Trash to Treasure
Lewis County couple turn their love of recycling into a profitable business
Lewis County couple turns trash into art
Photo gallery of the recyclers from Lewis County.
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By Isaac Broyles and Steve Butera
Piles of old, discarded, and broken glass bottles surround a makeshift blue tent, brought there by a society who has branded these items as trash. However, by the end of the day these dull lifeless bottles will be melted down and transformed into hundreds of vibrant glass novelties by Cliff Rock and Claudia Rexroad.
The husband and wife team operate Willow Creek Glass, located in Alum Bridge, W.Va., which uses nearly five tons of recycled glass every year to make a wide variety of objects – kisses, paperweights, animals, whimsies, sculptures, eggs, vases, marbles, flowers, jewelry, fruits and vegetables.
“When something breaks or turn out wrong, we can simply throw them back into the furnace and try again,” Rock said.
Rock and Rexroad run Willow Creek Glass from their home, so rent isn’t an issue. Their only real operating cost is the propane they use to keep their furnaces burning.
Rock said that because they can operate inexpensively through recycling, they can sell their items at a low price. This simple business plan has allowed Willow Creek Glass to thrive while many bigger glass companies – like the Milton-based Blenko Glass Company, which had to suspend operations earlier this year – experience economic hardships.
Recycled materials also find a new use in the couple’s personal lives. They are building a home for themselves made of wood and glass salvaged from other buildings and scrap piles. Even the walls in their future home have many glass bottle sculptures built right in.
To promote their product and message of recycling, Willow Creek Glass conducts many demonstrations at festivals, grand openings, and artisan shows. Rock said that Tamarack in Beckley, W.Va., sells many of their glass novelties and is where they give artisan demonstrations to the public. They also make pieces for weddings, class reunions and business conferences.
When Rock moved from Detroit to West Virginia in 1976, he had no idea he would spend the rest of his life making glass art. After about a year in the state holding down odd jobs, he got a job at a glass factory. Rock quickly became interested in glass blowing and decided to stay in West Virginia.
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He worked as what he calls a “craftsman” for almost two decades until he met his “artisan” companion, Rexroad, and decided to quit his job and start Willow Creek Glass with her. Today their pieces can be seen around the world in countries including Germany and Sweden.
The importance of recycling was instilled in both Rock and Rexroad from early childhood, so the couple easily connected with each other. To them, recycling isn’t just a hobby, it’s a way of life.
When they met, glass blowers were what the couple likes to call “purists”, meaning that they only bought and used clear crystal glass to make their pieces.
“I came from an artist background, where color is everything.” Rexroad said.
So they began experimenting by recycling different bottles to get colorful pieces.
“We haven’t stopped experimenting yet,” Rock said.
They slowed down their operations in the past year, however, when Rock suffered a heart attack. He is almost back to full health now, and he and his wife are trying to get caught up on all of their orders. The experience has made them want to prepare for an eventual retirement.
Rexroad doesn’t want to keep the secrets of Willow Creek Glass’s success to herself. She would like to become a sort of lobbyist for recycling.
Her plan is to talk to different communities and solid waste authorities about the importance of recycling. Rexroad said that instead of shipping bottles out of state and paying people to take them away to landfills, people could keep them and make something beautiful out of them. Rexroad hopes that she can eventually get West Virginia recognized as the “Recycling State.”
Many members of the surrounding community have adopted Willow Creek Glass’s model of recycling, and regularly bring them bags of glass bottles that would have otherwise been thrown away.
Rock and Rexroad accept all the glass that people bring them, partly because they can melt through 60 bottles a day, and partly because “the next thing you know everything will be switched to plastic.”
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