Stained Glass Garden

Me & My husband paid prior to the stain glass class and both purchased a tool kit and upgraded some of the tools only Made it to the 1^st class which was the tour of the store and the course outline we had a family Emergency and tried to change our class day from Thursdays to Saturday with the amazing Melinda and was told we couldn’t no one asked our names or nothing then we tried checking if we could sign up for the following class and the lady was rude and could care less about us and the money we had already spent in Their register. Waste of money they are not professional and the Best thing going for them is Melinda! Don’t Spend your money here go next door and spend it

I recently had the pleasure of taking the ornament making class (usually the sun catcher class) with Melinda and was nothing but impressed. This class teaches you everything you need to know about the basics of copper foil stained glass. Some prior reviews stated they didn’t provide the tools. That is incorrect. They provide ALL the tools you need in order to complete your project on the day of your class. There is absolutely no pressure to purchase anything past the class unless you want to. They even offer a 10% off for students for a week after you take a class in case you decide you want to return.
I’ve been looking for a class like this for a long time. And i was so thrilled to find this gem of a place right in Berkeley! The one thing i would tell potential class takers, is that you complete ONE item in this class. Yes, it’s a 5 hour class… but it’s just that… a class. You are given all the instruction and knowledge to be able to return and complete a project on your own should you so desire.
If you have any interest in taking a class here i highly recommend it. I’m returning for the leading class in january! I can’t wait!

WHen I first went to Stain Glass Garden, I was overwhelm and needed someone to help me. Jena, a terrific employee, not only helped me learn about the variety of glass, but she gave me very vauable tips about cutting glass and the way to use some of the tools. I am very grateful for Jena’s kindness and expertize. Stain Glass Garden may be pricy, the the service is worth it.

Stained glass garden looks to take every penny you have without much common sense… if you fleece me & treat me poorly I will not return.
Took a class here with my boyfriend. We don’t have a car so they made us pay for a drawer to store our materials (why not provide this to students for a limited time)? Most drawers were empty. We had some personal emergencies and had to miss a few classes… they wanted us to pay to make those up. Full price for both of us. I asked one of the store clerks to show me a simple technique that took her 5 min & the manager charged me FULL price for a «class.» What the hell??? I was so Angry I was shaking. That’s A LOT of money for 5 minutes. Also the materials kit they had us each purchase was redundant for two people and did not include some of the most necessary materials.
The actual instructor was lovely & tried to help us out by being flexible, but the manager was rigid, unkind, and greedy.
Good luck with that business model stained glass garden. I learned how to finish my project on YouTube & bought my materials (not provided by you) on Amazon. I want to support local business & artisans but not when they are surly & money-​grubbing.

Cute store. Only in case of dire need will I shop there though… Extremely overpriced!!! I buy most of my stuff online, like solder which is $ 17 each roll. This store marks it up over $ 10. I understand overhead and all… But when I need 5 rolls, that adds up. Especially when I get free shipping. Also, supply and demand… They’re the only store for miles.
Also, they have packets to get people started in the craft. When I looked at it, I wouldn’t use half of the items in it. And there are no substitutions. When I checked out I thought the bill was a bit high… And it was because they charged me twice for a high priced item.
I did feel as though they were a bit too incompetent. I’ll spend a nice day going to Sacramento when I need other supplies.

New to the area and thought i’d revisit an old hobby i picked up while in high school. it’s been over 10 years since i last did anything related to stained glass so i started with beginning course and i’m very pleased i did. I’m ³⁄₅ of the way through! I remembered a lot from my previous classes but it was nice to have the instruction and support. I do believe this particular place is rather expensive in everything. it’s $ 125 for tuition. then another $ 200 for a tool kit which doesn’t 100% of the items you need. Then of course got to buy glass… yikes this can get pretty pricey. What i really really appreciate is the instructor lets you use her extra tools that you don’t need to necessarily buy. and if you break a piece of glass she’s usually trying to save you money and figure out a way to use the glass you have for your piece. I count several times in a class she’s encouraging students to save money and not buy more glass just because they broke something, etc. So given that everything is pretty expensive she tries to save you money where she can. I’m so glad I took this class and look forward to others and continuing my work.

This is one of my favorite places in the Bay Area — they have beautiful glass, wonderful classes and lots of supplies for the hobbyist. If they don’t have what you’re looking for you can always order. Yes, their glass is not cheap but I don’t know of any stained glass store that isn’t — glass is expensive.
I’ve only taken classes given by Julie and can highly recommend her as an instructor. This is a great place for materials and supplies — not to mention gifts. Beautiful items for sale.

