Fenton Art Glass
Fenton Art Glass is a 120-year-old, family-owned American maker of handmade colored art glass, serving collectors and gift buyers through a Boaz, West Virginia gift shop, weekly eBay auctions of one-of-a-kind pieces, and a newsletter-driven limited edition pre-order program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1905
- HeadquartersWilliamstown, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Fenton Art Glass does
Fenton Art Glass Company is a 120-year-old, family-owned American art glass business founded in 1905 in Williamstown, West Virginia by brothers Frank L. and John W. Fenton. Historically the largest manufacturer of handmade colored glass in the United States, the company ceased traditional in-house glass production at its Williamstown factory in July 2011 and now produces glassware through a third-party Ohio factory using original Fenton Art Glass moulds, while retaining in-house hand-painting and design operations.
The company's product portfolio centers on handcrafted art glass (pressed and blown pieces with hand-painted floral decorations and 22k gold accents), handcrafted art glass beads, designer-created limited editions, and weekly one-of-a-kind pieces. Three named designers — Kim Barley, Michelle Kibbe, and Robin Spindler — drive the limited edition and one-of-a-kind output. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through a single physical retail gift shop in Boaz, West Virginia, weekly eBay auctions (3 new pieces per week, Wednesday-to-Wednesday), phone orders, email orders, and a weekly email newsletter driving limited edition pre-orders. The customer base comprises art glass collectors, gift buyers, and antique enthusiasts, with no disclosed B2B, wholesale, or institutional channels.
Commercially, Fenton operates as a small-scale, boutique collectibles brand with no institutional investment, no M&A activity, no patents, and no AI or digital product surface. It sold its original Williamstown factory property to Wood County Schools in 2017 and has operated in a managed, stable post-manufacturing posture since the 2011 restructuring.
Fenton Art Glass firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fenton Art Glass
- Legal name
- Fenton Art Glass Company
- Website
- https://fentonartglass.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1905
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Fenton Art Glass is a 120-year-old, family-owned American maker of handmade colored art glass, serving collectors and gift buyers through a Boaz, West Virginia gift shop, weekly eBay auctions of one-of-a-kind pieces, and a newsletter-driven limited edition pre-order program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fenton Art Glass industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Handmade Art Glass
- NAICS
- Other Pressed and Blown Glass and Glassware Manufacturing (327212), Glass Product Manufacturing Made of Purchased Glass (327215)
- SIC
- Glass & Glassware, Pressed Or Blown (3220), Glass Products, Made Of Purchased Glass (3231)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty & Decorative Glass Packaging (Custom Shapes, Embossed, Premium) (IMALAEAE)
Keywords
Where Fenton Art Glass is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Williamstown
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Fenton Art Glass business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Gift Shop Retail Sales: Direct sales of handcrafted art glass through the Fenton Gift Shop in Boaz, WV. Customers can purchase in-store, by phone, or by email. Credit cards are charged when items are ready to ship, with in-store pickup also available.
- eBay Auctions: Weekly eBay auctions featuring 3 brand-new, one-of-a-kind pieces created by designers. Auctions run Wednesday to Wednesday, beginning and ending at 2pm ET.
- Limited Edition Pre-Orders: Weekly newsletter features NEW Limited Edition pieces available for pre-order, with ordering open through midnight the following Tuesday. Pre-orders placed via phone or email.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Fenton Art Glass product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fenton Art Glass manufactures and sells handmade colored art glass, including pressed and blown glassware finished with hand-painted floral decorations and 22k gold accents. The company sells its pieces directly to consumers through a physical gift shop in Boaz, West Virginia, weekly eBay auctions for one-of-a-kind items, and limited edition pre-orders promoted via a weekly email newsletter. Production uses original Fenton moulds at a partner glass factory in Ohio, with decoration completed by three in-house designers.
Product overview
Fenton Art Glass is a traditional handmade art glass company that operates as a unified offering centered on handcrafted glass products. The company produces handmade art glass using original Fenton moulds at a partner glass factory in Ohio, then completes and sells pieces through the Fenton Gift Shop retail location in Boaz, West Virginia. Their product portfolio includes handmade art glass, art glass beads, limited edition designer pieces (pre-ordered via weekly newsletter), and one-of-a-kind pieces (sold through weekly eBay auctions). All pieces feature hand-painted decorations and 22k gold accents, created by three talented designers (Kim Barley, Michelle Kibbe, and Robin Spindler).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Handmade Art Glass Handcrafted pressed and blown glassware produced using original Fenton Art Glass moulds, finished with hand-painted floral decorations and 22k gold accents. Sold to collectors, gift buyers, and antique enthusiasts through the Fenton Gift Shop and online channels.
- Art Glass Beads Handcrafted art glass beads produced after the 2011 transition from traditional glass production, preserving Fenton's signature colors, techniques, and hand-decorated artistry.
