Delphi Glass Creativity Center — Attraction in Delhi Charter Township

I live in Milwaukee and a week ago I ordered a kokomo crate from Delphi. Given that I have never been to the store before, I thought it'd be fun to drive to pick the crate up (and cheaper). Later in the week I received a confirmation along with an invoice confirming that my order was available and was ready for pickup. Great. I made plans to pick the glass up on Saturday.

Saturday comes and I make the 5.5 hour drive to Lansing, Michigan. I show up around opening and decide to look around the store before going to the counter to request my order. They have a relatively large glass supply and it was fun to look at all the different colors up close.

When I am done, I proceed to the register and inform them I am picking up an online order. The cashier goes to the back (i assumed it was to get the order) and shortly returns with another employee. This is when they inform me that there has been a mix up in my order, and the Kokomo glass crate is not available and would not be available. I am caught off guard by this news - considering that I received confirmation that they DID have my order earlier that week. I express to them that I have driven FIVE hours just to pick up this glass, what am I supposed to do now?

In response I receive a lukewarm at best apology, more excuses than I can count and am given the options to either receive a refund and leave empty handed OR receive a crate from another brand, with more pieces but the same square footage that was $30 more (I would not have to pay the difference). There were no other options available to me, not even allowing me to pick some of the kokomo glass they did have in stock to make my own bundle. So, feeling put on the spot, and taking their word that the boxes were comparable I accept to take the new box so that I don't leave empty handed. I was surprised that at no time did they offer to open the crate to allow me to see what I was signing up for before I left. And I was not yet thinking clearly enough to think to ask.

So I take the crate and begin to drive the additional 5.5 hours home, feeling disappointed in the whole experience. Luckily, my brain kicks back in and I decide to pull over and pry open the crate to look at the glass inside before I get too far away. Whereas I had been interested in the Kokomo Crate because reviews were highly positive and there were reports of a full array of glass colors and patterns - what I am met in this alternative crate is just a box of duplicates - only containing about 15 different colors despite being 150 total pieces. The colors were also lacking and didn't feel usable in many projects.

So, I close the crate back up and drove back to Delphi to ask to return it and get my money back. Luckily, I didn't receive a fight to return the glass crate. However, when the supervisor came out to help with the return she didn't even so much as acknowledge me throughout the whole process - The only thing she did say to me once I had unloaded the glass from my car (which the sales associate was quick to remind me I MUST give back...as if I wouldn't have otherwise) was that she was "Sorry it didn't work out for me". As if Delphi wasn't the cause of this whole situation in the first place.

It is clear that Delphi does not care about the time or money I am now out due to their mix up. I appreciate that I was able to recoup my money without a fight, but offering me a product that was not comparable in the least nor offering any other solution to help my trip there not be in vain felt like they did not value the time I took to make the trip out here - Or me as a customer. To the extent that I left feeling like I was the inconvenience somehow.

Given this experience I cannot in good faith recommend Delphi and would advise those who live a while away to avoid making a drive to pick up an order. It's not worth it, and I don't know if I will continue to be a customer of Delphi...

This is one of the top destinations for glass artists in the country. They have an enormous inventory of stained glass and/or fusible glass by Oceanside (previously Spectrum), Kokomo, Youghiogheny, and Bullseye, plus Wissmach, Armstrong, and more, all out on shelves where you can see it in a warehouse with lots of windows. They also have a good assortment of accessory glass (COE 90 and 96), Italian rods, borosilicate rods, dichroic glass, etc., plus many tools and fusing molds on display in their showroom (and quite a bit more in stock that they just couldn't fit in the showroom, if you have an idea what you're looking for and ask for it). Their glass inventory alone is reason enough to make the trip (it's so much better to pick out glass in person since photos online can rarely do it justice, especially for the more hand-made varieties), so make sure to leave plenty of time to browse the aisles. It sounds like a contradiction, but I think many of us have wished Delphi was closer to where we live, while also being glad it's NOT any closer, so it's easier to restrain ourselves a little! 😉

The other big reason to come here is the variety of high-quality classes they offer. Stained glass, fusing, torch work (both boro and soft glass), and more are offered in small classes with Delphi's incredible staff of regular instructors, plus guest instructors who are acclaimed artists and specialists in their field. Most classes are suitable for absolute novices, but there are others for advancing your skills if you already have some experience. I've taken several classes here, and they were all great---both informative and fun! If you're curious about a new form of glass art, this is the perfect way to test drive it with minimal expense and an expert at your side.

As for the customer service, it's best-in-class. All of Delphi's staff are friendly and genuinely want to help you with your glass needs, which makes for a great atmosphere. No one's going to try to sell you something you don't need, but they're more than happy to help you find whatever you're looking for and answer questions. They're also quite knowledgeable, which is not an accident: besides staff with years, or in some cases decades, of experience, new hires take the same classes offered to customers (I've been in a class alongside a Delphi employee twice now) so either they know what they're talking about, or else when they get a question they can't answer right away, at least they know exactly who else among the staff they should go to for the best information.

In summary, if you have even a faint interest in the glass arts, book a class and make the trip out here, allowing plenty of time for shopping afterward. You...

I've had some pretty rough experiences with Delphi over the years, and even more since I first wrote this review, so I thought I'd update.

ORDER ISSUES Backorders, no communication, misrepresented items, incomplete orders, incorrect orders... honestly, I have never had so many issues with any online business. The worst part is that this service and quality is most often pricier than the competition.

MUCH HIGHER PRICES My biggest complaint is with their prices. As a seller, they offer tiers of wholesale pricing. To achieve this wholesale pricing, you have to order so much per year. (This is already kind of bogus, considering I know no other business that makes me do this to maintain a wholesale status.) That said, this past year, they sent us this awkward email to tell us that they have upped their "wholesale" thresholds. Now I must spend $2500 per year.

The worst part is that Delphi's prices are higher than everywhere else... even at the "wholesale" discount. I routinely buy solder, copper foil, GLASS, bevels... literally everything cheaper elsewhere. There is no incentive for loyalty or to be in their wholesale program if they can't even offer a discount.

NO DISCOUNTS FOR LOYAL CUSTOMERS The discounts and sales they promote are NOT good for "wholesale" customers, yet they continually send me the emails that I cannot use.

HIGHEST SHIPPING COSTS Out of all the glass places I have ordered from, Delphi imposes the highest shipping costs. While they are the fastest, I think it is a matter of where I live. I ship for my business, so I have a pretty good idea of what things cost. They must think we are fools.

DO NOT RECOMMEND Delphi is no longer the only game in town. There are plenty of smaller businesses out there selling the exact same items for much less, not so willing to exploit artists. Check out Etsy...