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Simon Pearce: The Man Behind the Glass

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Simon arrived in the United States with a staff of three, including Charles Shackleton, who was then a glassblower and is now a furniture craftsman in nearby Bridgewater. "It was more like a family than a business," Charles recalls. "Simon and his wife lived on the top floor of the mill building, and the rest of us lived across the street. We knew it was a struggle at first, but Simon was always positive."

Simon often worked late into the night, fixing up the old mill and building his own glass factory. He was pursuing a vision that combined his studio skills with a keen business sense: He wanted to make high-quality, handmade glassware and pottery for everyday use. Inspired by those old rummers he used to collect, he wanted to make things that people would use and enjoy.

As the company grew, Simon faced the challenge of maintaining quality while producing larger and larger quantities. This amplified an internal struggle, says Simon: "I realized that I was growing the business with the idea that more would make me happier, but I was no happier than when I had nothing. I took five years of pulling back from the business. I started reading, mostly Buddhist writings -- Thich Nhat Hanh and others. The books of Anthony de Mello had a profound effect on me."

Today, Simon is fully engaged in the company but his outlook has shifted. His business values are now identical to the implied message of his products: A sufficiency of fine quality is better than an excess of anything. It's an unlikely formula for success in an age of mass production and deep discounts, but he says many people are eager for something different.

"I actually think the future for quality and handmade products is very bright," he says. Last year, his company produced 575,000 pieces of glassware. That's a lot of customers willing to pay the price for good workmanship.

Simon would like to see more craftspeople develop their marketing skills as well as their artistic talents. "Many people get into crafts as a reaction to the mainstream world. They get it in their heads that business is a bad thing. But the reality is, once you make something and sell it, you're in business. I love the combination of the two."

Make It a Weekend

Continue discovering the Quechee area's artisanal tradition at the galleries of furniture maker Charles Shackleton and potter Miranda Thomas, located in The Mill in Bridgewater, Vermont.

Charles's timeless designs combine simple grace and solid presence, as in an 18th-century-inspired cherry triple kitchen dresser with glass doors ($14,700) and a 90-by-44-inch cherry dining table with hand-carved dentil molding ($5,700). Meticulous planing, sanding, and waxing by hand all give Charles's pieces a gorgeous silky finish.

Miranda's pottery similarly matches elegance and heft. It is characterized by carved or freely drawn birds and animals, subtly outlined against backgrounds of deep greens and warm beige. A chunky 8-ounce barrel mug ($45) would nicely launch a Miranda Thomas collection, which might grow to include a 9-inch jug ($190) or a 9-by-4-inch serving bowl ($165). Both artists welcome visitors to their on-site workshops.

The region's grandest example of sublime workmanship belongs to the Ottauquechee River, which carved the dramatic 165-foot-deep Quechee Gorge just outside Quechee Village. A 1-1⁄2-mile round-trip hike into the gorge begins at the recreation area adjacent to the Route 4 bridge.

Lodging and dining options include the 25-room Quechee Inn, whose main building dates from 1793. The inn is headquarters for Wilderness Trails, which focuses on fly-fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and mountain biking (rentals available). The dining room, open to the public, offers a range of entrées from crab-stuffed haddock to roast rack of lamb.

For lunch or dinner in a cozy pub setting, try Fire Stones, where a big woodburning oven turns out crisp flatbread pizzas (other choices include Grand Marnier chicken, veal Marsala, and heroic half-pound burgers).

Simon Pearce

Quechee's historic J.C. Parker mill, once a flannel factory, now houses Simon Pearce's studios, restaurant, and retail shop. Workshops and store open daily. Restaurant open for lunch and dinner daily. Entrées: $20-$28. [DETAILS]

ShackletonThomas

Discover the area's artisanal traditions at the galleries of furniture maker Charles Shackleton and potter Miranda Thomas. Open daily. [DETAILS]