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Saint John was a visual art city. ” Container Gallery at AREA 506 Waterfront Container Village in Saint John, and their PEI Gallery at 169 Great George in downtown Charlottetown) and a solid online business, their products are reaching more customers throughout Atlantic Canada and beyond. Curtis prides himself on his work. Each piece is beautiful in its unique way. Whether displayed in a living room or shared over a drink at a favorite bar, his glasswork stands as a reminder that beauty is best when it’s both timeless and personal.
home a unique keepsake or statement piece. For those who have the opportunity to watch these glass masterpieces be created before their eyes and think, “I would love to give that a try.” Curtis offers six slots a month of workshops that happen over the period of one weekend. If you’re looking to book a larger group, they also do custom bookings for an even more curated experience. “But mostly we try to keep the studio rolling with our own creative freedom because it’s such a great experience too,” says Curtis. The glass Curtis uses is far from ordinary. Each piece begins with a delicate blend of silica, limestone, and potash, fused into what’s known as soda lime glass. His studio imports pre-mixed, pelletized fine powder of a lithium barium crystal from Sweden, a product they’ve been developing for over sixty years. The brilliant colours that bring his creations to life come from Reichenbach Studio in Germany, which has been handcrafting for over 150 years. The glass is not simply melted together at random; its chemistry is exacting, requiring every formula to align perfectly so that expansion and contraction happen at just the right time; otherwise, the glass would crack under its own pressure. The result is beautiful, rare material, impossible to mass-produce. No two works of art are ever the same. With the brand’s growing success on the rise, and the couple’s desire to share their amazing works of art with more people, this past spring, they opened a Container Gallery at the AREA 506 Container Village.
With tourists flooding the area for festivals like the Boxcar Country Festival and AREA 506 Music Festival, plus passengers during the cruise ship season, the container was an excellent opportunity to really “blow things up this year.” They’re still learning a lot from their first year at the Container Village, but mentioned that they definitely have some tweaking to do in the marketing and advertising department, and are hopeful that business will only improve. One of the most exciting recent ventures, Curtis added, was his partnership with Eric Scouten at Kakutaru, a cocktail lounge located in another alleyway down the street. Curtis looks forward to collaborating with other bars, breweries, businesses, and events that would be interested in custom drinkware or unique pieces like the ‘Best of the Fest Award’ for the Saint John Beer Fest, which is a crystal masterpiece that the winner can display proudly in their brewery or tap room, until a new winner is announced each year. Now with three Glass Roots locations (Studio & Gallery at 87 Canterbury Street, the
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98 SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL 25 ISSUE 4
BUSINESS • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE 99
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