Savannah Series: Drayton Glassworks
Drayton Glassworks was one of the places we re-visited when we went back to Savannah two years ago. We updated the post with new photographs and added a video. This article was first published on our Savannah Blog in 2010.
Biking home with a fresh loaf of bread from the Back in the Day Bakery, we passed a tiny shop in which someone was at work blowing glass. Curiosity stoked, we returned to the Drayton Glassworks a couple days later to meet Jonathan Poirier, a Rhode Island native who spent years in Sweden learning the art of glass blowing.
While heating, blowing, spinning and shaping colored glass into the form of bottles, Jon told us about his life and the shop. He’s been in Savannah since 2001, building a reputation as one of the best glass blowers in the country. Despite industrialization having long-ago made glass-crafting largely obsolete, Jon has been able to find plenty of customers looking for unique, hand-made pieces.
I was amazed that he could continue to work, not missing a stride, while carrying on a conversation with us. This is clearly something he’s been doing for a long while, and he’s able to perform the spinning, shaping and blowing almost on automatic. To us, these tasks looked insanely complicated, and I almost had a heart attack a couple times as he swung around a nearly-completed vase, without paying any attention to it.
When we returned to Savannah five years later, we checked in on Jon and his business. Nothing had changed; Jon was still the same friendly, funny guy, and it was great to catch up. One new thing he’s added to Drayton Glassworks is the opportunity for people to participate in workshops and create their own piece of glass-blown art. Check out his Facebook page, if you’re interested.
And definitely make sure to stop by his shop, to check out the pieces he’s made, and perhaps have a chance to see how it’s done. It’s really more a workshop than a store, and he’s always busy creating something new.
Location on our Savannah Travel Map
Drayton Glassworks – Facebook
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That looks amazing! We look forward to do this with our kids once they're old enough.
He's awesome - I love buying souvenirs straight out of his workshop! Great spot in Savannah.
I hope we will go there at some point in the future, once the children are bigger.
This is such an amazing talent. I feel like I could just stand there and watch him create his pieces of work for a very long time. Thanks for sharing
That's what we did, just stare and ask stupid questions.
Some of the things they can make blow my mind, pardon the pun lol. I could watch them for hours, thanks for sharing your experience and the images :)
Thank you for the comment and we do love the pun :)
@for91days Tha's good cause I am good at pun's lol, even if I'm not that funny lol. :D
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It’s call talent, great creativity work very artistic and realistic. Really like it and love it and would like to use for decoration
We always buy one of his pieces when we visit. My big dream is to purchase of that vase you can see in the last picture.
Amazing post. I am always so impressed by these gifted artists. Hand blowing glass is difficult, you can see his passion in his work. Love the fact that he was sharing with you while he worked. Thanks for the share!
He loves having people around, if we're back in Savannah one day we will say hello again and buy another souvenir.