What Glassybaby does

Glassybaby is a Seattle-based, privately held manufacturer of hand-blown glass votive candle holders, drinkware, and decorative glass accessories, founded in 2001 by stage 4 lung cancer survivor Lee Rhodes. The company operates three production hot shops in Seattle (WA), Redmond (WA), and Livingston (MT), employing over 60 glassblowers organized in teams of three to six per piece, and runs an in-house etching studio for personalization. Its catalog spans 281+ products organized in four craftsmanship tiers (Core $60, Treasure $90, Exotic $125, Lavish limited-edition), alongside drinkware (Drinkers, Rockers, Tumblers, Glass Sippers, ReFresh recycled line), accessories (Pedestals, Glass House hurricanes at $425-$575, Bloomette Vases), and sustainable palm wax and beeswax tealight candles.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer model, generating revenue through its e-commerce site, 5 retail stores in Washington, Oregon, and Montana, tealight subscriptions (3/6/12-month), corporate gifting, and e-gift cards in $60-$250 denominations. Licensed collaborations with Pokémon (30th anniversary), Grey's Anatomy, Seattle Sounders/Reign FC, Seattle Seahawks, and Seattle Mariners extend the brand into entertainment and sports IP verticals. Pricing is segmented by craftsmanship complexity with products ranging from $8 tealight boxes to $575 Glass House hurricanes and complimentary shipping on orders over $175. The glassybaby foundation, a 501(c)(3), has donated over $16.2 million to non-profits from a portion of each purchase.

According to a June 2026 Business Insider interview, Glassybaby generated approximately $21 million in annual revenue, with all three of founder Lee Rhodes' adult children now involved in operations, signaling a multi-generational family-owned structure. Marketing is driven by emotional product storytelling (each color carries a unique name and poem), the Color Club loyalty program, email/SMS, organic social, and a newly launched mobile app with early-access sales. Operating geographies are concentrated in the United States (Washington, Oregon, Montana retail) with Canadian shipping supported, but no disclosed international retail expansion.

Name

Glassybaby

Legal name

Glassybaby

Website

https://glassybaby.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Glassybaby is a Seattle-based, family-owned manufacturer of hand-blown glass votive candle holders, drinkware, and accessories, selling direct-to-consumer through e-commerce, five Pacific Northwest retail stores, licensed collaborations (Pokémon, Grey's Anatomy, Seattle sports teams), and a charitable giving program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Hand-Blown Glassware

NAICS

Other Pressed and Blown Glass and Glassware Manufacturing (327212), Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing (32721)

SIC

Glass & Glassware, Pressed Or Blown (3220), Glass Containers (3221)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Decorative Glass Packaging (Custom Shapes, Embossed, Premium) (IMALAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scented Candles & Wax Melts (Home Fragrance) (CRAJAEAD), Party Favors, Gifts & Custom Merchandise (HSACACAM)

Keywords

• Hand-blown glassware
• Candle votives
• Artisan drinkware
• Decorative glassware
• Handmade candles

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Product sales: Sale of hand-crafted glass votive candle holders, drinkware (drinkers, rockers, tumblers, glass sippers), accessories, and candles. Products range from $60-$300+ for votives and drinkware sets, with subscription options for tealight candles.
2. Tealight candle subscriptions: Palm wax and beeswax tealight candle subscriptions available in 3, 6, and 12-month options, providing recurring revenue from consumables.
3. Corporate gifting: Dedicated corporate gifting program for bulk orders and custom etched items for businesses.
4. e-Gift cards: Digital gift cards sold in denominations from $60 to $250, with custom etching options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Glassybaby manufactures and sells hand-blown glass votive candle holders, drinkware, and decorative glass accessories made by 60+ artisan glassblowers across three U.S. hot shops. The company distributes primarily direct-to-consumer via its e-commerce site (glassybaby.com), five retail stores in Washington, Oregon, and Montana, a mobile app, and a corporate gifting program. Recurring revenue comes from tealight candle subscriptions; the brand also runs limited-edition collaborations (Pokémon, Grey's Anatomy, Seattle sports teams) tied to charitable giving.

