ABOVE: A cluster of Glassybabies; BELOW: Lee Rhodes
A candlelit glow is a familiar sight this time of year. But in the case of Glassybaby—the company behind the tremendously popular glass votives of the same name—a flickering flame transcends all seasons.
Lee Rhodes, a three-time cancer survivor, founded Glassybaby in 2001 when she saw how lovely a lit tea candle looked in a handmade, colorful votive. But it was her realization that cancer patients needed help with everyday matters like child care and groceries that sparked Glassybaby’s charitable component. Today 10 percent of the company’s gross proceeds from store promotions and “goodwill” colors go to charities dedicated to cancer care, healing and quality of life. The pink BFF, for instance, benefits Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
“It is at the core of this company to give back,” says Rhodes. “When I founded Glassybaby, I never knew these little glass votives would have such an impact on people touched by cancer.”
The company opened in New York on Hudson Street last year, and its reach continues to expand as it partners with new charities and adds more colors. The votives already come in more than 400 hues and are handmade by artists at the Seattle-based Glassybaby studio. Sales have increased by more than 80 percent in 2010 compared to last year, but people familiar with the phenomenon know that its legacy will stretch well beyond sales statistics.
“Everyone who has seen Glassybaby in New York City or the Hamptons this summer has fallen in love with them,” says Gina Hadley, a Glassybaby consultant focused on outreach in those locales. “Once you walk into the shop on Hudson Street or see them in someone’s home, it’s hard not to want one—or 100—for yourself.” Glassybaby, 555 Hudson St., 917-546-6850
