Daily Inspiration: Meet Justin Williams

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Williams. They and their team shared their story with us below:

The journey for Little Glass Art began in November of 2016 when husband and wife team Jordan and Justin Williams began teaching stained glass classes at Full Spectrum Art Glass in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

If you ask Justin, he will tell you he married into the business, and for Jordan, the journey began with watching her mom Julie fall in love with the medium as a young teen. Justin and Jordan learned about the business from Julie Gill at her Big Glass Art studio in Huntsville, Alabama.

Day by day, we fell in love with the idea of making a stained glass business our journey. Julie, being the incredible woman she was, ran Big Glass Art singlehandedly with the love and support of her community. We knew we wanted to do something larger, and she helped us see and craft the vision of what could be possible. Throughout a couple of years, in the funny way life does, it was decided that this would be our future.

Life later brought them to Colorado, where the passion continued, and Little Glass Art was born and raised out of necessity. Jordan traveled monthly to Alabama to continue running classes in the Big Glass Art studio while Julie focused on producing commission projects. It made sense to teach in Colorado, where Jordan spent the rest of the month.

In short, we were astounded by the outpouring of support and interest in our classes from the Colorado Springs community. It was decided that Justin would also teach to fill the demand when Jordan was away, and before we knew it, we were discussing both doing it full-time. To make that possible, we needed to expand to Denver with the help and support of an artist non-profit called Transforming Creatives, which believed in what we wanted to grow.

Somewhere along the way, we decided it was time for a kid (who’s idea was that again?) We welcomed our beautiful baby girl Jessa Ann on March 3, 2022. To say it changed our lives would be an understatement. We couldn’t have continued what we love without our loving and loyal team (shoutout to you, Paola Cardenas). It taught us to trust, teach and learn and that we could do more and be more for ourselves and others. In exchange, it has made Little Glass Art more for all of us, our customers, and students.

Over the years, the Little Glass Art team has taught thousands of Coloradoans in fun-focused and mastery-focused classes. We are beyond blessed for the continued support from the Colorado Springs and Denver communities. Our journey has been a lot of hard work mixed with a healthy dose of the what are we doing kind of fear. Without our guests, without the love for the art form, we wouldn’t and could be.

We are eternally thankful to all who have been part of our journey, helped, loved, and allowed us to build what we have. We dream of replicating what we have here in other cities around the United States. We love what we do and hope to share that with others who will love it as we do.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Of course not, but we feel we are very lucky people. I think any small business struggles to find a way to cope and grow at all sizes and stages, and Little Glass Art is no exception.

Our biggest struggle today is finding a new building to call home. This old building is home, heart, memories, and community, but its recent rezoning will redevelop it to serve a new life for the RiNo district. We hope to purchase our property and build a deeper foundation in the Denver community. Though that commitment is terrifying, we know in the end, as with all the struggles we’ve been through, that we will be better for it.

An example of a struggle we were better for was making Little Glass Art larger than ourselves. For the first five years, the business was bound because it was Justin and Jordan alone. We had a lot of fear, bringing on more people to rely on us. We were focused on reaching a point where we felt we could do that safely and with the compassion for others we would want. As it goes, we eventually didn’t have a choice. We needed help. We are certainly much better for the incredible people around us, who we call our team these days.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Our classes are what truly sets us apart from other stained glass studios. We offer fun 3 – 4 hour classes for the masses that allow our guests to walk away with a completed stained glass piece, knowledge, and appreciation for what the medium takes. Think of it as paint in a sip but glassier and less boozy.

We also offer what we call masterclasses for those people who are looking to take this on as a hobby. Those classes span multiple sessions and provide students with the knowledge, access to the equipment, and hands-on practice to continue the medium at your place or ours.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We couldn’t imagine asking for anything more than what we’ve received from our loving communities. To all everyone who has taken one or more of our classes, brought their friends, and told others, you have our most sincere gratitude. You allow us to do and grow something we genuinely love.

Beyond just that, we’ve been blessed by excellent business partners and communities such as Transforming Creatives and Cottonwood Center for the Arts. We hope to find a person or community just as loving and supportive of aiding us in finding a new building for us to call home.

Pricing:

• Tiffany Method Stained Glass Class – $70 per person
• Mini Leaded Panel Stained Glass Class – $80 per person
• Mosaic Pendant Jewelry Class – $45 per person
• Copper Foil Masterclass Starting at $295
• Traditional Lead Came Masterclass Starting at $450

Contact Info:

• Website: littleglassart.co
• Instagram: instagram.com/littleglassart
• Facebook: facebook.com/littleglassart
• Other: tiktok.com/u/littleglassart

Image Credits
Russ Kilmas