Product overview

Glassybaby is a Seattle-based hand-crafted glass products company founded in 2001 by cancer survivor Lee Rhodes. The company employs over 60 glassblowers across hot shops in Seattle, Redmond (WA), and Livingston (MT). The core product is the hand-blown glassybaby votive candle holder ($60-$300), crafted in four series: Core, Treasure, Exotic, and Lavish. The product portfolio extends into drinkware (Drinkers, Rockers, Tumblers, Glass Sippers, ReFresh recycled drinkware), decorative accessories (Pedestals, Glass House hurricanes, Bloomette Vases), consumables (Tealight Candles in palm wax and beeswax), and corporate/gift offerings (e-Gift Cards, Color Club loyalty program). Limited-edition themed collections include collaborations with Pokémon and Grey's Anatomy, sports-themed lines (Soccer/World Cup, Seahawks), Pride, Floral, Wedding, and Collegiate partnerships. A charitable giving program through the glassybaby foundation donates proceeds to non-profits. The company operates 5 retail stores in Washington, Oregon, and Montana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Glassybaby Votive Candle Holders Hand-blown glass votive candle holders made in the USA by teams of 3–6 artisan glassblowers, sold in four series — Core ($60), Treasure ($90), Exotic ($125), and Lavish (limited edition) — as well as the full 281+ color/name catalog. Each piece is a unique, one-of-a-kind keepsake for ambient lighting and gifting.
• Drinkers Hand-crafted drinking glasses sold as individual pieces or sets (champagne, single malt, mezcal, daquiri, etc.) — designed for cold liquids only, not food safe for hot liquids.
• Rockers Hand-blown glass rocks glasses for spirits, available in collegiate sets and individual pieces.
• Tumblers Hand-crafted cylindrical glasses for long, tall drinks, sold in sets across colors including coral, light blue, brown, jade, navy, olive, and grey.
• Glass Sippers Delicately hand-crafted carafe and cup sets in variants including princess, whisper, grey, and purple.
• ReFresh Drinkware Drinkware made from 100% recycled glassybaby glass, including crackle drinker, tumbler, and sipper sets.
• Pedestals Hand-crafted stands that elevate glassybaby votives, available in colors including precious metal, green sparkle, blue sparkle, teal, violet, bay blue, white, and gold.
• Glass House Hand-crafted glass hurricanes designed to protect glassybaby votives for outdoor use; styles include canopy ($575), whitecap ($475), dusk, and moon drop ($425).
• Bloomette Vases Hand-crafted vases designed to complement flowers, available in translucent and transparent variants including pink marble, beyond the stars, violet, spring poppy, fawn, and peacock.
• Tealight Candles Sustainably made candles available in palm wax (box of 16 for $8, box of 100 for $30) and beeswax (box of 12 for $16, box of 100 for $130), with scented variants ($20) and recurring subscription plans (3-, 6-, and 12-month) for palm wax and beeswax.
• Accessories Supporting products including aprons, acrylic trees, menorahs, t-shirts, tote bags, glassybaby books (vol. 1–3 and sets), baby trains, matches, water bottles, felt coasters, and rental options.
• e-Gift Card Digital gift cards delivered via email in denominations of $60, $75, $90, $100, $150, $200, $250, or custom amounts, valid at glassybaby.com and in retail stores.
• Pokémon Collection Limited-edition licensed collaboration celebrating Pokémon 30th anniversary with three etched votives (Pikachu $170, Jigglypuff, Eevee) plus a 3-piece collection set ($510).
• Grey's Anatomy Collaboration Hand-etched glassybaby designs created in partnership with Grey's Anatomy, including 'my person' ($200) and 'Seattle Grace' styles with hand-painted designs.
• Soccer Collection Limited-edition World Cup / World's Game collection including 'resilience', 'legacy' ($124), 'let's play SEA2026' ($90), and 'hope' ($60).
• Pride Collection LGBTQ+ pride-themed glassybaby colors including music and peace, home sweet home, I see you, true self, crush, compassion, bff, true love, diva, beyond the stars, sassy, lifesaver, begin again, survivor, living color, dance party, spontaneous, and so much fun.
• Collegiate Collection University-branded glassybaby and drinkware featuring over 20 schools including Washington, Gonzaga, Alabama, Arizona State, Boise State, Cal Berkeley, Clemson, Florida State, Kansas, LSU, Michigan, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Oregon State, Southern Methodist, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Utah, and more.
• Seahawks Collection Seattle Seahawks-themed glassybaby products including the '50' anniversary votive celebrating 50 seasons (Seattle Mariners 50 Seasons commemorative holder).

