More Than Lemons offers glassblowing and local art

April Lemon is introducing northeast Kansans to the fine art of glassblowing, as well as artwork by a variety of local artists, in her new shop in downtown Holton. 

Lemon recently opened More Than Lemons, a studio and gallery on the east side of the Holton Square at 424 Pennsylvania Ave. She provides a hands-on glassblowing experience for individuals and groups of all ages and artistic backgrounds.

Lemon received a bachelor of fine arts degree with a concentration in glassblowing from Emporia State University in May. 

“It was something that I’ve always been interested in, but it was nothing I thought was possible,” Lemon said of glassblowing. “About five and a half years ago, my husband looked at me and said ‘You’re not happy doing your job, what do you want to do?’”

Lemon said that her answer was to learn how to blow glass. 

She spent five years traveling to and from Emporia working to complete her degree. Emporia is the only college is the state that offers a concentration in glassblowing, she said. 

“The first time I ever blew glass was the first day of school,” she said. “I’ve always done art my whole life. Glassblowing was something I thought looked fun, and it turns out I’m pretty decent at it.” 

With the help of her husband, John, who is a cabinet and millwork instructor at Washburn Tech, Lemon set up a glassblowing shop in the backyard of their home in Holton, but she was looking for a larger space downtown. 

This spring, the couple purchased the building on the Square and have been renovating the property ever since. Portions of the building were previously used by a variety of retailers, including Diamonds by Design, Bandita’s Western Wear, Ann’s Home Health and a hardware store.

The first floor features several gallery areas in the front and the “hot shop” area in the back for glassblowing. The couple is also renovating the upstairs of the building to serve as their home. 

Lemon offers a unique “blow-your-own glass” experience where she molds glass shapes as a customer blows the air into the hot glass, such as pumpkins, Christmas ornaments, snowmen and cups. 

“We’ve had kids as young as three and four blow their own glass,” she said. “As long as they can follow directions, they can do this. All the fire is contained. It’s no different than a stove. There are no open flames so it’s a safe activity.”

Customers can pick their own design and colors as part of the experience, which ranges from $35 to $45. The one-on-one sessions include a certificate, a picture of the customer blowing the glass and the piece of glass artwork that they created.

Each session takes between 30 minutes to an hour and must be scheduled ahead of time, she said. 

Besides glassblowing, Lemon offers lessons in “slumping” and “fusing,” which are different techniques used to combine various pieces of glass together using a mold or a specific shape.  

Saturday evenings are designated as “open studio” times, allowing anyone to sit in and watch her and other artists blow glass. There is a $3 entry to attend the open studio.

“Every $3 entry goes on a person’s punch card, and 100 percent of that can be used to make any purchase in the shop, whether that’s buying artwork or one-on-one sessions,” she said. “It’s really expensive to purchase glass and run the utilities so this helps me cover those bills.” 

Lemon, who is a native of Muscotah, has designated the front of her shop as a gallery space for herself and many local artists.

“When I was in school, any time you wanted to sell your work, you had to apply to art shows or craft shows,” she said. “It would cost you money, and you had to pack up all your work and take it to a different town. I wanted to have a gallery space here that was available for everybody.”

Some of the artwork currently on display includes photographs, paintings, ceramics, woodwork, paper quill items, jewelry and repurposed pieces.

“There are a lot of great local artists in the surrounding communities,” she said. “I’m adding more people every day.”

More Than Lemons is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. She accepts cash, check or credit cards. Gift certificates are also available for purchase.

For more information, call 785-383-2849 or e-mail morethanlemons@yahoo.com