Glass & Customer Service

Glass is a miracle. It’s fused silica (sand) that mimics obsidian, nature’s glass. It, and marble, are the two sculptural media I love (when not created by Jeff Koons). I was born this way. It’s a warm, welcoming and jubilant medium.

I love daylight sunshine, summer, long days and the warmth of light on my skin and no medium can capture my love of light better than glass.

So…..Today I went to the Circle Craft store on Granville Island and I bought three glass bowls—more about the bowls in a minute. First, I want to tell you about two recent sales experiences.

Yesterday I went to Ming Wo. I was really looking forward to it because I patronize their headquarters in Chinatown. It is the best place to go and I have always found the staff very helpful and friendly. Going there reminds me of the joy I felt as a kid going to the art and craft store.

But this time there was a middle-aged thin female supervisor there who came to my attention being shrill and cold to a customer on the phone. Worse, in the ten minutes I was there, she was extremely—and I mean extremely—rude to two employees. I fled, happy not to speak up but I wanted to tell her how nasty she was and how unpleasant she made my experience in the store.

Back to the bowls….

I love shopping at Circle Craft too. Buying there, from their carefully curated and very eclectic collection, makes you feel so good because you are supporting a society and local crafts persons of incredible talent.

Today, the woman serving me was clearly happy to see my happily spending five hundred bucks. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with her about glass and their inventory. She was a delight, warm and smiling a constant welcome. Then, somehow, she suddenly knew who I was. She asked me if I was Chris and when I said I was, she told me that I taught two high school subjects to her husband, Kim, a young man I really liked.

Kismet.