Thanks to support from dealers & collectors, Fenton Art Glass is back in business. The company, one of W. Virginia's last hand-made glassmakers, announced August 2007 that it would close. However, on 4 December 2007 company president George W. Fenton said that there has been a surge in orders & the company has made progress in restructuring its finances. As a result, Fenton Art Glass will accept orders for spring 2008. But Mr. Fenton said the company will be smaller & it will make & sell fewer items to smaller groups of dealers. The company still needs to reach agreement with vendors & lenders. "There are several future hurdles, but we're all hopeful that our company will be able to continue. Since our initial announcement last August, we have processed many orders for our 2007 products & received tremendous support from both collectors & dealers", Mr. Fenton said. in a news release. "The dealer and customer response to the upcoming Spring 2008 product offering will help determine our future", he said. Production of items for the spring offering is scheduled to begin in the next few weeks. "We currently have about 120 employees, and we want to preserve those jobs", Fenton said. Fenton Art Glass is known for making handcrafted, hand-painted art glass. Mr. Fenton's grandfather started the plant in 1905 and the firm is still family run.
