The History
The History
Who could have imagined that starting an engineering and architectural firm in Krakow would result in being voted the "Collectors Favorite at Rosemont" eight years later. A recent telephone interview with Glenn Lewis, the founder of Slavic Treasures, told of the interesting journey his life has taken in the past few years. Lewis told me "I came here (Krakow) at the end of '92 and was intensively involved in the renovation and rebuilding of southern Poland.
I also met and later married my wife, Basia, in April 1994. We now have two daughters, Allyson is 3 and Nicole is 13 months. Both girls are also dual citizens.
In 1992 Lewis co-founded a Polish-American architectural firm named Wizja and their first major project was the Krakow Jetport. Wizja also was involved with a major study regarding individual housing and a redevelopment plan for the Kazimierz Jewish District in Krakow (where Oscar Schindler's factory was located). Lewis didn't even think about blown glass until 1995 when he was working on a ventilation project for an independent glass manufacturer. One thing lead to another with the glass manufacturer eventually asking Lewis for business advice. Lewis wound up finally agreeing to help the company by representing their products in the US.
Fast forward a few years during which time Lewis was continually frustrated because he knew what "could be" with the glass, but was not happening, e.g. hyper-realism and technical advances with the glass medium (think free-blown).
Lewis also tired of being the middle man and knew there was a place for his ideas in blown glass. He also knew that there were big gaps in the industry -- the things he wanted to do.
Before striking out on their own (with partner Dave Wegerek), Lewis tried to sell the idea of the University Glasscots to a few companies, but no one was interested in the idea. Living in North Carolina with great schools nearby and knowing how folks feel about "their" schools, Lewis just couldn't believe that there were companies licensing numerous food company logos, but no one was licensing university mascots.
Halloween Eye on You
Lewis also said "Halloween is so much fun -- I love the Halloween ornaments and do a few pieces that are on the edge, for example Eye on You. He hinted that this one might be showing up in different colorations in the future.
Although the University Glasscots are extremely popular and are a common way for most non-collectors to become familiar with Slavic Treasures, the avid glass collectors appreciate the Slavic Treasure difference -- the realism in the animals and unusual free blown pieces are unique in the glass ornament world.
Slavic Treasures has a line of dog breeds, cat breeds, tropical fish, woodland and world wildlife animals that are extremely realistic. Once you've seen a Slavic Treasure animal or Halloween ornament, you'll be able to pick them out at a glance.
At this time Slavic Treasures is not in production, but don't count them out. Glenn Lewis just might be back with more ornaments and you can bet that they will be on the cutting edge of glass.
University Glasscots
In 1997 Lewis negotiated the first university licenses and soon started his own facility in mid-1997. He created Slavic Treasures as its own brand in 1998. Then, beginning in 1999, Slavic Treasures did another unusual thing in glass ornaments by going "in-house" on everything they do. Everything from the designing, blowing, and painting is produced in their own factories, with their own design teams and according to their own precise standards.
When asked what excites him the most about his products, Lewis said "it's almost impossible to answer that question -- the things that make me most excited are what happens here everyday and working with the people and whole system that we put together. The thing that really floats my boat is doing things that have never been done before".
College Treasures
Even though he lives on the other side of the world, Lewis is still a huge college sports fan. Of course growing up in the hotbed of College sports helped fuel his passion and translate it to the ornaments and collectibles created that are not just for the Holiday season. Each year more pieces are added to the line, which consists of resin ornaments, waterballs, statues (both large & small), and a table top "rocking" logo that is just too cool!
Although these are not currently produced, they can be found on the secondary market.
Asian Treasures
While on a business trip to China for College Treasures, he was amazed by the precision and craftsmanship the Chinese artists put into their work. He felt that he could translate this skill and art into ornaments. So, starting from the ground up, Lewis created a new factory and an ongoing training program for all his artists. Lewis brought his manufacturing experience from Poland and combined it with Chinese artistry to bring collectors a whole new level of treasures from Asia.
There are 55 molded pieces and 46 free-blown pieces.
The free-blowns are fantastic and could certainly be considered glass sculptures that stand alone on a table or in a cabinet. Lewis proudly showed off the Elegant Dragon, his signature piece from this line. The dragon is 5.5" long and 4.75" tall and has a retail price of approximately $45.
Asian Treasure Mouse
I don't even like mice, but you have to admit, Merry Mouse is a great one. I just might stick him on the top of our grandfather clock! Another piece that I failed to get a picture of, is the spider -- you can see him in the corner of this picture on the left side. He is huge and really scary looking.
Another license acquired by Slavic Treasures was the National Hockey League. The line includes glass ornaments and waterglobes.
This patriotic Santa was available in 2001 as the Treasure Hunters club piece. Lewis created a spectacular ornament for the membership and was a LE of 2000.
Note: the first club member piece is shown on page one.
