Bucks County Herald – June 14, 2007

Jill & Dan Burstein

Dear Friends,

Good morning. Thanks to Ava’s Glass Gallery in Quakertown, Mighty Betsy and I met Jill and Dan Burstein, a fascinating couple from the New Hope area. Jill is a sculptor and her husband is a stallion manager. While they have different careers, Jill and Dan share a love of stained glass and have become stained glass artisans. They designed and produced a unique stained glass window for our home.

When Dan told me that he was a stallion manager, my curiosity raced into high gear. We visited their home in Central Bucks…Fashion Farms. Jules and Arlene Siegel own Fashion Farms and are among the major horse racing families in America. They breed and sell standard bred racehorses. The Siegel farms occupy 300 acres in Buckingham, Solebury, and Upper Makefield Townships. Incidentally, they’ve placed conservation easements on their properties so developers won’t be able to plunk 300 Mac-mansions down on that choice landscape some day.

Bravo Siegels!!

Anyway, the Bursteins are childhood sweethearts from Westchester County in New York State. I like the way they met…at a country, summer swimming hole.

Jill’s genes run deep. Her mother is a sculptor. Incidentally, so was Dan’s grandmother. Jill was a sculptor major at Washington University in St. Louis. But, Jill’s entrance into the world of stained glass began through her husband.

Dan was interested in pursuing a hobby in glass blowing and inquired about an opening at the Bucks County Community College. Unfortunately, the class was full. “But right next door, there was a class in stained glass so I signed up,” Dan began. “That was six years ago. The next year, Jill and I started a business that we call, New Hope Stained Glass.”

“Jill does the design work,” he continued. “She’s the brain of the business. I’m the fabricator…I cut the glass and put it together.”

“He’s the brawn,” Jill laughed. “Dan wanted to do something that we could do together. The stained glass business is ideal for us.”

Jill visits with a client in order to discover what the buyer’s wishes are for design and colors. In our case, she sat with Betsy and me, hearing what kind of stained glass window that we wanted…the design, the colors, and the surroundings. Within a week, Jill showed her drawings to us and, after approval, into production it went. Everyone who’s seen the finished window is impressed. So are we.

Last week, we browsed through their basement, which has become their studio. Jill has designed a 14” by seven-foot piece of stained glass. It shows blades of glass in varying shades of green with colorful butterflies and poppies. The Bursteins have 35 different colors of glass to choose from. It’s fascinating.

And, they’re busy. On average, Jill and Dan produce a stained glass piece each month. “I like to have something going on all the time,” Dan confided. They told me that their clients use stained glass in many ways: as a privacy screen; or to change an unpleasant view of a neighbor’s house; or a substitution for curtains; or a decoration for the home.

“We’re still evolving,” Jill said.

You can see their stained glass windows at the Topeo Gallery in New Hope and Ava’s Glass Gallery in Quakertown. The Burstein’s have a website www.newhopestainedglass.com or you can call them at 215-598-8439.

Next week, I’ll share the fascinating tale of Dan Burstein, the stallion manager. The 190 horses under his care provide a remarkable baby business for the owners (colts, that is). But here’s a sneak preview.

Dan’s love of horses and the outdoors began when he was a young camper in the Vermont Mountains. After his college days where he won a degree in horse management at Ohio State University, Dan managed horse farms in upper New York State for 15 years before receiving the call to move to Bucks County. Friends, Stay tuned.

Sincerely,

Charles Meredith