Ancient Arts
Ancient Arts Stained Glass Studio, founded in 1980 in San Pedro, California by Mark Schoem, was a custom stained glass design, fabrication, and restoration firm serving primarily Catholic churches, alongside cemeteries, commercial, and residential clients across Southern California. The studio retired in 2019.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersSan Pedro, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ancient Arts does
Ancient Arts Stained Glass Studio was a custom stained glass design, fabrication, and installation business founded in 1980 by Mark Schoem in San Pedro, California. The studio specialized in stained, beveled, and leaded glass, offering end-to-end services across new commissions, repair, restoration, and replication for religious, commercial, cemetery, and residential clients.
Its primary customer base was Catholic and other Christian congregations across Southern California — Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Ventura, and San Diego counties — with additional commissions extending to Fresno, New Jersey, New York, American Samoa, and Tahiti. Notable installations include work at the Little Sisters of the Poor (San Pedro), Disney California Adventure, St. Bernadette's in Northridge (post-1994 earthquake restoration), and a 2014 Notre Dame de Lourdes commission in Tahiti. The studio maintained a presence at the LA Religious Education Congress from 1992 and received trade-press recognition in Stained Glass Quarterly (2011).
The business model was project-based and quote-driven, with the founder personally supervising each job. Pricing was highly variable by project: average ticket 'at least $1,000' with major church installations reaching $180,000 or more. The studio was privately held by its founder, with no external funding, no disclosed headcount beyond a small artisan team including a certified apprentice (Kristin Lippmann, 2008). In 2019, Mark Schoem announced his retirement and the studio ceased accepting new work, marking the end of a ~39-year operating history.
Ancient Arts firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ancient Arts
- Legal name
- Ancient Arts Stained Glass Studio
- Website
- https://ancientartsstainedglass.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Closed
- Short description
- Ancient Arts Stained Glass Studio, founded in 1980 in San Pedro, California by Mark Schoem, was a custom stained glass design, fabrication, and restoration firm serving primarily Catholic churches, alongside cemeteries, commercial, and residential clients across Southern California. The studio retired in 2019.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ancient Arts industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Stained Glass Studio Services
- NAICS
- Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing (32721), Glass and Glazing Contractors (23815)
- SIC
- Glass Products, Made Of Purchased Glass (3231)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Decorative, Patterned & Privacy Glass (Frosted/Textured/Colored) (IMADAHAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Glass & Glazing Repair (Single-pane, Insulated Glass Unit replacement) (HSAGAEAD), Glass Fabrication & Processing Services (Cutting/Edging/Drilling/Polishing) (IMADAHAI)
Keywords
Where Ancient Arts is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Pedro
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ancient Arts business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Custom Stained Glass Design, Fabrication and Installation: One-time custom fabrication and installation of decorative stained glass windows for churches, cemeteries, commercial and residential clients. Projects priced individually based on size, intricacy, and type of glass. Average price at least $1,000; major projects can reach $180,000+.
- Stained Glass Repair Services: Repair services for broken or cracked glass pieces in existing stained glass panels. Involves removing panel, sourcing matching replacement glass, and reinstallation.
- Stained Glass Restoration: Extensive restoration services for deteriorated, damaged, or bowed/stained glass windows. Includes re-leading, glass replacement, putty restoration, and structural reinforcement. Often involves entire panel removal and workshop treatment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Custom project pricing based on scope |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Ancient Arts product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ancient Arts Stained Glass Studio designs, fabricates, and installs custom decorative stained glass, beveled glass, and leaded glass windows for churches, cemeteries, commercial, and residential clients. The studio also specializes in stained glass repair and comprehensive restoration of historic windows, using traditional hand-crafted techniques with premium imported glass.
