Cariad Glass

Our sales usually come through galleries and exhibitions which were all on hold. Our website shop, the Stained Glass Emporium has been invaluable to us, as was the support we received from the Development Bank.

Justine Dodd, Co-Owner, Cariad Glass

Stained Glass artists Cariad Glass saw a boost in online sales during lockdown after developing a fun make at home glass mosaic kit to give crafty customers a creative fix. They received a micro loan to support working capital and growth in April 2020.

Husband and wife team Justine and Chris Dodd use traditional methods and techniques to create bespoke art and glass pieces, specialising in commission and restoration work. They also offer face-to-face courses at their studio for those who wish to learn more about glass crafts.

Keen to diversify and offer something to do at home for customers missing out on face-to-face courses, the pair came up with the idea of a small hanging glass mosaic panel that you can make at home. They filmed the process of putting together a glass mosaic using domestic equipment and put the video on their Facebook page.

They were soon inundated with requests to buy the £25 kits. Since then, they have moved to a new premises on the high street in Llandysul and opened a gallery space called the Cariad Creative Emporium.