“When a goblet in our collection needed repairs, we contacted glass repairer Jim Eberhardt of Ontario, Calif., and found out he was ready to retire after 32 years in business. After much family discussion, Wayne decided to apprentice under Eberhardt and then take over his business. The four-year apprenticeship was condensed into two and one half years because my husband was willing to work 10-hour days six days a week. It was a hard time for our family,” Jan remembered.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Wayne became known as the “glass doctor,” although he also repairs broken china. The Montanos set up regularly at several California antique shows and had a circuit of antique shops throughout the state that customers could use as a drop-off and pick-up point.