Diary of a Demented Store Owner

Monday 29 September 2014

A Man Called Gus Repeat Story

While the glass business has been good to us, the real upside is the people you meet, and the lifelong friends you sometimes make. 
This is the story of one of those people.
This is the story of Gus.
Twenty five years ago, I watched as this hulking, stern looking, Mike Mazursky look-a-like mountain of a man came into my store. 
All weathered and gnarled, with a voice like he chewed gravel all day, he asked for an ashtray (yes, folks, it was that long ago- we all smoked and we did it whenever and wherever we felt like it). 
But I digress. 
This man told me what he wanted, and with trembling hands I gave it to him. 
His accent was thick. 
I asked him where he came from. We chatted, but just a bit. 
He eventually warmed up, as did I. 
We shared a few stories. 
I learnt that his sense of humour and ability to tease was unsurpassed. 
I began to like him. 
I think maybe he tolerated me. 
I never caught his name as he left.
The next time he was in, I asked his name. 
He said I should call him whatever I felt like. 
So I did.
"Gus it is" and for twenty five years he was known to me as Gus.
I met his wife and his daughters. I saw them grow up as we all grew old. 
Gus and I both quit smoking. He, after losing half a lung. You see, he was so tough, he worked in a brickyard, with asbestos, smoked 2 packs a day, and quit at seventy. 
I extended him credit, always keeping a scrap note that simply said 'Gus' on it. I didn't know his address or phone number. I just knew Gus was good for it.
I didn't see Gus for a few months.
Then Gus' wife came in to the store.
I feared why. I was right.
I'm not ashamed to say that a tear welled up in my eye. And again now as I'm writing this. 
As it did to Pat and Zenia, because we all were there when Gus' wife looked at us with her tired eyes.
Gus' wife came to see if he had paid all his bills with me. She wanted to make sure his debts were all paid in this world.
It made us tear up again.
I'l miss Gus.
His name to everyone else?
Vladmir.

Sunday 28 September 2014

Figimodo


Better known as the FIG Sales mascot, hearing about the sale of Tim Horton's to Burger King, Figimodo offers to get the staff coffee at Timmy's but lamely claims he can't close the car door...

Saturday 27 September 2014

A Couple of Plugs



More Books

Mikey has always had an on-site reference library that was offered to all Fantasy In Glass students and customers. Within those book racks up on the second floor are innunerable gems- books with charts to help you calculate the size of a finished lamp, books with terrarium patterns and books with letters- all things that people are asking about today but such are no longer in print. And stuff that you most likely won't be able to source out on the internet.
So...
Vanna Opal has culled the racks and has pulled about 100 books and they now have been added to our Book Sale Sale. 

That's right folks- all books now on sale for a lousy $6.88!

Friday 26 September 2014

Gary Brown

Mikey'd wish him a Happy Birthday only if he promises to keep the bag on his head.

Thursday 25 September 2014

Why Not?

There always comes a time when you need to lay down a crisp clean line somewhere when doing a fused piece. You know, like a cat whisker, or I don't know you think of something up yourself. 
Last time we let that happen, the Flowering Lotus Blossom (commonly referred to as Zenia) came up with the most complicated and intense project that required hundreds of crisp lines.
Now, you could try stringer but they only come straight and are tough to bend in gradual arcs. 
You could try liquid stringer but that really doesn't give crisp enough a line as such as a project like this requires.
So, how about a pair of groziers on either end of a piece of black glass, put in the flame of a plumber's torch (I prefer my Creme Brûlée torch myself... Pedantic Pat) and then melted, pulled and randomly twisted until you have gathered enough variety to start-


We then fish through this selection looking for pieces that will match the curvature and thickness of the lines required by the artwork. Laying them out on a piece of clear glass on top of our art is the way to go and makes transport into the kiln a snap-


 Here Zenia is getting ready to lay it out on our base glass (note the different whites used here to better define the hands, yes and hat separate from the body- dense SP200 and translucent SP209)-  


And here's the final result with great crisp clean and permanent fully fused black lines-


Christmas Fusing Seminar

Remember ... if Sandy can do it...

