Dancingbird Gallery in 2025—An Adventure in Art and Agitation
Owning a glassblowing gallery in a mall right now feels a little like trying to do performance art on a sinking ship—while someone is rearranging the furniture and charging you extra for the privilege.
Between rising tariffs on raw materials, skyrocketing inventory costs, utility expenses, and the steady evaporation of consumer confidence, every sale feels like a small miracle. Art collectors are hesitant. Casual browsers are pinching pennies. And those who do want to support small business? They’re just as shell-shocked by inflation as we are.
But the real kicker? Mall politics and dare I say, religion?! 😬
Imagine a setting straight out of Peyton Place—only instead of romantic scandals, it’s vendetta-lite backstabbing over kiosk placement and shared event marketing. Some merchants would sooner trip you up than collaborate, angling for the best spots, the biggest foot traffic, the tiniest morsel of mall-sponsored attention. It’s business in its rawest form, dressed in the pleasantries of community. If glass is fragile, you should see the alliances around here.
And let’s not forget the slow boil of ideological tensions just beneath the mall’s fluorescent-lit surface. In a time when religion and politics feel more like battlegrounds than beliefs, the gallery becomes a quiet refuge—and, unintentionally, a flashpoint. Shoppers bring their worldviews in the door with them, and fellow merchants? Some preach their convictions as loudly as their sales pitches! As the owner of a business, staying neutral isn’t just a preference—it’s survival. But even neutrality gets scrutinized, as every artist knows: silence can be mistaken for stance. It’s a balancing act, trying to honor humanity without offending someone’s manifesto or religious cult. We come here to sell glass, not break it
Still—we persist. We create. We offer something real in a world that feels increasingly synthetic. And when someone walks in, breathes deep, and watches molten glass become sculpture, it’s worth every headache. (Or is it?) Because even in turbulent times, art still matters. (Or does it?)
If you’ve made it this far, support your local makers. Even a kind word goes a long way.
#DancingbirdGallery #GlassblowingLife #MallChronicles #ArtInAdversity #SupportSmallBusiness #ShopLocal #CommunityNotCompetition #MadeWithFireAndHope🔥💔🛍️