The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Wendy Allaman of Rozetta talks about her Business Windblown Beads.
Tell me about your business.
Twenty years ago, I found a book entitled ‘You Can Make Glass Beads’ by Cindy Jenkins. Following the pencil sketch diagrams and step by step instructions, I experimented with melting glass rods in a torch.
Initially I made beads for gifts and eventually decided I’d like to try my hand at selling them. The trouble was, to make the glass beads the strongest they could be, I needed a kiln to anneal them.
At that time, I was a stay-at-home mom and hesitant to spend the money, but I was invited to teach a craft class and in one day made the exact amount of a kiln. I took that as a sign to move forward with this dream.
What makes your business unique in the community?
The glass making process itself is uncommon around here. Many people are familiar with the large glass blowing studios that create vases, etc. in a huge furnace, but there are not many people making miniature blown glass pieces using just glass rods and a torch, and those who do usually make solid glass beads.
That makes my blown glass jewelry pretty unique. As far as my business goes, in addition to doing art shows and event, I also hold open houses in my little log cabin studio and invite other women to bring their handmade things to sell as well.
I’ve spent time in Ethiopia, India and Nepal and have a heart to encourage women and offer opportunities to build their businesses to help overcome difficult circumstances.
Some of the items for sale in my open houses are made by survivors of sex trafficking who are now learning ways to support themselves with dignity.
At my next open house, I’ll have over 30 women represented there, including a group from Delhi India who make amazing block-printed canvas and leather totes and a group from Kathmandu, Nepal who make handmade brass nativities with tiny jeweler’s saws.
They’ve mastered their craft, and it has made a powerful difference in their lives and their children’s lives.
What do you love most about being part of this community?
Living in a small community allows you to make deep connections and through doing shows and teaching glass classes, I’ve had the opportunity to been able to meet so many people in our area as well as our surrounding cities.
There is nothing like our Midwest small towns for meeting really exceptional human beings.
What are some of your most popular products or services?
People are mesmerized by melting glass and my glass classes allow people to have the opportunity to learn how to work with hot glass themselves.
I describe what I do as the ‘baby version’ of glass blowing. Done only in a torch, it’s an affordable entry level art form and accessible to everyone. You can even do it at your kitchen table.
Custom pieces are very popular with my customers. I’ve made a lot of blown vessel necklaces filled with dried flowers from weddings and funerals, beach sand from vacations, etc.
It’s a beautiful way to carry memories with you. Everywhere I go I bring back sand, shells and pebbles. I have sand and sea glass from Florida and Hawaii, the Great Pyramids of Egypt and Ethiopia, pebbles from the Mediterranean Sea in Turkey, the Rocky Mountains, and a dozen other places.
I also sometimes create tiny gardens inside the blown vessel with butterflies or tiny glass flowers.
What challenges have you faced, and how have you overcome them?
In 2004 my husband had a horrible farm accident and was life flighted to Peoria to keep him alive.
While he recovered in a hospital bed in our living room, our neighbor Jerry Weibel organized 35 men to log trees out of Big River State Forest.
Those trees were placed in our yard and as my husband Dan recovered, he used them to build a little log cabin.
Through that rehab project, Dan recovered more than the doctors ever said he would by having something positive to focus on and push himself for physically.
I say the real miracle wasn’t that he survived (which it was!), but that he gave me the cabin to make all girly and use as my glass making studio. It should be naked with only a deer head on the wall.
Are there any upcoming events, promotions, or new offerings you’d like people to know about?
My Windblown Beads ‘Christmas in the Cabin’ open house will be in my little log cabin studio on November 22nd and 23rd from 9-5:00 at 2081 State Hwy 94 Oquawka, IL.
You can find the event with photos of items and their makers on my Facebook page at Windblown Beads by Wendy Allaman.
In addition to my own glasswork, I will have handmade art and crafts from over a dozen women and 4 overseas women’s groups.
How do you support or get involved with local causes or organizations?
As I mentioned, I love encouraging women in their creativity and small business dreams.
But my family has also had the privilege of doing short term mission trips in Africa, Haiti, Egypt, India and Nepal and through the connections we made we have opportunities to help women help themselves and their families.
In the last several years I’ve traveled to India and Nepal a few times and have connected with amazing organizations who are doing so much to give hope to those who have a more difficult life than we can ever imagine.
I sell their work here in my cabin to not only help provide what they need to live but help them understand their great value and worth. It’s my mission to connect women here in the U.S. with these opportunities to help.
Not only does it make an immeasurable difference to those who are suffering, but it also blesses the encouragers.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to start a business in this area?
Start small and grow as you have the opportunity. In this current economy, it’s stressful taking on the risks of renting a building or bank loans.
Take advantage of what you already have and use that to share with others. Work out of your basement or kitchen, do pop-ups and vendor events and let your reputation and business grow from there.
Be real and authentic and let people see your heart and passion behind your work, and you’ll find people who can connect deeply with your vision. Then making money will just be a side effect.
The true riches come from sharing hope, love, and compassion with others.
What’s something people might be surprised to learn about your business?
I had never even seen glass melt when I started this art form. 20 years ago, you couldn’t find everything on the internet the way you can today.
I had quite a lot of trial and error (and lots and lots of error!) It took me months to master what my students can do on their first day.
But even though things weren’t turning out the way I wanted, I fell in love with molten glass and learned there is no bad result when it comes to glass. It’s all glass and it’s all cool!
How can people connect with or support your business?
My website is www.windblownbeads.com. You can also find me on Facebook at “Windblown Beads by Wendy Allaman”, and Instagram at windblown_beads to see my work and watch videos of the process.
My email is wendyallaman@gmail.com. Follow my pages for a schedule of my events and thank you for sharing with others.