... then so can you.


Yes, folks. That’s right!Now you too can be somewhat ok at this craft as she has almost sort of become.

Here Sandy somewhat modestly shows off her 432nd batch of fused pieces she made just after taking our one day Fusing Seminar With Louie (I'm not from Barcelona) Deeaz.
And now she has decided that this is the best way to be able to continue to afford wieners for her Mac’n’Cheese by making fused Christmas ornaments for all her friends and family.
And she’ll do so by taking the newest Seminar being taught by Louie 'I'm Not From Barcelona' Deeuz.

Get prepared now for the Christmas season & get your fill of fusing. Over the summer the staff ( Vanna & Voovoo to be specific) have been filling up the kilns with adorable fused Christmas themed ornaments.

This seminar includes a comprehensive folder of patterns and inspiration (for you to keep), studio time, all firings, some of Mikey’s bad jokes (don’t worry- not all of them). It will also include accessory glass such as stringers, noodles, glass rods and dots, some wires for wrapping, frits and powders, and Xmas appropriate refreshments, all conducted under the watchful eye of your instructor. Louie will go over the basics of fusing and will teach various techniques related to making these ornaments (i.e. wire wrapping).

Just bring your personal tools and fusible glass and get ready to rumble ( oops wrong ad).

Cost ........ $99.00
Saturday November 15, 2014 .............. 10:30 am to 3:30 pm 

Wednesday 24 September 2014

You Can All Pat Yourselves On The Back!


An old friend of Mikey's suffered a tragic loss a decade ago yet from this tragedy something wonderful and incredibly worthy came from it.
You see, Jim took his pain and suffering and channeled this loss into spending all year organizing an annual event to raise funds for the Silvercreek Pre-School, a facility serving children with particularily challenging and special needs. This event took place this past Saturday where Fantasy In Glass along with many others contributed towards a total now in the six figures! 
Now Mikey visited this pre-school awhile ago, and whatever you may think of Mikey, Vanna Opal knows that while Jim always cries when he visits Silvercreek as his love and support for this place runs deep, a tear did surely well up in Mikey's eye as well. 
So keep buying our scrap glass, used tools, storage crates and whatever else we may throw in as all this money goes towards supporting this wonderful facility.



And if you have an old iPad or any tablet that is no longer of benefit to you, perhaps consider bringing it in to us and we'll make sure Silvercreek gets it as they are an invaluable therapy tool for these unfortunate kids.
(it is not true maybe that a tear was said writing this blurb)

Tuesday 23 September 2014

Upcoming Intro To Fusing Seminar

Think you know everything?
If you do then don't bother reading any further (like Mikey). 
But if you don't, then consider coming in this Saturday Sept. 27 for our Intro to Fusing seminar with Louie the 'I'm not from Barcelona' Instructor. 
This is a hands-on day (but hands off Louie- the class after all is only $155.00 with $40.00 as a store credit) will teach you everything you'd need to know to explore the world of fusing, the fastest growing segment in glass art and crafts. Bring your hand tools as you will make lots of stuff this day and we'll fire it for you. 

One of Our Most Popular Upcoming Seminars

Dates now set including a Thursday night!

#303- Be The Glass- Fusing and Firing Schedules
This seminar allows you access to one of the most unique and interesting fusing repositories (suppositories? … Vanna Opal)… Mikey’s Brain.
Mikey has been fusing for over 30 years, even before compatible glasses were readily available. He has so much technical information in his brain he is losing space and needs to share all that information before his head explodes. This seminar is not only going to be extremely useful for fusers of all levels, but it may just save his life. Mikey can answer those questions you all have… Why didn’t that fuse the way I wanted? Why didn’t my plate fall as far as I wanted when it slumped? Why is my plate pulling in on the edges? Why are there bubbles in my piece? Why is the sky blue? Why is my piece picking up so much texture? How long should I anneal my piece?
Many fusers may know the basics of firing, because there are enough schedules available out there. But, do you know why you might fire at 200 degrees an hour and not 800 degrees? Do you know how many segments to use in a firing schedule? Or why annealing temps and lengths may differ? Can you program a Bartlett Controller? Do you know what that button with the X on it is used for on... oops, that’s Playstation, never mind. This seminar will teach you to think and ‘be the glass’ allowing you to use your own logic in determining a proper firing schedule that is project specific and the reasoning behind altering/adapting a program. We will cover such technical topics as developing and adjusting firing


