Paul Palango, a former journalist, and his partner, stained glass artist Sharon McNamara, moved to Chester Basin, Nova Scotia in 2001. Since that time, the couple's high-end, hand-made glass dinnerware and giftware, marketed under the name Kiln Art, has found its way into restaurants and shops across North America, and onto the tables of several top corporate dining rooms around the world.
In response to a great interest for their stained glass, Sharon and Paul established a manufacturing facility in 1999 in Chester Basin, Nova Scotia. Shortly thereafter, they opened a retail store, “Chez Glass Lass,” in nearby Chester, Lunenburg County. From the outset, sales generated through the company's Chez Glass Lass shop in Chester and through distributors in other markets rose steadily. In fact, sales doubled in the company's first year in Nova Scotia and quadrupled the next. As the popularity and demand for their stained glass grew, Kiln Art opened another retail store in Ottawa, Ontario in 2003.
Business Result Achieved:Growth
In 2003, Sharon and Paul realized their original production facilities housed in a converted 1,800 square-foot barn could not accommodate more growth. So, they decided to expand. NSBI supported this expansion by investing in the construction of a new 4,200 square-foot building and the purchase of 18 new kilns.
"NSBI has helped us get to where we are today," said Paul. "Our new facilities allow us to be more efficient and to take on bigger orders. That means we can now seek out new markets with confidence."