Simon Pearce (born 1946 in London) is an Irish-American entrepreneur in glassblowing and pottery, who learned his trade in Italy and Kilkenny, Ireland.
Pearce located his first US factory, in Quechee, Vermont, in 1981. This site, which is powered hydroelectrically by the Ottauquechee River and is part of the Quechee Historic Mill District, became a showroom, restaurant, and glass-blowing demonstration facility. [1] The New York Times described him as a prominent American designer of glassware [2] and his works have been given as gifts to foreign dignitaries [3] and to presenters at the Academy Awards. [4]
Pearce's company headquarters is in Windsor, Vermont; another manufacturing facility is in Mountain Lake Park, Maryland. [5] His company has several retail outlets in the East of the USA
As of 2016, Pearce maintained a home in Hartland, Vermont; [6] previously, he resided in Norwich, Vermont. [7] He and his wife, Pia, have four sons. [6] Their youngest son is Kevin Pearce, a snowboarder, who was seriously injured in 2009 while training for the Olympics. [7] Kevin is the subject of the 2013 HBO film The Crash Reel . [6] [8]
Pearce's book, Simon Pearce: Design For Living was published in the fall of 2016. [9] [10]
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the state had a population of 643,503, ranking it the second least populated U.S. state ahead of Wyoming. It is the nation's sixth smallest state in area. The state's capital of Montpelier is the least populous U.S. state capital. No other U.S. state has a most populous city with fewer residents than Burlington. Vermont is also well known for being the largest producer of true maple syrup in the United States for over 200 years.
Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located 45 miles (72 km) south of the Canada–United States border and 95 miles (153 km) south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It is the least populous city in the 50 U.S. states to be the most populous city in its state.
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is associated with the art nouveau and aesthetic art movements. He was affiliated with a prestigious collaborative of designers known as the Associated Artists, which included Lockwood de Forest, Candace Wheeler, and Samuel Colman. Tiffany designed stained glass windows and lamps, glass mosaics, blown glass, ceramics, jewellery, enamels, and metalwork. He was the first design director at his family company, Tiffany & Co., founded by his father Charles Lewis Tiffany.
Shelburne is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located along the shores of Lake Champlain, Shelburne's town center lies approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of the city center of Burlington, the largest city in the state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population of Shelburne was 7,717.
Winooski is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located on the Winooski River, as of the 2020 U.S. census the municipal population was 7,997. The city is the most densely populated municipality in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is the smallest of Vermont's 10 cities by area, though the city of Vergennes has the smallest population. As part of the Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area, it is bordered by Burlington, Colchester, and South Burlington.
Hartford is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. It is on the New Hampshire border, at the intersection of Interstates 89 and 91. It is the site of the confluence of the White and Connecticut rivers; the Ottauquechee River also flows through the town. The town is composed of five unincorporated villages: Hartford, Quechee, West Hartford, White River Junction and Wilder. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,686.
White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,528 at the 2020 census, up from 2,286 in 2010, making it the largest community within the town of Hartford.
Milton is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,723. According to local legend, the town was named for the English poet John Milton, but the name most likely originated from William FitzWilliam, 4th Earl FitzWilliam, who held the title Viscount Milton and was a supporter of independence for the colonies during the American Revolution.
Rutland is the only city in and the seat of Rutland County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 15,807. It is located approximately 65 miles (105 km) north of the Massachusetts state line, 35 miles (56 km) west of New Hampshire state line, and 20 miles (32 km) east of the New York state line. Rutland is the third largest city in the state of Vermont after Burlington and South Burlington. Rutland City is completely surrounded by Rutland Town, which is a separate municipality. The downtown area of the city is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.
Waterford Crystal is a manufacturer of lead glass or "crystal", especially in cut glass, named after the city of Waterford, Ireland. In January 2009, the main Waterford Crystal manufacturing base on the edge of Waterford was closed due to the insolvency of Waterford Wedgwood PLC, and in June 2010, Waterford Crystal relocated almost back to the roots of glass-making in the city centre. The Mall location holds both a manufacturing facility that melts over 750 tonnes of crystal a year – although most Waterford Crystal is now produced outside Ireland – and a visitor centre with the world's largest collection of Waterford Crystal. As of 2015, the brand is owned by the Fiskars Corporation.
Orvis is an American family-owned retail and mail-order business specializing in fly fishing, hunting and sporting goods. Founded in Manchester, Vermont, in 1856 by Charles F. Orvis to sell fishing tackle, it is the oldest mail-order retailer in the United States.
The Lake Champlain Transportation Company is a vehicle ferry operator that runs three routes across Lake Champlain between the US states of New York and Vermont. From 1976 to 2003, the company was owned by Burlington, Vermont, businessman Raymond C. Pecor Jr., who is chairman of its board. In 2003, he sold the company to his son, Raymond Pecor III.
Quechee is a census-designated place and one of five unincorporated villages in the town of Hartford, Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the CDP was 656. It is the site of Quechee Gorge on the Ottauquechee River and is also the home to the Quechee Lakes planned community, initiated in the late 1960s, which also brought to the community the small Quechee Lakes Ski Area in the 1970s.
The Corning Museum of Glass is a museum in Corning, New York in the United States, dedicated to the art, history, and science of glass. It was founded in 1951 by Corning Glass Works and currently has a collection of more than 50,000 glass objects, some over 3,500 years old.
Kevin Pearce is a mentor, health coach and motivational speaker. He is also an American former professional snowboarder. He was born in Hanover, New Hampshire, and raised in Hartland, Vermont, before moving with his parents to Norwich, Vermont. He competed professionally from 2007 to 2009, when a training accident left him with a traumatic brain injury.
Miroslav Havel was the chief designer for Waterford Crystal.
The Crash Reel is a documentary film directed by Lucy Walker which premiered as the Opening Night Gala film on 19 January 2013 at the Sundance Film Festival.
Brooke (Wetzel) Ciardelli is an American theater and film director, producer and writer. She founded the award-winning regional theater company Northern Stage in White River Junction, Vermont.
Morrill Hall is a campus building of the University of Vermont (UVM), which is located on the southeast corner of the "University Green" in Burlington, Vermont. The building was named after U.S. Senator, Justin Smith Morrill who authored the Morrill Land-Grant Acts of 1862 and 1890, which created the American Land-Grant universities and colleges. Senator Morrill also served as a trustee of the university from 1865 until 1898. The building was constructed during 1906–07 to serve as the home of the UVM Agriculture Department and the Agricultural Experiment Station. It was added to National Register of Historic Places as part of University Green Historic District on April 14, 1975. As of 2015, the building continues to house the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the UVM Agricultural Extension Service.
WhistlePig is a whiskey distillery based in Vermont. The distillery primarily makes rye whiskey, and is known for "ultra-premium" rye, a category it largely occupied alone in the early 21st century, when most rye sold for about $20 per bottle. WhistlePig dates to 2007, when entrepreneur Raj Bhakta purchased land for the WhistlePig distillery. The whiskey brand was launched in 2010, and its first product, its 10-year rye, was released in 2015.