schedules for your kiln, understanding why firing schedules are so important, annealing, troubleshooting project issues, programming your kiln, avoiding unwanted bubbles, volume control, and most importantly (and most requested) SLUMPING!

    Cost of this course includes multiple handouts. And don't be afraid- bring in some of your pieces to share and/or critique.



Saturday October 4, 2014 ......... 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Thursday November 6, 2014 ......... 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Cost .................................. $19.00 

This Is How It's Done


While we do keep this blog mostly free of commercial distractions, there is the occasional plug that might be warranted. 
Need to sell your kiln? We could post it here.
Got an upcoming glass related event? We might make mention of it.
But the best way to get a plug on this Diary, ongoing now for a dozen years with over 1500 entries and seen by over one million people, is to heap praise and undying admiration for Mikey. It also helps if your work is also worthy of mention as is Charis' as seen here.

Monday 22 September 2014

Even Mikey's At A Loss For Words


You would be forgiven if you mistook this as a painting.
It is not.
It is a stained glass window.
Somewhere in Italy.
We know not where as the photo was taken by Zenia, a student whose educational training is in the careful documenting of data.
Go figure...

Saturday 20 September 2014

Go Here

It's late at night. The scotch is all gone. 
 Mikey's in bed in his Puppy themed flannel pyjamas. 
Who you gonna call when you're in trouble with your cutting skills? 
Consider going here, and reviewing this pdf file on '12 Ways to Improve Your Cutting'. That way Mikey can get a good night's sleep.



... and remember, don't get caught cutting and texting- it's the law!

Friday 19 September 2014

Sales Page Changes


Our Monthly Sales page is now The Unpredictable and Sporadically Always Changing Sales Page and already Mikey has changed and added stuff- see here (you might need to do a page refresh)...

Reminder of Pending Stuff

How about getting away from unpleasant family members on Saturday Sept. 27  and coming to FIG for our Intro to Fusing seminar with Louie the 'I'm not from Barcelona' Instructor. 
This is a hands-on day (but hands off Louie- the class after all is only $155.00 with $40.00 as a store credit) will teach you everything you'd need to know to explore the world of fusing, the fastest growing segment in glass art and crafts. Bring your hand tools as you will make lots of stuff this day and we'll fire it for you. 

Wednesday 17 September 2014

New Christmas Ornaments Seminar!

Just think... if Sandy can do it...
... then so can you.

Yes, folks. That’s right!
Now you too can be somewhat ok at this craft as she has almost sort of become.
Here Sandy somewhat modestly shows off her 432nd batch of fused pieces she made just after taking our one day Fusing Seminar With Louie (I'm not from Barcelona) Deeaz.
And now she has decided that this is the best way to be able to continue to afford wieners for her Mac’n’Cheese by making fused Christmas ornaments for all her friends and family.
And she’ll do so by taking the newest Seminar being taught by Louie 'I'm Not From Barcelona' Deeuz.

Get prepared now for the Christmas season & get your fill of fusing. Over the summer the staff ( Vanna & Voovoo to be specific) have been filling up the kilns with adorable fused Christmas themed ornaments.

This seminar includes a comprehensive folder of patterns and inspiration (for you to keep), studio time, all firings, some of Mikey’s bad jokes (don’t worry- not all of them). It will also include accessory glass such as stringers, noodles, glass rods and dots, some wires for wrapping, frits and powders, and Xmas appropriate refreshments, all conducted under the watchful eye of your instructor. Louie will go over the basics of fusing and will teach various techniques related to making these ornaments (i.e. wire wrapping).

