Articles and Reviews
| Is
there A Glass Doctor in the House? Collector's Digest May/June 1992 Jenny Muncie |
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| If you should
ever break an arm or a leg you elementally go to a doctor. If you
break the stem of your finest Waterford Crystal goblet, you would
carefully take it to a glass doctor. Wayne Montano know as the "Glass
Doctor" all over Southern California and parts of Northern California
has been repairing and mending glass for the last ten years. He and
his wife, Jan, along with their two sons, Joe, 16, and Steve, 14 have
successfully formed a family operation in their home in the California
high desert. An occupational change in 1981 opened up new opportunities.
Wayne and Jan began selling antique glassware and eventually needed
a piece of glass repaired. Wayne contacted Jim Eberhardt in Ontario,
California and ended up an apprentice of Mr. Eberhardt who was about
to retire. Instead of the normal four year training deemed necessary,
Wayne and Jim agreed to condense the appropriate training into a two
and on-half year program, working ten hour days, six days a week. The Montanos specialize in cut glass. They have a glass cutting shop with about three hundred fifty stone wheels and diamond cutting wheels. They have been know to repair up to 10, 000 pieces of glass in one year's time. Most of their business is form repeat customers that attend the various antique shows throughout the California area. Wayne and Jan work between thirty and forty -six shows a year. They also have a pick-up and delivery service at the Glendale Antique Show once a month They have decided through the years that the large majority of pieces repaired are not because of the cost or quality of the individual item but because of the sentimental strings attached to a particular piece of glass. Less than 5% of their business comes form antique dealers. Back to Articles and Reviews Main page |
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