Firehouse Glass — Attraction in Vancouver

UPDATE: JULY 26TH, 2018 I believe in fairness so I am posting an update on my experience with Firehouse Glass. Today is July 26th, 2018. My items have arrived. There was no note or explanation but all items were there and were in perfect condition. I do love the work, and am very happy to finally have received them. I do not know what happened, and I don't care. They have fulfilled their end of this transaction and I thank them. *

Buyer beware. Do NOT pay cash and expect your items to be shipped! Shame on us for being naive and believing in an establishments honor and integrity...it won't happen again! I only give one star because there is no negative to give. While on vacation in Portland we specifically made a trip to Vancouver to look for art glass. We like to shop the local artist galleries wherever we go on vacation. When we arrived the shop was actually closed for whatever reason, but a seemingly nice young man let us in. Beautiful work for sure and he was, it seemed, a pleasant young man. We picked out 4 pieces we really liked and asked if they could be shipped back home to Arizona, as we were flying. We were told this would be no problem. Having done this many times on our travels and never being disappointed or deceived, we proceeded with the sale. We were asked for cash or credit card. Obviously we chose credit, and handed over the card. The employee went up stairs with the card, which was suspicious, but being a small store and more a working gallery, we thought nothing more of it. He then came down stairs and said that the program was down at the moment, and asked if we could possibly pay with cash. While we have never purchased a piece of art on our travels with cash...we did it. Our name and address were written on a notebook that was lying there (as was what looked like other purchases an customer info). We were assured our pieces would be shipped in the next few days which was fine as we wouldn't be home for a few more days. While speaking to the gentleman helping us he was talking to us about his talents and where he wanted to go next with his artwork. He hopes to start merging his glass with stone and natural materials. We told him our business was located in Quartzsite, AZ -- the rockhound capital of the U.S. and even offered to help him procure some beautiful pieces to work with. It was a great coversation and we left completely happy with our experience here and that we made the drive to visit this store. But, we were deceived. We arrived home Friday, June 15th. While our other shipments arrived in the next two days...we did not receive our glass we were so looking forward to receive. It is now June 27th and still no glass. We have called this establishment three times and our phone calls have not been returned. While I hate to post negative reviews about any business, and usually do not do so...this situation, I believe, warrants doing so. We were fools yes to pay cash for anything! Why did we do so? I don't know, foolish, impulse decision because we really liked the product? Will we do it again?...never. Our foolishness does not, however, lessen the wrongness done here. Is it a normal policy for this business to take advantage of tourists who come in too admire and purchase their works of art? Are all of the artists who collaborate with this business that dishonest? Or do they just not know they have a thief who doesn't care about their reputation working for them? I don't know. I cannot condemn the other artists, only the one who took us for the fools we were at that moment. Furthermore, now we are watching our accounts hoping that our information wasn't stolen when he disappeared with our card! It is sad...to have such a nice establishment, and the talent to create such nice artwork and possess only a thieves integrity. We will chock this up to a learning experience I suppose, and the only hope I have is that this doesn't happen to anyone else who might decide to visit this business....

Still think about my experience here and it's been well over a year since I took a glad blowing class. Godspeed if you're a woman. The guy will do everything for you and treat you like you don't want to be there. It was all around a really weird experience. My girlfriend was also having a flare up of a health issue so she couldn't finish the lesson, and had been looking forward to the lesson for months, but was told "we know who the lesson is really for. Don't worry, you can just sit back." Little did the man know, though.

We made a few things and it was a fun beginner lesson, but I promise you, taking professional classes at a college is way, way more fun, especially with couples. You meet so many people and the instructors actually care about your safety, and don't treat your well-being like it doesn't matter or that it's not cool.

I learned so much about glassblowing at the college courses and my eyes were open to the dangerous short cuts the man at this lesson made and how working with glass, with the right people, is fun.

I could go on and on but we didn't have a good experience at all. So much so I'm still offended and it's been ages since we've been there.

I just love being treated differently because I'm a woman, ya know? (That's sarcasm. As a woman, dealing with it sucks, but seeing another woman you love deal with...

We had a fantastic time at the intro to glass blowing class at Firehouse Glass! Andrew was our instructor and he made the whole experience both fun and approachable. He’s super knowledgeable, funny, patient, and great at explaining each step in a way that made us feel confident and safe.

We got to make a snowman, paperweight, a glass float (ornament), and a cup—each project was a hands-on adventure with just the right balance of guidance and creative freedom. Watching the glass transform in the fire and then actually shaping it ourselves was absolutely mesmerizing.

The studio has a great vibe—creative, energetic, and welcoming. We walked away (after a week of annealing) with our own beautiful, handmade pieces and a newfound appreciation for this art form. Highly recommend classes here for anyone looking for a fun and...