Where to buy Blenko?

Hillary:

A couple of the bloggers have asked about sites that sell Blenko. I’m listing a couple of my favorites. I may or may not have bought anything from these sites, but I like to browse. Have folks keep in mind, when I’m calling something “reasonable,” or “pricey,” I’m thinking in terms of what I’m willing to spend. Just for a frame of reference, I’m a nearly 30-year civil servant of the City of Los Angeles, with a passion for glass, but furloughed to the tune of a 10% pay cut due to the City’s deepening financial woes. Bottom line, I have income, but not unlimited funds.

Glasshouse: http://www.vmglasshouse.com/ This is Damon Crain’s site; he sells very good, sometimes very pricey examples of Blenko’s Historic Period (1947 – 1974). He also has sales, and you can sometimes pick up a very rare item at a reasonable price. Reasonable to me, anyway. Site is very well laid out, exquisite photos.

Retro Gallery: http://www.retroglass.com/client/index.php Located in Los Angeles, I’ve only driven by once on the way to a meeting, but even the building is vintage and cool looking. Nice pieces, but high prices, considering what I have been able to find by hunting. Site is well laid out, photos decent.

Glass Landing: http://www.glasslanding.com/ Site owned by two Blenko collectors. Not a lot of selection, but what’s there is very nice. Site easy to navigate, two successive pages of Blenko glass.

Ruby Lane Antiques: http://www.rubylane.com/ The ultimate online antique mall. If this was a brick and mortar store, I’d be there every week. Vast number of listings by different “booth” owners, some who know what they have, some who don’t. I have gotten some wedding presents through them. You can search by name, but know like eBay, not everything listed as Blenko actually IS Blenko. Try looking for “cat decanter” and see if you can’t find a Husted treasure.

Montano’s Glass Repair: http://www.montanosglassrepair.com/ I’m including Wayne Montano in my list because he has repaired one decanter and currently is repairing another for me. Reasonable price, FABULOUS work, I don’t know anyone else I’d trust with my Blenko repairs. I will do another post strictly on the repairs he’s done for me, with before and after photos. If you have an existing piece that the cat knocked over, or are considering buying something in less than perfect condition because the price is good, consider including repair work in the cost of the item.

Blenko has a list on their site of authorized vendors of new glass. For the vintage, and when all your other “usual suspects” have let you down, try Google. http://www.google.com/ I just now did a search for “blenko glass decanter,” and it gave me GoAntiques: http://www.goantiques.com/ I do not have any experience with this site, but it looks worth exploring. In the same search, I also found TIAS: http://www.tias.com/ Again, never shopped there, but it looks interesting. As with all online sites, be safe, check their purchasing policies, research what you are considering for purchase, and have fun.

Best,

Diane