiences in 2019, and its fourth season was released earlier this year.
Its popularity has created a boom in interest in glassblowing, an art form usually overlooked by all but a handful of devoted artists and studio owners across the country. One such recipient of the surge in curiosity is Gilvey and Hudson Beach Glass, which is nestled in the small Hudson Valley town of Beacon, an hour and a half train ride from New York City. 'It's brought a lot of awareness to the art form, which is great for us,' Gilvey told DailyMail.
com about the impact of the show. Hudson Beach Glass's on-site studio and colorful gallery is loved by local creatives, as well as making custom orders for Harrods department store in London and clients as far-flung as Japan, China and Saudi Arabia. The business is now also thriving off experiential retail, with customers coming in to learn about the process and blow their own Christmas ornament, flower decor or bowl, which they then take home with them.
John Gilvey, pictured with the furnace, has been blowing glass for fifty years Hudson Beach Glass's experience offering is booked through December and into the New Year thanks to this popularity boost. As..
. Alice Wright.
