Inside the quaint small town business that is experiencing a boom thanks to a niche reality show on Netflix
John Gilvey started blowing glass fifty 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.
The film first attracted audiences in 2019 and the fourth season was released earlier this year.
Its popularity has led to a surge of interest in glassblowing, an art form typically overlooked by nearly a handful of dedicated artists and studio owners across the country.
One such recipient of the wave of curiosity is Gilvey and Hudson Beach Glass, located in the small Hudson Valley town of Beacon, an hour and a half by train from New York City.
“It’s brought a lot of awareness to the art form, which is great for us,” Gilvey told DailyMail.com of the show’s impact.
Hudson Beach Glass’s in-house studio and colorful gallery are loved by local creatives, as well as creating bespoke orders for London department store Harrods and clients from across Japan, China and Saudi Arabia.
The business is now also thriving with experiential retail, where customers come in to learn about the process and blow out their own Christmas decorations, floral decor or bowl, which they then take home.
John Gilvey, pictured with the kiln, has been blowing glass for fifty years
Thanks to this popularity boost, Hudson Beach Glass’ experiential offerings are booking through December and into the new year.
As for the show itself, Gilvey says it’s “just like any other reality show: they create drama, they do crazy things,” but he thinks Americans would like to try something practical.
“In our digital world and our digital jobs, there is very little actual experience,” says Gilvey. “People actually want that thing, and it’s worked for us.”
‘I can make a Christmas decoration with a four-year-old and put him in front of a 2000 degree oven and tell him to turn the pipe. It’s amazing how focused a four-year-old can be.”
Gilvey recalled seeing some families make Christmas decorations annually for 20 or more years.
“I’ve seen kids who one minute I’m putting on the furniture in front of the oven when they’re five, and now I’m looking up at them,” he said.
Hudson Beach Glass is loved by local creatives and customers around the world
Hudson Beach Glass is located in the small town of Beacon, in New York’s Hudson Valley
Among the eight employees of Hudson Beach Glass is an employee who first came to the studio with her parents at the age of four.
“She came back every year with her family to make jewelry as gifts for other extended family members,” Gilvey recalled.
“When she was 15, I hired her to work in the gallery and studio and now she is in her third year at Alfred University in upstate New York and works here part-time.”
The glass blowing furnace at the back of the gallery has an operating temperature of approximately 2100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Inside is a crucible that can hold approximately 300 pounds of glass at any time.
To create their art, the glassblower takes a stainless steel pipe, inserts it into the glass and rolls it onto the wick, “like getting honey on a spoon,” Gilvey explained.
“Then it’s about what skill level you are at with what you’re doing with that piece of glass on the end of the pipe.”
Gilvey recalled seeing some families make Christmas decorations annually for 20 or more years
Gilvey is skilled at creating intricate glass ornaments using multiple colors
Hudson Beach Glass’ experiential offering is booked through December and into the new year thanks to this popularity boost (photo: Gilvey with colleagues)
Once the creation is complete, the glass is placed in an annealing oven to cool, which is kept at 960 degrees Fahrenheit.
Then the temperature of the oven slowly drops over a period of about 10 hours to complete the process.
Besides the heartwarming connections made through the company, Gilvey’s favorite aspect of glassblowing is the endless creativity.
“My favorite thing to make is something I’ve never made before,” he explained.
‘I have a fairly short attention span and get bored easily.
‘But glass has a history of four thousand years, and there are still so many things that can be done with the material, that when I get bored I just try to learn something else or make something I haven’t made before.
“That’s why I still do it, because it still fascinates me,” he said.