Stark County studio’s leaded stained glass artwork is on display in all 50 states and can be seen as far away as Asia, the Bahamas, Canada and Europe.
Every single element of Studio Arts & Glass is strikingly colorful.
The leaded stained glass artwork the studio creates and restores, and the blown glass art and statement jewelry available in the gift shop are quite pleasing to the eye.
Plus, the personalities of owners Bob and Wendy Joliet, studio associates, and their canine friends add a certain vibrancy and charm to the atmosphere within.
Bob and Wendy found their common interest in stained glass at a young age. They met after graduating from college. In 1982, while still dating, the couple founded Studio Arts & Glass on 30th Street.
The shop has since moved to 7495 Strauss Ave. NW in North Canton, where it’s been for the past 16 years.
“It’s truly amazing we’ve been doing this for nearly 40 years,” said Wendy.
Studio Arts & Glass specializes in custom leaded stained glass. The studio restores and creates stained glass windows, skylights, screens, lamps and ceilings.
Unique items including jewelry, ornaments, lawn art and blown glass décor are available for purchase in the gift shop. Classes focusing on a variety of glass art topics and ranging from a couple of hours to four weeks are available in the studio.
Studio Arts & Glass also does what it can to encourage people to come to the region. The company teams with the Canton-Stark County Convention & Visitors Bureau to schedule bus tours here.
Bob earned a fine arts degree from Kent State University, where he studied painting and art glass, and went back to the University of Akron for computer graphic design. Wendy holds a business degree from the University of Akron.
“I meet with customers and work on developing concepts,” said Wendy. “Bob custom designs the stained glass artwork. Master craftsmen build, install and service our stained glass.”
Not many places in the United States – or throughout the world, for that matter – are capable of designing, manufacturing, installing and servicing leaded stained glass masterpieces. Studio Arts & Glass is one of the best-known such shops around.
“Much of our work comes to us through referrals,” Wendy said. “Our best form of advertising is word-of-mouth. We’ve developed excellent relationships with architects and builders over the years, and they’ve had some pretty good things to say about us.”
One reason for that is because the Studio Arts & Glass team is known for staying on the job until everything is done right.
“When we leave a job, we want everyone involved to be happy,” said Wendy.
That’s worked out pretty well. Studio Arts & Glass has generated smiles as far away as Asia, Bermuda, Canada and England.
“Plus, our work can be found in all 50 states,” said Wendy.
From churches to colleges and universities to hospitals to individual homes, no job is too large or small for Studio Arts & Glass. The studio’s 20 employees, several of which were discovered during classes offered by the studio, are eager to get the job done right.
Studio Arts & Glass designed a logo for an ESPN show backdrop, has done for work for an underground top-secret military facility in central Pennsylvania, and has handled restoration work at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Westcott House in Springfield, Ohio.
The studio also has restored leaded stained glass at some interesting locations and for some interesting customers, including 35 Brix in Green, St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Youngstown, the Great Seal of Ohio in Columbus, the Sebring Mansion, and many more in Ohio and beyond.
Studio Arts & Glass also creates and restores stained glass art for individual homeowners and various companies and corporations throughout the region and worldwide.
Dogs have been an important part of Bob and Wendy’s life together. A totem pole outside the entrance to the studio features carvings of the five dogs from the original shop. On any given day, customers might encounter any or all of the five dogs the couple now owns in the studio.
Studio Arts & Glass believes in lending a hand to the community. The studio supports the annual fundraiser for the Beech Creek Botanical Garden as well as dog rescue organizations in an effort to help dogs get placed in loving homes.
The Joliets also have been known to save stained glass windows from churches about to be razed.
The outlook for beautiful and colorful stained glass artwork is as bright as ever.
And the Joliets’ desire to continue demonstrating Stark County’s true colors to the rest of the world also is showing no signs of fading.