Quantifiable outcome

• $16,217,476 donated to non-profits since inception
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PokémoncoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2025Licensed collaboration celebrating Pokémon 30th anniversary. Three unique limited-edition votives etched with iconic Pokémon characters: Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and Eevee. Also available as a 3-piece collection set. Products priced at $170 for individual items and $510 for the collection.
• Grey's AnatomycoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensed collaboration featuring Grey's Anatomy branded products including 'My Person' and 'Seattle Grace' etched glassybaby votives with hand-painted designs.
• Martha Stewart's circleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFounder Lee Rhodes credits connection to Martha Stewart's circle for helping scale the business from hospital fundraiser to major retail operation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Simon Pearce: Vermont-based maker of hand-blown glass homeware, lighting, and drinkware sold through DTC stores and online. Closest direct peer—same artisan glassblowing production model, similar premium price points, and gift-occasion positioning.
• Voluspa: California-based premium candle and home fragrance brand with strong DTC and gift-channel distribution. Comparable as a premium, design-forward candle and home fragrance peer with overlapping gift-occasion positioning and subscription/loyalty programs.
• Illume: Minneapolis-based premium candle and home fragrance brand sold through DTC, wholesale, and corporate gifting. Comparable in tier, gifting emphasis, and subscription/consumable model to Glassybaby's tealight business.
• Nude Glass: Contemporary hand-crafted drinkware and home glass brand with strong design and gift positioning. Comparable as a premium drinkware/glassware peer with similar artisanal production story and DTC/retail distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Steuben Glass: Historic American luxury glass brand producing hand-crafted decorative and functional glass. Comparable as a heritage decorative glass brand with premium gift positioning, but operates at higher price points and through a different retail model.
• Diptyque: Global luxury home fragrance and candle brand sold through DTC boutiques and department stores. Comparable premium candle/home fragrance peer with strong gifting and collector positioning, though Diptyque operates at a much larger scale and broader category mix.
• Iittala: Iconic Scandinavian design house producing hand-crafted glassware and home objects. Comparable as a premium glassware/home décor peer, though operating at much larger scale with broader European and global distribution.
• Yankee Candle: Mass-market candle brand dominating the U.S. candle category through wholesale and DTC. Comparable as a candle consumer-products incumbent, but competes at far lower price points and via a fundamentally different mass-production model.
• Orrefors: Swedish heritage crystal and hand-blown glass maker producing drinkware and decorative objects. Comparable as a premium hand-crafted glass peer with gift/home décor positioning, though with a stronger European distribution footprint.

Emerging players

• Brooklyn Candle Studio: Small-batch artisan candle brand emphasizing hand-poured, design-forward products sold DTC. Comparable as a premium artisanal candle peer serving similar gifting and home décor occasions, though at lower price points and smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/glassybaby
• Facebookfacebook.com/glassybaby
• Instagraminstagram.com/glassybaby
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/glassybaby

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Glassybaby