Business in Focus

Stained Glass Masters
by Patsy Wallace

hen Bill Roberson made his way to Columbia from Ohio, his wife gave him a Valentine's Day gift, enrolling him in a class on the art and craft of making stained glass.  Classical Glass took root as a result, and the gift he was given, a gift he believed would only provide him a means to make a living, morphed into an extraordinary enterprise.

Roberson's Classical Glass started in a shed behind his house.  On September 22, 1989, hurricane Hugo swept through the state and although the storm was devastating for some South Carolina residents (more accurately the storm affected the coastal region), it offered a unique opportunity for Roberson.  Many stained glass windows were broken or damaged in Hugo's wake and Roberson was contacted by small churches to repair or replace their windows.

In 1993 Classical Glass moved into a storefront on Millwood Avenue, where the work of building the business and perfecting the craft took hold.  Classical Glass employs the same technique craftsmen used to create the oldest stained glass windows found in Augsburg, Germany.  Known as the "Five Prophets" the windows portray Biblical figures Moses, David, Daniel, Hosea, and Jonas which have stood the test of time for more than nine hundred years.

Roberson uses a technique often referred to as "leaded glass".  A came bar is placed between small pieces of glass to make a larger glazing panel.  Dividing lines generally made of lead, zinc, copper or brass, separate each piece.  Classical Glass uses this model on most new projects.

When Classical Glass opened its doors on Millwood Avenue, according to Roberson "it was a space occupied by another business and the two were separated by yellow tape on the floor."  Classical Glass later moved from Millwood Avenue to its current location at 3031 Main Street.  Classical Glass employs three skilled artisans in the craft of stained glass making.

Although Roberson does not see the craft as an art, the finished product suggests otherwise.