Just bring your personal tools and fusible glass and get ready to rumble ( oops wrong ad).

Cost ........ $99.00
Saturday November 15, 2014 .............. 10:30 am to 3:30 pm 

Sunday 14 September 2014

FANTASY IN GLASS ACCUSES UROBOROS GLASS OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT FOR USE OF THE WORD 'GLASS'

Toronto, CANADA- Once again Fantasy In Glass Owner Mikey has filed suit in federal Supreme Court in Ottawa today accusing the Uroboros Glass Company of copyright infringement for widely using the word 'Glass' in the title and marketing of their products. FIG claims de facto exclusive legal use of the word. "We have established the strongest brand name in the history of modern civilization. Whenever someone sees the word 'Glass' they immediately think it should be preceded by the words 'Fantasy In' so we want to avoid any confusion amongst consumers", said company owner Mikey. Attorneys for Uroboros had attempted to dispute the suit as 'frivolous' and weak efforts to placate the staff of Fantasy In Glass with Uroboros T-shirts and aprons have proved to be unsuccessful.

Friday 12 September 2014

Social Media Is A Bitch

We have had a long standing presence on several social media platforms- the things a Demented Store Owner must do these days to promote(!)- from Facebook to YouTube to Instagram and Twitter- but the go to place for information, knowledge, touching stories and the occasional factual paper (see Mikey's discovery of the Toyofigus) has always been this humble blog now numbering over 1500 entries since 2001. 
Now, occasionally Mikey gets all caught up trading vocal phrasings with the Bulgarian Womens' Choir and forgets that Facebook was not meant to be the primary source of go to news for Fantasy In Glass, hence this posting designed to get the blog caught up to the FB page. 
Mikey will not get wieners in his Mac'n'Cheese this week.
So here goes-
Mikey has made all of his fusing related books out for use to anyone who needs/craves access to some great defence material-




A popular feature on Instagram is the #TBT hashtag. This simply means that people are encouraged to post 'Throw Back Thursday' pictures of things from the past. It's now 20 years since we moved into the Swiss Cheesed GlassWerks Building so of course we posted a pic from that cold dreary day two decades ago-


Wanna see what a ton of solder looks like?



If you've ever had Zenia serve/teach you and haven't seen her around for awhile here's why-


Just got in another big batch of this stunning Fusers Reserve from Spectrum (the first 100+ ft sold out in three days!)-


Haven't been into the store in awhile? Then here's a quick tour-


One of the last projects (allegedly done by Zenia) just out of the kiln last week-


We stock well over 15,000 sale squares (stained glass and fusible glass) and the most popular higher end glass in those racks is our Youghiogheny Stipples measuring 10" x 12"-


Same shipment and some of the Youghiogheny full sheets to replenish our inventory-


We are the only store in the World that has glass to match Sharon's wardrobe-


Here's a large painted glass window Mikey and Vanna tripped across in the Montreal subway last month (impossible in Toronto- we don't build subways anymore... Vanna)-


A shameless plug promoting the arrival of the manufacturer of what likely is to become Mikey's kryptonite! Our new neighbour Anet (and Mike) Gesualdi Macarons-


Mikey shared a pic of his recent reactives experiment (just ask him about reactives, but do it early in the day- it might take that long... Vanna Opal)-

Matching Sharon's wardrobe again-



Back to Instagram for another #TBT picture from our renovations at 703 The Queensway 20 years ago-


And with this totally tasteless photo, we close the day satiated that all are now properly caught up...

