Gay Fad Studios revives an old name and carries on a legacy
LANCASTER − Gay Fad Studios is a new glassware studio seeking to continue the legacy of glassmaking that has been a central part of Lancaster's history.
In keeping with history, they are reviving the Gay Fad Studios name from a former pinnacle of the community.
The original Gay Fad Studios was a nationally-successful company founded by Lancaster-resident Fran Taylor, a trailblazer in the glass making industry. As part of their mission, husbands David and Jason Annecy, owners of the new Gay Fad Studios hope to spread her legacy to those who have never heard it.
"Learning about Fran and her story and really kind of seeing what it means to Lancaster as being a glass town, there's a long history of glass production in this city," said David. "(People) were shocked to find they had lived here their whole lives and never heard of Fran Taylor or heard of Gay Fad Studios. It just shocked us to think 'wow this is such an important piece of our glassware history that has been forgotten.'"
Achieving greater recognition for Taylor is one of the Annecy's two main reasons for opening Gay Fad Studios, the other being a love for the community.
"For us, I think why we wanted to open up this studio was, there are multiple reasons," said Jason. "One, we really appreciate and really love the community that's here and we've always been inspired by the way that the community really wraps their arms around us, around anybody. We wanted to revive Fran Taylor's story even more so, so we could raise visibility about what she achieved and hopefully along the way gain here greater recognition."
Today, Gay Fad Studios continues its namesakes tradition of glassmaking.
"We are redesigning and creating, kind of mid-century modern glassware," said David. "So, Gay Fad Studios had a legacy of glassware decoration and we are trying to reignite that same approach that Fran took in her previous business."
For anyone interested in learning more about Fran Taylor or shopping for decorated glassware, Gay Fad Studios is located at 137 W Main St. Their hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
"I would say that Gay Fad Studios helps to make the moments that we all share that much more memorable," said Jason. "To us, it's not just glass. To us, it's actually making art accessible."
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Gay Fad Studios revives an old name and carries on a legacy