Product overview
Ancient Arts Stained Glass Studio is a custom stained glass craft studio that designs, fabricates, and installs handcrafted decorative glass windows. The company operates as a single unified studio offering, with core products including custom stained glass windows, beveled glass, and leaded glass. Services encompass design consultation, glass painting and firing, fabrication, installation, repair, and full restoration. The studio serves four primary market segments: churches and religious institutions, cemeteries and memorial parks, commercial properties, and residential clients. All work is produced entirely by hand using traditional techniques including lead came construction, kiln-fired painting, beveling, and silver staining.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Custom Stained Glass Windows
- Stained Glass Restoration
- Stained Glass Repair
- Residential Stained Glass
- Commercial Stained Glass Installations
- Church and Religious Institution Stained Glass
- Cemetery and Mausoleum Stained Glass
Quantifiable outcome
- Windows lasting many decades or over a century with proper steel reinforcement
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Ancient Arts
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ancient Arts technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Ancient Arts partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Ancient Arts competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Judson Studios: Los Angeles-based family-owned stained glass studio (founded 1897) producing architectural stained, leaded, and beveled glass for religious, commercial, and civic clients across the Western U.S. Direct geographic and product overlap with Ancient Arts in the SoCal religious and restoration market.
- Botti Studio of Architectural Arts: Evanston, IL-based studio specializing in stained, etched, and carved architectural glass for churches, universities, and public buildings. Comparable in offering custom ecclesiastical and decorative glass with similar restoration expertise.
- Willet Hauser Architectural Glass: Philadelphia-area studio (founded 1898) producing stained glass windows and restorations for cathedrals and churches nationwide. Closely comparable in ecclesiastical focus, full design-to-installation service model, and century-old craft techniques.
- Conrad Schmitt Studios: Wisconsin-based studio specializing in stained glass, muraling, and decorative arts for churches, universities, and historic buildings. Comparable full-service ecclesiastical focus and historic restoration capability.
- Rohlf's Stained Glass: New York-area studio (founded 1922) producing new stained glass and historic restoration services for religious and institutional clients. Comparable mix of custom fabrication and heritage restoration work.
- Lamb Studios: New York-based studio producing stained glass and mosaics for churches, synagogues, and public buildings. Comparable bespoke ecclesiastical model and traditional craftsmanship approach.
- Heritage Glass Inc: Indianapolis-based studio specializing in stained glass restoration, preservation, and custom fabrication for religious and historic properties. Strongly comparable restoration-heavy service mix.
- Associated Craftsmen of America (now Stained Glass Inc.): Texas-based stained glass studio serving religious, commercial, and residential clients with custom design and installation services. Comparable full-spectrum stained glass offering.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ancient Arts social profiles
Digital presenceAncient Arts financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ancient Arts leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Ancient Arts funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ancient Arts 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 Ancient Arts
What does Ancient Arts do?
Ancient Arts Stained Glass Studio designs, fabricates, and installs custom decorative stained glass, beveled glass, and leaded glass windows for churches, cemeteries, commercial, and residential clients. The studio also specializes in stained glass repair and comprehensive restoration of historic windows, using traditional hand-crafted techniques with premium imported glass.
Is Ancient Arts a public or private company?
Ancient Arts is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently closed.
When was Ancient Arts founded?
Ancient Arts was founded in 1980.
Where is Ancient Arts based?
Ancient Arts is headquartered in San Pedro, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ancient Arts make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Custom Stained Glass Design, Fabrication and Installation is the primary driver. The others are stained Glass Repair Services and stained Glass Restoration.
Who are Ancient Arts's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Judson Studios, Botti Studio of Architectural Arts, Willet Hauser Architectural Glass, Conrad Schmitt Studios, Rohlf's Stained Glass, Lamb Studios, Heritage Glass Inc and Associated Craftsmen of America (now Stained Glass Inc.).
Does Ancient Arts have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ancient Arts.
What industry is Ancient Arts in?
Ancient Arts's product category is Custom Stained Glass Studio Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMADAHAG, Decorative, Patterned & Privacy Glass (Frosted/Textured/Colored), with a secondary code of HSAGAEAD, Glass & Glazing Repair (Single-pane, Insulated Glass Unit replacement). Its NAICS code is 32721 and its SIC code is 3231.