About Us

Red and white graphic of Dakota Glass Works with text 'The Hottest Shop on the Block! Wardensville, WV'.

WELCOME TO DAKOTA GLASS WORKS

Dakota Glass Works is a small-scale glass production and teaching studio, proud to carry on the time-honored Appalachian tradition of glassblowing in the hills of West Virginia. We make functional, handblown glass designed to be used — pitchers that pour beautifully, glasses that feel good in your hand, pieces sturdy enough for everyday life and special enough to give as gifts. Every piece is blown one at a time in our hot shop, where heat, teamwork, and split-second timing turn molten glass into something lasting.

What makes this place special, though, is who’s at the bench.

Dakota Glass Works is part of Farms Work Wonders, a nonprofit social enterprise. In our hot shop, local youth — who we call the Junior Crew — work alongside our glassblowers every day, shaping the glass in our gallery and helping lead the workshops that bring guests into the craft.

Charles and Jacob making a glass pumpkin

Four people posing in front of Dakota Glass Works with matching shirts.

Come spend some time in the hottest shop in Wardensville, WV!

Catch a live demonstration. Roll up your sleeves and make something of your own in a hands-on workshop. You’ll work with glassblowers who take the craft seriously — and make the process approachable, collaborative, and genuinely fun. Gallery Hours: Friday - Sunday, 11AM - 4PM Studio Hours: Thursday - Sunday, 9AM - 4PM

We’re proud to make this work right here in West Virginia — and proud of the young artists helping carry it forward. When you shop, take a workshop, or visit our studio and gallery, you’re supporting the next generation of Appalachian glassblowers.

MEET THE CREW MEET THE CREW

Person wearing a green shirt in a workshop setting

Alex Raptis is a Wardensville resident and glassmaker. She is passionate about education, community development and glass design.

ALEX RAPTIS

Glass Manager

Person wearing a light purple t-shirt in a workshop setting

Lucy Gillis is a multimedia artist from southwestern Virginia whose work centers on light, ephemera, absence, and labor. She received her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and her MFA in Glass from Tyler School of Art and Architecture, and now lives and works in Wardensville, WV.

LUCY GILLIS

Glass Manager

Charles has been at Dakota Glass Works for over two years and has graduated to our Apprenticeship program. He enjoys making vessels, is a production lead and teaches many of the classes.

CHARLES SAGER-SNYDER

Gaffer

Cayden learned to blow glass at Dakota Glass Works and has been here for a year and half. He is in a vocational high school program and is considering a career in glassmaking.

CAYDEN

Junior Crew

Person wearing a gray t-shirt and black cap standing against a textured wall.

Jacob likes metal music and his coworkers. He's been at Dakota Glass Works for eight months and is a fast learner.

JACOB

Junior Crew

Person wearing a beige Carhartt jacket against a textured wall.

MADISON

Junior Crew

the Dakota Glass Works crew posing in front of the studio

Close-up of a flame and metallic apparatus with blurred background

Alex and Cayden leading a guest through a cup workshop

Person holding a bouquet of glass flowers and strawberries

Set of glass pitchers on a wooden surface with a blurred background

Green glassware on a table with Dakota Glass Works building in the background