I came to Stained Glass Garden on the suggestion of the good folks at Bullseye Glass in Emeryville as well as the sales people at Blick in Berkeley. I’m so glad I did! They had a lot of great stuff — I was looking for an enamel sifter, which they actually had, and walked out with a ton more — textures of dichroic that I’d never seen before and a bunch of opal frit powders. I love that they have the powder in smaller packages too. They’ve got both 96 and 90 COE and the sales people are very friendly and helpful. I was very pleased that I took a chance on this place, it will definitely be on my to-​do list when I need more glass making supplies :) Its a quaint and cute store with a ton of stuff! Only downside is that the parking is madness if you try to come on a weekend, but hey, its 4^th Street in Berkeley :)

If you need competent, friendly help especially with a new project, the supplies for which you’re not sure of, ask for MELINDA. She’s patient, helpful, and very knowledgeable. I’ve taken a couple of classes at the garden (a mosaics class taught by her), and I was impressed at how patient she was and excited by the general glass medium.
The Stained Glass Garden has almost everything you’d want for doing stained glass.

I took a beginner class… and was thrilled. I had been taking a community college class and while that was ok, it did not have the high level of attention at Stained Glass garden. Well worth the time!

I just finished my first 5 week intro to stained glass classes. I will say I am so glad I finally took the time to take these classes. I had Kat as my instructor who was amazing!!! Very patient and knowledgable. Also Malinda was always around as back up help and to help you with getting supplies. I will be back for more classes for sure! Getting ready to turn my garage into my own little studio what a fun hobby.

In purchasing stained glass to replace a set of broken windows, the employees of Stained Glass Garden repeatedly proved their ineptitude in their profession. A summary of issues follows:
1. After promising to make a cost estimate on the day when I brought the glass frames in, the employees forgot to do so. After repeatedly calling for 2 days, they finally obliged.
2. The employees (artisans, craftswomen) did not know about puttying and glazing windows, a relatively common procedure for most antique homes (and the large arts and crafts community at Berkeley)
3. The glass pieces they provided did not meet the specifications we asked for. This might have been forgivable had we asked for a unique design, but our purchase was for simple rectangular frames. This work is easy to accomplish (a man at UC Glass completed the work in 30 minutes, whereas stained glass took 4 days), so I find no excuse for the poor, delayed performance.
4. After we pointed out that the glass had been cut incorrectly, the manager refused to re-​cut the glass or make a refund, stating that it had been «our fault for providing faulty specs». Since we gave them a door frame that they could measure on their own, this is not only blatantly false, but bad business practice as well.
In summary, Stained Glass Garden possesses none of the expertise expected in a niche glass shop and many faults that mar what could have been an easy, streamlined process for glass ordering. I will be taking my business to UC Glass instead.

I have been visiting this shop, oogling all the beautiful artwork and feeling the itch to create. I used to create stained glass but haven’t in years. This shop and all the staff inspired me enough for me to extend my visit so I could take a 5 week fusing and slumping class. It was the basic class but it was so informative. I cannot wait to take another class! I will be scheduling a visit as soon as I can!

Went in looking for supplies and to compare them to their competitors. Staff was indifferent towards me (I know I don’t look the part, but I am middle class and have a little disposable income). Prices were on the high side. Displayed work was of mediocre quality. Could be an interesting shop/​studio if they took an interest in it themselves, but they don’t seem to. A big «Meh» from me.
I’ve never taken a class from them so cannot speak to the instruction there.

I haven’t been in this place for decades, probably because I think of it as somewhere that offers classes, which it does. I love art glass, but don’t have the artistic talent to create at the level that I appreciate, so I’ve walked by w/​o going in. Many times. Today Alan and I were down on 4^th Street for Jazz on 4^th, the yearly free jazz festival that raises money for the Berkeley High Jazz Programs. We found a parking space in the lot behind Stained Glass Garden. The Berkeley High Jazz Combo was just winding up their set on Stage 1 and I decided to check it out.
This location is different from the old one. In addition to the classroom area and the pieces of glass they sell to people crafting their own projects, they also have a gallery and that’s what won my heart and attention. I had expected maybe student or staff art, but they have art glass from studios around the country and much of it was lovely. Prices seemed reasonable for the excellent quality of the work. I saw many pieces that would look beautiful in our home. Some looked like pieces I do have. I managed to admire w/​o buying anything, although there were certainly pieces I would like to see and savor again.