Tuesday 9 September 2014

Corning Again

The mecca of the glass world lies a mere four hours by car from Toronto in Upper New York state in the picturesque town of Corning. 
We've talked about the many glass related attractions in this town aside from the stunning Glass Museum many times over the years as it is a trip Mikey and Vanna Opal make frequently (I know it's the Blackberry beer at the Market Street Brew Pub that does it... Vanna). 
If you go to our 'PICTURES' page you'll see lots of pics Mikey has posted to give you a sense of what a great destination the town is. 
Of special note are some absolutely breathtaking Tiffany windows in a tiny nondescript church in the residential area of Corning. If you've ever been stuck listening to Mikey ramble on and on about these windows you'll probably remember he always finishes up with a rather vague description of their actual location, and what the church looks like. 
We're not sure why, but something about growing up in the late the sixties comes to mind. 
But we are here to help. 
Here is a picture of the street signs of the corner where the church sits and above is a picture of the church itself. 


A link to the photo album is here.
And Shirley from the Corning Information Centre was very nice to give us all sorts of brochures to pass out to anyone who asks...

Saturday 6 September 2014

Oops!


On Saturday September 6, 2014  the Diary of a Demented Store Owner Blog erroneously reported that the Canadian Stained Glass Wholesalers Advisory Board (membership- 1) had advocated the kidnapping and tar and feathering of Mikey E. Figgy (our beloved leader).
In actuality, Mikey's middle initial is 'G'. The Diary regrets the error.

Wednesday 3 September 2014

Public Service Announcement

Three deliveries from three different suppliers in one day is a bit of a record for us. 
But what can a lowly shopkeeper do when there is no full line distributor in all of Ontario?
Sadly we did have one casualty today...

Yes We've Got More!

Incredibly we sold out of our first shipment of rover 100 feet of this unique Fuser's Reserve glass in three days! Some begging, grovelling and a bottle of fine Haus Schnapps from the tiny little hamlet of Walchsee, Austria resulting in us being able to secure an even greater quantity of this glass.
Just don't wait too long...

Tuesday 2 September 2014

This Posting is Way Too Serious

The season for our business starts today and as we anxiously open, chomping at the bit we thought we'd reflect a bit on the past year and make some predictions on what is in store for the future.
Firstly, FUSING! 
Yes, love it or hate it, this is the big growth area in glass. As well as catering to stained glass, many of our long term customers who have 'done it all' aren't yet ready to hang up their tools and with fusing they can still apply the same skills using the same tools. 
Our classes have been overwhelmed with demand so much so that we now include free firings for our Intermediate students!
And fusible glass prices have actually dropped at FIG in the past year as our selection and inventory has more than tripled. 
The only stumbling block of course is kilns, but with our excellent relationship with Coneart (Frankie is so cute... Not Mikey) we've been able to hold our pricing and to increase selection. Buy a kiln from us and support extends to Mikey even sharing his home tel# with you (nobody ever calls him, he feels so lonely at times... Vanna Opal). Heck, the boys and girls at Coneart even made two square kilns according to our specifications (see here).
Secondly, glass availability.
With the demise of a national full-line distributor last year, we still sit here without a supplier here in Ontario. But while this has hurt our industry in general (too many competitors have disappeared in the past couple of years- not a good sign as Mikey craves competition), we have always maintained a good relationship with suppliers elsewhere. So, not only do we inventory the entire Spectrum line ( including Sys96), we also have Wissmach (including 96), Wasser, GNA, Youghiogheny, Kokomo, Oceana, Uroboros (also 96), tons of dichroic (both 90 & 96) many clear textures, Gluchip, even some Bullseye and Schlitz (no longer around sadly). 
And thirdly, we intend to continue to provide the widest, deepest selection at the best price anywhere, to teach and inform and to have fun doing it! 
All at Fantasy In Glass located in the Swiss Cheesed Glass Building here in Toronto!
That is all.

Monday 1 September 2014

Store Hours

(no longer applicable)
Current Store Hours

MON................ Closed
TUE........ 10am to 5pm
WED....... 10am to 5pm
THUR..... 10am to 5pm
FRI......... 10am to 5pm
SAT........ 10am to 4pm
SUN................. Closed