0816_TOEFL-Test-and-Score-Manual-1997

Great Ideas and Insights from VIPs ● 287
GREAT
IDEA
Charles Shackleton—Follow
Your Passion
Charles Shackleton attended a prestigious art school in
England and was happy to land a job as a glassblower
with Simon Pearce. Pearce is a well-known glass artist who runs an iconic
studio, showroom, and restaurant on a river in Quechee, Vermont.
“I was making 120 wine glasses a day and I was bored,” said Shackleton.
Not sure what to do next, he started making furniture, using hardwoods
and traditional woodworking techniques.
He realized that his passion was for working in wood, not glass. But in
1998, he was reluctant to tell Pearce, his friend and mentor, that he didn’t
want to make glass objects anymore. “He thought I was crazy,” recalled
Shackleton. “In fact, his wife took me out to lunch and encouraged me to
stay on.”
Undeterred, Shackleton decided to take the leap. Pearce ended up commissioning
the second bed Shackleton made and they remain friends.
“The trickiest thing was redefining ourselves after we went away from
Simon Pearce,” said Shackleton. His wife, Miranda Thomas, is a renowned
potter, hence the company name: Shackleton Thomas.
It hasn’t been easy, but following his passion paid off. Today, Shackleton
Thomas, produces high-end, handmade furniture and pottery. Shackleton’s
20 employees start with simple projects like bowls and spoons and work
their way up to making bed frames, bureaus, and dining room sets.
Clients are invited to visit the workshop, which is located in an old mill in
Bridgewater, Vermont. Watching the woodworkers work encourages clients
to order a $30,000 dining room or bedroom set and pay $8,000 for a dining
room table.
Demand for high-end furniture slumped during the recession.
When sales were soft, Shackleton said he had to lay off a few employees
and reduce everyone’s hours to 30 a week. Sales were about $1.5
million in 2010.
His biggest challenge is spending so much time on each piece, while
keeping it somewhat affordable. “We are artists and businesspeople at the
same time.”