- Limited Edition Pieces Designer-created limited edition art glass pieces hand-painted by Fenton's in-house designers (Kim Barley, Michelle Kibbe, Robin Spindler), available for pre-order through the weekly newsletter each week, with ordering open through midnight the following Tuesday.
- One-of-a-Kind Pieces (eBay Auctions) Unique, hand-painted art glass pieces created weekly by Fenton's three designers, sold exclusively through eBay auctions. Each week features 3 brand-new one-of-a-kind pieces; auctions run Wednesday to Wednesday, beginning and ending at 2pm ET.
- Fenton Gift Shop Physical retail storefront located at 2242 Williams Hwy., Suite 107-108, Boaz, WV, where customers can purchase Fenton glass products in-store, by phone, or by email and observe decorators hand-painting pieces. Open Tuesday through Saturday 10am-4pm.
Companies that use Fenton Art Glass
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Fenton Art Glass technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Fenton Art Glass partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Fenton Art Glass competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Steuben Glass: Steuben Glass is a premium American crystal and art glass maker known for handcrafted decorative pieces. Comparable to Fenton in handmade art glass production and luxury gifting positioning, though at a higher price tier.
- Mosser Glass: Mosser Glass is a family-owned Ohio-based manufacturer of hand-pressed glassware and art glass. Comparable to Fenton in handmade pressed glass production techniques, family ownership, and direct-to-consumer retail approach via an on-site factory store.
- Blenko Glass: Blenko Glass is a handmade American art glass manufacturer based in Milton, West Virginia, producing hand-blown and pressed decorative glassware. It is the closest direct peer to Fenton, operating with similar handmade production techniques, collector-oriented product lines, and an on-site visitor experience.
- Cambridge Glass: Cambridge Glass is a historic American pressed and blown glass brand operating today as a heritage art glass maker. It competes in the same collector market as Fenton, with overlapping product categories in decorative pressed glassware.
- Pilgrim Glass / Pilgrim Cranberry: Pilgrim Glass is a handmade American art glass producer specializing in cranberry and opalescent glass. Like Fenton, it targets collectors of limited edition and one-of-a-kind art glass, with comparable production scale and collector-driven demand.
Broad incumbents
- Anchor Hocking: Anchor Hocking is a major US glass manufacturer with broad consumer glassware lines including decorative glass. It is comparable to Fenton as a domestic glass maker but operates at vastly larger scale with mass-market retail distribution.
- Libbey Glass: Libbey is one of the largest US glassware manufacturers producing tableware and decorative glass. It shares the American glass manufacturing heritage with Fenton but focuses on mass-market glassware rather than handmade collector pieces.
- Lalique: Lalique is a French luxury crystal and decorative glass maker producing handcrafted art pieces. It overlaps with Fenton in the high-end decorative glass and collector gift market, but at a much higher price point and broader international presence.
- Waterford Crystal: Waterford Crystal is a global premium crystal and decorative glass brand offering handcrafted giftware and collectibles. It competes with Fenton in the premium gift and collectible glass category but at much larger scale with global retail distribution.
Emerging players
- Boyd Crystal Art Glass: Boyd Crystal Art Glass is a smaller handmade American art glass maker producing miniature and decorative pieces. It is comparable to Fenton in the collector-oriented handmade art glass niche but at smaller scale and a more focused product mix.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Fenton Art Glass social profiles
Digital presenceFenton Art Glass financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fenton Art Glass leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Fenton Art Glass funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fenton Art Glass M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fenton Art Glass
What does Fenton Art Glass do?
Fenton Art Glass manufactures and sells handmade colored art glass, including pressed and blown glassware finished with hand-painted floral decorations and 22k gold accents. The company sells its pieces directly to consumers through a physical gift shop in Boaz, West Virginia, weekly eBay auctions for one-of-a-kind items, and limited edition pre-orders promoted via a weekly email newsletter. Production uses original Fenton moulds at a partner glass factory in Ohio, with decoration completed by three in-house designers.
Is Fenton Art Glass a public or private company?
Fenton Art Glass is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Fenton Art Glass founded?
Fenton Art Glass was founded in 1905. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Fenton Art Glass based?
Fenton Art Glass is headquartered in Williamstown, United States, in the North America region.
How does Fenton Art Glass make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Gift Shop Retail Sales are the primary driver. The others are eBay Auctions and limited Edition Pre-Orders.
Who are Fenton Art Glass's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Steuben Glass, Mosser Glass, Blenko Glass, Cambridge Glass and Pilgrim Glass / Pilgrim Cranberry. Broad incumbents are Anchor Hocking, Libbey Glass, Lalique and Waterford Crystal. Boyd Crystal Art Glass is listed as an emerging player.
Does Fenton Art Glass have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fenton Art Glass.
What industry is Fenton Art Glass in?
Fenton Art Glass's product category is Handmade Art Glass. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMALAEAE, Specialty & Decorative Glass Packaging (Custom Shapes, Embossed, Premium). Its NAICS code is 327212 and its SIC code is 3220.