Who could have imagined that starting an engineering and architectural firm in Krakow would result in being voted the "Collectors Favorite at Rosemont" eight years later. A recent telephone interview with Glenn Lewis, the founder of Slavic Treasures, told of the interesting journey his life has taken in the past few years. Lewis told me "I came here (Krakow) at the end of '92 and was intensively involved in the renovation and rebuilding of southern Poland.
I also met and later married my wife, Basia, in April 1994. We now have two daughters, Allyson is 3 and Nicole is 13 months. Both girls are also dual citizens.
In 1992 Lewis co-founded a Polish-American architectural firm named Wizja and their first major project was the Krakow Jetport. Wizja also was involved with a major study regarding individual housing and a redevelopment plan for the Kazimierz Jewish District in Krakow (where Oscar Schindler's factory was located). Lewis didn't even think about blown glass until 1995 when he was working on a ventilation project for an independent glass manufacturer. One thing lead to another with the glass manufacturer eventually asking Lewis for business advice. Lewis wound up finally agreeing to help the company by representing their products in the US.
Fast forward a few years during which time Lewis was continually frustrated because he knew what "could be" with the glass, but was not happening, e.g. hyper-realism and technical advances with the glass medium (think free-blown).
Lewis also tired of being the middle man and knew there was a place for his ideas in blown glass. He also knew that there were big gaps in the industry -- the things he wanted to do.
Before striking out on their own (with partner Dave Wegerek), Lewis tried to sell the idea of the University Glasscots to a few companies, but no one was interested in the idea. Living in North Carolina with great schools nearby and knowing how folks feel about "their" schools, Lewis just couldn't believe that there were companies licensing numerous food company logos, but no one was licensing university mascots.
Halloween Eye on You
Lewis also said "Halloween is so much fun -- I love the Halloween ornaments and do a few pieces that are on the edge, for example Eye on You. He hinted that this one might be showing up in different colorations in the future.
Although the University Glasscots are extremely popular and are a common way for most non-collectors to become familiar with Slavic Treasures, the avid glass collectors appreciate the Slavic Treasure difference -- the realism in the animals and unusual free blown pieces are unique in the glass ornament world.
Slavic Treasures has a line of dog breeds, cat breeds, tropical fish, woodland and world wildlife animals that are extremely realistic. Once you've seen a Slavic Treasure animal or Halloween ornament, you'll be able to pick them out at a glance.
At this time Slavic Treasures is not in production, but don't count them out. Glenn Lewis just might be back with more ornaments and you can bet that they will be on the cutting edge of glass.
University Glasscots
In 1997 Lewis negotiated the first university licenses and soon started his own facility in mid-1997. He created Slavic Treasures as its own brand in 1998. Then, beginning in 1999, Slavic Treasures did another unusual thing in glass ornaments by going "in-house" on everything they do. Everything from the designing, blowing, and painting is produced in their own factories, with their own design teams and according to their own precise standards.
When asked what excites him the most about his products, Lewis said "it's almost impossible to answer that question -- the things that make me most excited are what happens here everyday and working with the people and whole system that we put together. The thing that really floats my boat is doing things that have never been done before".
College Treasures
Even though he lives on the other side of the world, Lewis is still a huge college sports fan. Of course growing up in the hotbed of College sports helped fuel his passion and translate it to the ornaments and collectibles created that are not just for the Holiday season. Each year more pieces are added to the line, which consists of resin ornaments, waterballs, statues (both large & small), and a table top "rocking" logo that is just too cool!
Although these are not currently produced, they can be found on the secondary market.
Asian Treasures
While on a business trip to China for College Treasures, he was amazed by the precision and craftsmanship the Chinese artists put into their work. He felt that he could translate this skill and art into ornaments. So, starting from the ground up, Lewis created a new factory and an ongoing training program for all his artists. Lewis brought his manufacturing experience from Poland and combined it with Chinese artistry to bring collectors a whole new level of treasures from Asia.
There are 55 molded pieces and 46 free-blown pieces.
The free-blowns are fantastic and could certainly be considered glass sculptures that stand alone on a table or in a cabinet. Lewis proudly showed off the Elegant Dragon, his signature piece from this line. The dragon is 5.5" long and 4.75" tall and has a retail price of approximately $45.
Asian Treasure Mouse
I don't even like mice, but you have to admit, Merry Mouse is a great one. I just might stick him on the top of our grandfather clock! Another piece that I failed to get a picture of, is the spider -- you can see him in the corner of this picture on the left side. He is huge and really scary looking.
Another license acquired by Slavic Treasures was the National Hockey League. The line includes glass ornaments and waterglobes.
This patriotic Santa was available in 2001 as the Treasure Hunters club piece. Lewis created a spectacular ornament for the membership and was a LE of 2000.
Note: the first club member piece is shown on page one.
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