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After shutting down its furnaces in January when its bank accounts were seized in a dispute with a former natural-gas supplier, Blenko Glass Co. plans to resume production on a limited basis.
Inventory remaining on hand after the Jan. 30 shutdown has been selling at a feverish rate, giving the 115-year-old company the cash needed to begin filling orders placed before the closure.
"Given the current economic situation, to have the kind of support we’ve been having from the community and Blenko customers around the country has been amazing," said Katie Trippe, Blenko’s assistant vice president.
"People from all over have been calling in to place orders. We’ve had people change vacation plans so they could come by and buy our products."
Income from inventory sales has allowed the struggling glassmaker to get caught up with its current gas supplier, fire up the furnaces, and announce plans to reactivate - at least on a temporary basis - seven to nine members of its 20-member production crew.