A local artist is bringing a burst of color to Pearl Street with stained glass masterpieces that patrons can learn to make, themselves.
Artist and self-funded entrepreneur Meggy Wilm will be hosting a shop opening at 1 p.m. on Tuesday in her new store front at 1500 Pearl St. in Boulder. She will be there selling glass, giving information and registering people for classes.
Colorado Glass Works was founded by Wilm in 2017 in her living room in Denver. Once opened, it will be the only stained glass shop in Boulder, and one of few in all of Colorado.
Wilm transitioned to stained glass after she graduated college with a a pre-med degree. “It is an art medium I’ve always loved,” she said. “As a child I’d walk past churches and be enchanted by the windows.”
Medicine was too rigid of a discipline for her, she added. “I enjoy the technical, yet open and creative craft of stained glass.”
“Most of my pieces are inspired by animals, wild rainbow colors, nature and a little touch of the beautiful Colorado wilderness near where I was raised from time to time,” she wrote on her website
Wilm has a large online following, so she hopes that this storefront will be somewhat of a tourist destination for those who have seen her on social media.
Wilm’s business mentor, Colby DeGuevara, is the president of Prism Promotions where she works in marketing. DeGuevara encouraged Wilm to expand her business.
“All I did was hold up a mirror, I told her to follow her passions,” he said.
Wilm will sell sheet glass and a small variety of supplies to locals. She will also continue to sell products online including rare, hard to find glass.
Colorado Glass Works will offer in-person beginner stained glass classes on weekends with tools and materials provided. Attendees will walk away with their own piece of stained glass and the knowledge of how to make more at home.
“I want to help spread stained glass back across Colorado since almost all of the shops have shut down due to folks retiring and people are having a hard time trying to learn this art form with no teachers,” Wilm said.
“I started my shop so the art form wouldn’t die.”
Once the shop opens, Wilm will be the sole distributer of blown sheet glass from one of the only two workshops operating in the United States. Usually blown glass comes from Europe, so being able to help design sheets such as rainbow glass is really special, she said.
Wilm is also opening up the creative space to studio sessions for those who already make stained glass. She hopes to foster a communal environment for artists to connect.
Wilm will continue creating custom orders in the new space, and finished pieces will be for sale in the shop.
“She is an inspirational young entrepreneur, and she built an empire in the art form she loves,” DeGuevara said. “I hope lots of young new artists are able to learn from her.”
