Blowing glass in Washougal

A Washougal-based company offer opportunities for glassblowers to work for them or be independent and create their own brand of products to sell elsewhere.

Mary Jane’s Glass Productions employees make glass products that are sold at more than 120 businesses in Washington and Oregon. Customers include recreational cannabis shops and 14 Mary Jane’s House of Glass locations, including one in Washougal.

Brothers Bobby and Dave Saberi, partners in the glass production business, like to emphasize that Mary Jane’s glassware is American-made.

The company’s products include bongs and pipes, but during a recent tour of the production facility, Bobby Saberi said the employees make more than just smoking paraphernalia. They can also custom-make plates, wine glasses and other hand-blown pieces of glass.

Pete Waddell, 44, of Vancouver, makes pipes and is an instructor at Mary Jane’s Glass Productions. He has been glassblowing for 20 years.

Waddell describes his craft as similar to welding, but not as intense.

He became interested in glassblowing when he saw a friend doing it years ago.

“I learned a lot of it on my own,” Waddell said. “It’s my passion, for sure. It’s just something I’ve always liked. I find myself blowing glass at home. It’s something I’m really into.”

Bobby Saberi said Mary Jane’s has full-time and part-time job openings for qualified glass blowers and machinists.

There also is one spot available for a 90- to 120-day training program with Waddell.

“The skillsets our instructor and workshops teach are techniques handed down from previous generations of glassblowers,” Saberi said. “It has been a very secretive industry, and the only way to learn is to be trained by a very experienced glassblower.”

Stephanie Carmichael, of Portland, is among Waddell’s former students. She makes glass pendants and caps to sell via etsy.com. The caps are used for inhaling concentrated marijuana vapors, also known as “dabbing.”

Carmichael said she is very happy to have found an art that allows her to use her sculpture skills. She added that glassblowing can be challenging, especially when she works for hours on a piece, only to watch it break or not turn out the way she expected.

Mary Jane’s Glass Productions leases two buildings — one for production and another for warehousing products — in the Port of Camas-Washougal Industrial Park in Washougal.

For more information, call 360-954-5497, email info@maryjanesglassproductions.com or visit maryjanesglassproductions.com.