As for the Modernism exhibition, I loved that I was introducing this show's audience to the Historic Period work of the Blenko Glass Company in the same armory that hosted the art exhibition that introduced America to Cubism and Dadaism! The show was beautiful and professional with dealers of the highest caliber coming from all over the country and some internationally. As many veteran dealers testified though, it was a very tough show with sales and attendance lower than normal. However, in a period of three days at the show I had the volume of sales normally experienced over a period of three weeks.

To say that my sales were the central success story of the exhibition would completely undercut the most important aspect; it was, by and large, an enormous educational opportunity, an outreach to an entirely new market of savvy and cynical connoisseurs. And the response was inspiring. I was exhausted at the end of the event and not just for lugging around over 180 pieces of glass including 20 floor decanters, but for talking myself silly about Blenko and Empoli and essentially giving a mini-seminar on the subject every 20 minutes. I loved it and the audience was eager and clearly curious about this exciting material that was at once fresh and beautiful to their eyes and clearly historically important.

A number of New York area customers came by to meet in person (thank you & great to see you!), and a handful of visitors had a passing knowledge of Blenko but to the overwhelming majority this was a grand introduction to something entirely new. I like to think I provided an introduction with some flare and drama - as evidenced by the floor decanter display! I enjoyed the look of surprise I often saw on the faces of visitors as they oogled the wall of floor decanters - clearly never having seen anything like it before and unsure what to make of it. I ran through several hundred promotional cards, snapped up by those who were curious to learn more. A noticeable number of the more interested parties were studio glass collectors and/or art collectors, to my great pleasure.

To what do I attribute my second best month of sales ever in the middle of this firestorm of financial fears? Only the foolhardy would speculate! So here I go; there are many reasons. To begin with this train has been picking up steam for years now and trains don't stop quickly. Secondly mine is not a market of conspicuous consumption, it is one built by dedicated cutting-edge collectors with deep and growing passion. Thirdly, as far as luxury items go, Blenko and particularly Empoli, are eminently affordable, far from the prices of comparable luxuries like Tiffany glass or contemporary art - yet the values are clearly growing and nowhere near peaked. It remains a niche market with huge upside potential, yet those involved - by and large - don't even consider it in investment terms, which makes it stable and devoid of speculation. This brings me to perhaps the most dubious possible explanation for strong sales, it is one that many in the world of art and antiques have been actively floating; the idea of art and antiques as an alternative investment to stocks and financial instruments.

Though there may well be some truth to investment as motivation, the fact remains that investments in art and antiques are incredibly illiquid, the market lacks transparency and there is a steep learning curve. But there is no question that the concept of investment informs the purchases of a number of collectors. I believe that investment has its place but it is not at the top of the list. After patronage of the arts, personal enjoyment and cultural considerations, collecting as investment is fine for a person with a broad financial base if they accept that on average such investments primarily just keep pace with inflation. Beyond that the concept of investment leads to speculation and ultimately undermines the market. To contradict myself for a moment though - averages are just that and there will always be a portion who do very well in such investments, most frequently the early adopters. Being that there is no reputable published book on Historic Period Blenko and no major museum has given it an exhibition it is safe to say we are in the early days and the prices are friendly enough to invite serious interest with little risk and plenty of enjoyment.

Perhaps as a result of both the accessibility of my inventory and my focus on history and quality I have attracted some very savvy collectors lately who are new to the work produce by the Blenko Glass Company and Empoli (thank you and welcome, by the way). Some have found me by chance and some by referral, but all have made some very serious purchases of significant items recently and responded eagerly to my "Special Items". This year generally, and in people's response at Modernism, it is the best (and commensurately priced) designs that are most in demand. The best always sells. Clearly we would all rather collect and support "culture" than merely "things" or "glass."

Indeed, a central part of my strategy, and I hope this is no secret, has been to curate my inventory with the same refined and critical eye that a good museum does. It was no accident that I brought to Modernism three pieces that were in the collection of the Corning Museum of Glass, one that was recognized for design excellence by the Museum of Modern Art , one by the Toledo Museum of Art, one by the Brooklyn Museum, and one by the Albright Knox Museum. I also brought two exceptional pieces whose historical relevance to the founding of the Studio Glass Movement was paramount and engaged many visitors' attention. There are hundreds of designs produced by the Blenko Glass Company in the Historic Period that I promise you I will never sell. Then like the pieces I just mentioned, there is the cream of the crop that is, to continue the food metaphor, my bread and butter. Knowing what to avoid is just as important as knowing what to seek - at Vintage Modern glasshouse we just make that easier, safer and more enjoyable for you. I am glad to see from increasing sales, increasing visits to the website and the great response at the Modernism exhibition that indeed quality, value, pleasure and selection continue to bring you back to Vintage Modern glasshouse! Thank you.

Damon Crain

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