Like many of us, Linda Kirkendall believes “your old-fashioned tastes better” in a beautiful hand-cut glass.
For the last 45 years, she and her artisan husband, Randy, have kept this tradition alive as owners of the historic Warsaw Cut Glass factory and showroom just outside downtown Warsaw, Indiana. Founded in 1911, it is the last complete glass factory in the United States, and it is home to two of the five practicing glass cutters in the country.
Most of the mouth-blown titanium crystal and quality machine-made glass they use is sourced from Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy and Germany. The stemware, barware, serving dishes and other pieces are embellished with a fine or “grey” cut using the 70 or so stone wheels at the factory. Some of the wheels are 80 years old, and they are all run by the original line shaft. Walking into the factory is like walking back in time, says Linda. “A child can go back there and understand how the machines work. It’s all visible.”
Their delicate rye pattern, their first fine-cut motif, dates to 1917. Linda says tastes are cyclical: sometimes simpler, then more embellished. They designed the glassware for the Indiana governor’s mansion with the torch, stars and swag from the state flag.
Many customers are third- and fourth-generation devotees, such as the client picking up a gift for a new baby because that’s what her grandmother always did. “We have to be very aware of the history here,” says Linda. “When someone wants to match grandma’s glassware, we have to make sure that pattern is still the same as in 1917.” The “artist’s spin” is less important than “the integrity of continuing a craft that is cherished.”
Fortunately, the future of the factory is in good hands. The Kirkendall’s daughter, Lauren, has helped run the business for almost a decade and is a co-owner. She will continue production with Matt Light, who has been cutting glass with Randy for three and a half years.
Although Linda claims what they do at Warsaw Cut Glass is a craft, not an art, they “take pride in taking everyday pieces and enhancing them—to make your table and life a little more beautiful.”
Warsaw Cut Glass
505 S. Detroit St.
Warsaw, IN
574.267.6581
warsaw-cutglass.com
