This article appeared in The Parkersburg News on Friday, August 10, 2007

Businesses react to Fenton decision

By Sam Shawver, Special to The News

WILLIAMSTOWN — Reverberations from the pending closure of Williamstown’s Fenton Art Glass Co. will be felt throughout the Mid-Ohio Valley, according to local leaders and business owners.

“This is not what we hoped to hear about Fenton,” said Mike Jacoby, executive director of the Southeast Ohio Port Authority, after hearing of Thursday’s announcement that the century-old factory would cease operations in the coming months. “It’s tragic for the Fenton family and for the company’s workers, and this will be a painful process for them.

“It will also affect the local economy on both sides of the river — labor markets don’t recognize political boundaries,” he said.

Williamstown City Councilman Marty Seufer called the news “devastating.”

“My biggest question is what other reason does somebody who doesn’t have a relative in (Williamstown) have to come to Williamstown, W.Va.?” he said.

Fenton’s international reputation draws attention and visitors to the region. Each year, between 30,000 and 40,000 people take the company’s factory tour, which was named by USA Today as one of the top 10 in the nation.

“Fenton is certainly one of our biggest attractions for the group tours market,” said Kelly Blazosky, executive director of the Marietta/Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Bus and tour companies almost always include Fenton in their packages.”

Blazosky said the bureau had talked early on with Fenton representatives about continuing glassmaking on some level for tourists.

“Hopefully they can come up with something to offer as it would still provide value for people to learn about the glassmaking process and history,” she said. “And we would be happy to continue working with them.”

A decline in tourism will lead to a drop in hotel/motel tax revenue and hurt other businesses, Seufer said.

Jim Stage, co-owner of the Williamstown Antique Mall, worked 18 years for the Fenton company after returning from military service. Now his store on Highland Avenue sells a lot of out-of-production Fenton ware.

“It’s a shock,” Stage said of Thursday’s announcement. “I’ve been friends with the Fenton family for years, and I know this is heartbreaking for them.

“We just held the annual glassware convention, and a lot of people were talking about (the company’s recent financial problems), but they didn’t believe this would really happen,” he said.

Stage said closure of the 102-year-old company would touch everyone in some way, including his business.

“Our business is 70 to 75 percent antique glass, so this is going to hurt us for sure,” he said.

“I’ve seen all the glass houses close down, but Fenton is the Cadillac of those companies,” Stage said.

The news is also a blow to area hotels.

“The closure will most certainly affect to a certain degree what our guests can do in Marietta and thereby affect our business,” said Jennifer Auville, general manager of the Lafayette Hotel. “It’s hard to say how much it will affect our business; I guess only time will tell. But, there is no denying that Fenton does bring collectors to the area. It’s an irreplaceable attraction.”

Auville said the hotel has always promoted Fenton to its guests.

“Leisure travelers here at the hotel almost always take advantage of Fenton,” she said. “The tours they had were very popular among our guests and will be extremely missed.”

Terry Moore, manager of the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport, said he was caught off guard by the news.

“Wow, hearing it just makes my stomach sink,” Moore said. “I am absolutely shocked. I thought for sure someone would buy the company and keep the name; I certainly didn’t expect them to close. I don’t think anyone did.”

Although Moore said it is hard to quantify how many passengers come through the airport specifically for Fenton, he is certain that some do.

“It’s a key tourist destination. Everyone coming here is always interested in Fenton. Everyone knows of Fenton,” Moore said. “The bottom line is that Fenton put us on the map. It got people into the area. Without Fenton, well, that’s going to be tragic.”