Wimberley Glass Works

By Allan C. Kimball

You can’t miss this place. Wimberley Glass Works is now the most prominent building along Ranch Road 12 from San Marcos to Wimberley, and a visit here will delight all your senses.

You can observe the thrilling glassblowing process where artists twirl and mold molten glass into stunning pieces of art, and then shop in the gallery for your very own piece of art glass. Inside you’ll find vessels and lamps and lighting fixtures and jewelry, and decorative pieces in vibrant colors and combinations that you never knew existed before.

This brilliant yellow, forest green and chile red gallery and glassblowing studio took three years and two months to become reality, the brainchild of owner and glass artist Tim de Jong.

Several factors made Tim want to expand and move his Glass Works—one of the highlights of any Wimberley visit for the past 14 years—but the primary one was the gallery’s success.

“At one point, we were growing at 25 percent a year and we were busting our seams at the other place,” he says. “Not a single square inch was not being used.”

That old studio was on Spoke Hill Drive, hidden somewhat from the traffic traveling on Ranch Road 12. The new, 1700-square-foot building is highly visible, is much larger, and has far more amenities than the old building.

“The old place I designed myself and I really didn’t know what I was doing, but this was designed as a glass studio from the beginning,” Tim says. “The other place, I built what I could. This place, I built what I wanted.”

Building what he wanted meant spending extra money for insulated panels, a top quality roof, double panes windows and other features that have actually reduced his utility bill 75 percent.

Building what he wanted meant creating an air conditioned hot shop with seating for 89 spectators who can watch the liquid fire of glass art being created in comfort, far more than at the old building. Parking is twice the size.

Building what he wanted means visitors no longer have to go outside from the gallery to the hot shop, they pass through an inviting seating area where they can take time to relax and view either the gallery in one direction or glass being manipulated in the other.

Tim came to Wimberley in 1992 while visiting a friend in Round Rock. When he saw Wimberley, he was immediately drawn to the village.

“I remember clear as a bell thinking, `What in God’s name am I doing in Philadelphia?’” Tim says. He then spent his entire vacation looking for property.

“I’d always wanted a place where anyone could come and see glassblowing for free,” he says. “A place where they could buy one-of-a-kind signed pieces of glasswork without cleaning out their savings.”

After all these years, Tim still professes his love for Wimberley and is adamant in his belief that the city and every employee he has ever had have helped him reach the financial and creative point he’s at today.

“When I came to Wimberley, I was told I’d never survive here, that people in Wimberley would never support a business like mine,” Tim says. “But they did. I owe the people of Wimberley everything.”

In fact, he says it’s the best move he ever made. He met his wife here and he believes the Glass Works may do $1 million in business this year. “I honestly never expected to be at the level of business we are now,” he says.

Tim is quick to thank those who helped make his new dream a reality—Chris Lewis Architects, MST Constructors of Buda, Current Electric of San Marcos, Robert Franco his loan officer at the Bank of America that helped when other financial institutions slammed their doors in Tim’s face, and Gardens by Lisa who created the homey landscaping.

“The builder went all out,” he says. “Every single time we had problems, they came up with a solution and dealt with it.”
The new gallery is such an eye-catching place with such creative space, that other artists keep coming in wanting to be part of it. Some will. Tim’s in negotiations now to include Jim La Paso’s amazing kinetic sculptures and Jimmy Harwell’s evocative metal sculptures.

“We’ll also do a visiting artist program where we’ll have glass artists from around the country come in and do demonstrations and show their work for a week or so,” Tim says. He hopes to start that up in the Spring.

Tim continues to be energized by his new space, but is happy having to deal with so many ideas in so little time is finally behind him.

“I’m very proud of this place. It’s the culmination of everyone in Wimberley, all my customers, and all the employees I’ve ever had, the best in the state. If I hadn’t had confidence in my workers, I could have never gone out this far or this high on a limb,” he says. “But I am so relieved to say I can finally return to the hot shop which is where I long to be.”

The new Wimberley Glass Works gallery and studio is now open, but a Grand Opening Reception will be held October 14 (cocktail casual dress, please) from 4 pm to 8 pm. At that time, Tim’s new line of Fire and Ice will be introduced, the first time an entire line—vessels, lighting and jewelry—will be unveiled to the public at the same time.

“I’m really excited about the creative potential our new location has,” Tim says. “We can show more than ever before. We have a building that actually speaks to what we do.”

FYI • Wimberley Glass Works is located at 6469 Ranch Road 12 between Wimberley and San Marcos. Hours are 10 am to 5 pm Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 pm Sunday. Glass blowing on Monday and Wednesday through Saturday at 10:15 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Gallery and glass blowing demonstrations are free. For more information, call 800-929-6686 or visit the web site at www.wgw.com.