Fayette hosts one of four worldwide stained-glass makers
Mark Hofmann/For the Observer-Reporter
Tristan Triggs, president of Youghiogheny Opalescent Glass in Connellsville, examines a sheet of glass – one of over 400 different varieties they manufacture – for any imperfections before sending it to their warehouse shelves.
Mark Hofmann/For the Observer-Reporter
Leanne Triggs, sales manager for Youghiogheny Opalescent Glass in Connellsville, shows a piece of art made by one of their regular customers using glass from the business.
Mark Hofmann/For the Observer-Reporter
Area residents helped create the butterfly mosaic outside of Youghiogheny Opalescent Glass in Connellsville.
Editor’s note: This is one in a weekly series featuring businesses operating in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties that have national and global reach.
Those hiking or biking the Great Allegheny Passage through Connellsville may be awestruck by a glass mosaic of butterflies visible on the outside of an unassuming building.
What many likely don’t know is that the decorative glass used to make that mosaic was produced in that building, and is shipped all over the world.
Located on the west side of Connellsville, Youghiogheny Opalescent Glass Company Inc. manufactures stained glass that’s used by both professionals in a studio setting and hobbyists in the comfort of their own home.
The company, founded by the late John Triggs, first opened its doors on West Side Hill in Connellsville in 1976. Then, Triggs made colored glass for Tiffany-style windows and lamps. In 2002, Youghiogheny Glass moved to its current location on First Street in Connellsville, with manufacturing, the warehouse and the front office under one roof.
Tristan Triggs, president of the company and the son of its founder, said that move was part of the perfect storm of hard times.
“Stained glass was not cool, it fell out of favor,” he said. “We were very limited on our products anyway, and we took on $1 million in debt to move here.”
For several years, the business struggled. A renewed interest in stained glass started around 2018, he said, and the company branched out, developing different styles like fusible glass to appeal to a larger market.
An additional bump in business came in 2020.
“During the pandemic, stained glass and crafts had come alive again,” said Leanna Triggs, sales manager for Youghiogheny Glass. “The younger generation found glass art to be intriguing, and gave a new style to what was considered a traditional art form.”
“We made a joke when the quarantine happened that everyone would go downstairs and finish off the stain-glass lamp they started 20 years ago,” Tristan Triggs said. “And then that happened.”
While the pandemic pushed many businesses to the brink of financial ruin, Youghiogheny Glass thrived. The company now employs 15 people and creates stained glass in over 400 different colors and styles that are shipped to over 30 major distributors worldwide. He estimated 30% to 40% of those shipments go to Japan.
“They have a great appreciation of western culture and art,” Leanne Triggs said, adding that many people are surprised that a manufacturing company with such a wide distribution is located in Connellsville. “We’re one of four stained-glass manufacturers in the United States.”
Of course, appreciation of art from Youghiogheny Glass isn’t just in The Land of the Rising Sun, it’s also right outside the company’s building.
The company held a community mosaic event on June 17 in front of their building.
Leanne Triggs said a similar event brought about 30 to 40 people who helped to create the glass mosaic of butterflies on the building a couple of years ago. She said the events are ways to put the community in touch with glass art, with an artist helping participants with how and where to place tiles.
The latest project is a series of trout swimming in the water that will be attached to their building and be visible to those on the bike trail.
“It’s amazing how the collaboration turns into a masterpiece,” Leanne Triggs said.
For more information on Youghiogheny Opalescent Glass Company Inc., visit their website at www.youghioghenyglass.com or their Facebook page.