On Dec 3^rd 2011 — Stained Glass Garden offered a Christmas craft activity — provided free materials to public to make a glass-​paper collage-​tree decoration. My daughter joined the table along with other kids and adults, the women leading the activity encouraged parents to go to the store and look around and continue the activity by buying the materials. Since my daughter liked it, we proceed to go to the store, I showed the clerk the decoration we made and asked her to help me get the materials. She brought the materials, glass, (package in cardboard and sealed with tape) copper ribbon, hangers, I paid and took it home. When my daughter opened it the glass was too small to past any photos the copper ribbon too narrow to seal the 2 pieces of glass that were supposed to be held by the copper ribbon.
We returned to the store and mentioned we had trouble using a too narrow copper wire, to hold the the pieces of glass. She said, oh yeah! I know we had to put kits together since we had so many people wanting to buy the materials, would you like to buy it? I just bought the materials a day ago from you that were not appropriate for the craft — you recommended the materials. Would you give some credit for what I bought so I can purchase the appropriate materials. The clerk went to talk to her manager, the manager was standing 2 feet away all this time listening and would not intervene.
The clerk came back to tell me that I had opened the package and there was no refunds!
Completely ignored the issue. I am for supporting local business, but if the business has no regard for the customer, I will take my business elsewhere. If Stain Glass offers a free craft, take the freebie and don’t try it at home even with their materials!

Oh I have this thing for glass. It’s a love affair actually. I love the way the light hits the glass, the colors, the patterns, the bubbles, the artistry of it all just amazes me!
Walk into my home, and surely you will notice my love affair. The hubby knows that I love glass vases. Its an addiction.
So, walking into this store is heavenly for me! Now, I just need a purpose for sheets of lovely glass, and I would buy this store out!
Bravo for offering classes! I am totally signing up for one!
oh and BTW: preggo casts of the belly, they show one that gets tiled and is all pretty… great idea, because otherwise, what the heck are you going to do with a cast?

After receiving an unexpected call from the Stained Glass Garden questioning my original review, I’ve decided to go into detail to explain my concerns. I also can’t help thinking that the confirmation phone number I left for the class was used inappropriately.
I enthusiastically signed up for the tempered glass mosaic class, at the cost of $ 125, with the anticipation of learning a new technique and advancing my mosaic skills. I had never taken a class here before; but based on classes I’ve taken elsewhere, I anticipated a day of new experiences and challenges with a skilled professional.
As the class commenced, I realized the technique was not to the level of sophistication or professionalism that I was after. We attached our collage and glass with Elmer’s gel and heard a story of the instructor’s severe reaction to epoxy. She mentioned other adhesives that could be used, but assured us that the Elmer’s was just fine. I felt like this was a grade school art project or a great idea for a kit you could buy at Michael’s craft stores. For $ 125 I expected much more. Per my telephone conversation: This is an all-​inclusive, 5-​hour class which allows you to complete one project and aimed primarily at crafters. (This was not in the class description, which states previous experience preferred.)
Once everything was glued, the instructor proceeded with a grouting demonstration. Our pieces needed to dry at least 24 hours before we could grout, so it was impossible to complete the project within the 5 hours alloted for the class. (This was also not stated in the class description.) We were supplied grout and acrylic admix to do on our own. In the demonstration the instructor used a piece she had completed earlier. She flipped it over and a few small pieces of glass fell off! She commented that it happens and it’s really no big deal. It may not be a big deal to her, but I just spent $ 125 on a project that could (and, I might add, did) have pieces fall off! When it comes to grouting I have experience — I’ve grouted counter tops, floors and other mosaic projects for both interior and exterior applications. If you do not have experience and considering that this in an interior piece and just a «craft» project following her instructions would be OK for «crafters». Otherwise, I would not recommend her grouting method and would seek assistance.
Hence my recommendation for the Institute of Mosaic Art in Oakland. Not only do they offer classes, supplies and are in the area, but the instructors are also professional mosaic artists with commercial applications experience that is reflected in their teaching methods.

For someone who grew up admiring stained glass (window panels, Tiffany lamps, etc.) having SGG teach me how to make a panel on my own was amazing. I took two classes here: suncatcher workshop and introduction to stained glass. Both classes were hands on, the teachers were always helpful and were eager to teach and share their craft. SGG made me a stained glass artist. In fact, I have all the tools (you have to purchase your own tools for the class) and even a glass grinder.
I hope to someday soon go back for intermediate stained glass.
SGG is awesome.

I took a beginning stained glass class here. The class was great. I’ve been having so much fun with my new hobby. I love coming here and picking out glass for my projects. The staff is helpful but not overbearing and the selection is almost overwhelming. It’s a treat to shop here.