Date night heats up at Hot Glass Alley
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My husband surprised me with the date night package for Christmas. We made ornaments that will be on our Christmas tree for years to come. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
Jake Pfeifer fell in love with the art of glass blowing as a teenager on a family vacation to Bermuda.
Why it matters: Decades later, he owns Charlotte's popular glass blowing studio, Hot Glass Alley.
Between the lines: Pfeifer's journey hasn't just been about perfecting his craft as an artist. He's also overcome cancer after being diagnosed as a child with rhabdomyosarcoma.
- "My parents made funeral arrangements for me on three separate occasions," Pfeifer tells Axios.
- He sees his experience and his work with glass the same way — you only get one shot.
- "Every time I sit down with that piece of glass, I have that one try with it," Pfeifer says.
Context: Pfeifer, a 2010 graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, founded Hot Glass Alley as an LLC in 2013. What started with renting space in Reading, Pa. turned into buying the existing location near NoDa.
- "I went up and down the East Coast looking at a bunch of different cities before I came to Charlotte and found out that this giant city doesn't have anything like this," Pfeifer says.
- Hot Glass Alley opened in Charlotte on Sept. 29, 2018. It has since become a space where artists can work on their craft, couples can enjoy a date night, companies can host team building events or visiting artists can conduct demonstrations. They also host free tours.
What to expect: Hot Glass Alley's date night is their most popular class, Pfeifer says. It rotates with their make your own class. You have to be at least 9 years old to participate in the glass making process.
- For the date night package, visitors choose what they want to make from options like an ornament, drinking glass, vase or a scalloped bowl. The package comes with drinks and charcuterie.
- There are also private and group classes available, including fusing classes where you create your very glass mosaic. See full class details here.
What's next: Pfeifer hopes to double the size of the hot shop — where the glass is made — one day, but there isn't a timeline for expansion just yet.
If you go: Hot Glass Alley is at 438 Atando Ave.
Date night
Zoom out: We asked readers for some of their favorite date night ideas. Here are a few responses that have been edited for brevity and clarity.
For Kim O., it's a whole night:
🥽 Start with "Horizon of Khufu" at Blume Studios.
🍕 🌮 Grab a bite at Pizza Baby West or Azul Tacos and Beer.
🎶 Head to a listening bar or Charlotte's phone-free bar, Antagonist.
🍦 Final act, dessert somewhere!
For Kim and Jon A., it's a visit to the Whitewater Center where they'll:
🍽️ Grab dinner
🎶 Listen to live music
What they're saying: "It's a slow, laid-back type of experience, and if you're there with a person you've only just met, there are a lot of visuals to distract and talk about to keep conversation going," Kim tells Axios.
Go deeper: 15+ ways to spend a day at the Whitewater Center
Lorin B. and her husband have a lengthy list of date-night favorites, including:
🌊 Hiking and grabbing a beer at the Whitewater Center
🎾 Playing tennis
🧠 Playing trivia at OpenTap
🏈 Catching a Panthers game
🦪 Grabbing oysters at Sea Level before heading to a Blumenthal Arts show
For Erica H. and her wife, it's a trip to Darby Safari.
Go deeper: Spend a day with exotic animals at Darby Safari in northwest Charlotte