I have always thought that it would be awesome if Buffalo had a real glass blowing studio in its midst. We have pottery studios, and metal studios, but not much when it comes to the art of glass blowing. Now an effort is underway to not only establish a popular glass blowing studio, the endeavor would also be coupled with a craft cocktail bar/restaurant. Essentially, people would be able to see the glass blowing operation underway, and then have cocktails and eat dinner. Plus, the atmosphere would be surrounded by blown glass objects that people could purchase, drink out of, or eat their food on. There would even be studio classes available.
“Glassblowing studio by day, craft cocktail bar/restaurant by night with live glass entertainment.” – Buffalo Glass Bar –
“We’re currently crowdfunding to help raise money to open Buffalo Glass Bar, and brand new restaurant concept that features glass blowing demonstration during dining service through observation glass. Our crowdfunding site is Indiegogo and we’re pre selling items like these glass roses (inset), as well as scotch snifters, wine decanters and many other hand blown items.” – Ian Carr – Buffalo Glass Bar
Buffalo Glass Bar would be the perfect type of interactive restaurant to see situated at Canalside, especially with the children’s museum coming to the waterfront. It would also be nice in an artsy neighborhood such as Five Points. It’s these types of activities that create memorable experiences for visitors, as well as takeaways.
The following message is from Buffalo Glass bar founder Ian Carr, from his Indiegogo page, set up to raise money for the venture:
I was born and raised in Buffalo but I’ve traveled quite a bit. This city has given me a lot and I currently find myself with a unique set of skills that allows me to give back with a great addition to Buffalo. I am an experienced sculpture artist/bar tender. I have over 10 years of experience in both fields in various locations including Buffalo, NYC, and the Hamptons.
After traveling a bit and returning home, I found that Buffalo was a city on the rise. One essential aspect of the city that I found lacking was a creative and unique environment that draws the attention of both visitors and locals. It was at this point that I devised a completely original concept for a bar that combined both of my passions, bartending and art, specifically glass blowing…
Myself and many others believe that the concept of Buffalo Glass Bar will be listed as one of the most unique bars in America. This means great exposure for Buffalo including interviews, press, and footage on tv shows geared towards unique bars, restaurants, and cocktail culture such as Esquire’s, “most unique bars in America.” Contributions in forming the Buffalo Glass Bar will aid in the development of an art district in buffalo. Our studio will give live demonstrations and tours for the community to experience and learn. Our studio doors will be open during the daytime which aids in community building by hosting field trips and visits from public schools to teach children about the production of glass as well as artwork. The Buffalo Glass Bar will act as an attraction for visitors traveling through western NY, both during the day as a studio, and at night as a spectacle of interesting cocktails and presentation.
This type of bar will be the first of its kind, so it is hard to factor an exact dollar amount for everything. what we can figure is the cost of equipment, materials, and renovations. The funds needed will be going towards these unique pieces of equipment and the renovations that are needed to operate safely and efficiently.
The deals or perks offered on this campaign are all discounted prices, including glass blowing classes, artwork, hand make glassware, and even bar memberships. One of the main concepts in the bar is that every drink and plate comes on a specifically designed and hand blown glass. These glasses will be available for purchase through the gallery however they will be at a much discounted price through this campaign.
If the funds from this campaign don’t reach the entire goal, we will still use everything we did raise towards the renovations and equipment, just simply joined alongside with independent loans and investors.
The Buffalo Glass Bar could very possibly be a new change in the bar entertainment industry. This could become a new format for bars everywhere and it can all start here. Plain and simple, with your contributions, the more money we can raise here, the less we’ll have to borrow from a bank at a high interest rate which isn’t any fun.
Visit Buffalo Glass Bar on Facebook | Support the Indiegogo campaign, and get a great holiday gift sort a loved one in the process!