Matthew Bennett/Post Independent
Since opening Mountain Relics Herbs and Oddities in September, Andrew and Taylen Whitt have showcased the “classy side” of the glass-blowing industry.
“Nothing in here is going to get you stoned,” Andrew Whitt said.
Instead, customers will find an assortment of local art, glass, CBD and other herbal products — all safe to travel with — at 720 Grand Ave. in downtown Glenwood Springs.
“We like to carry items that incorporate Mother Nature’s beauty,” Andrew Whitt said. “We really love helping frame her art.”
A few months after opening Mountain Relics Herbs and Oddities, the 24- and 25-year-old small business owners already have a new endeavor — Rare Earth Gatherhouse.
Located just footsteps away from Mountain Relics, Whitt said the impetus for the new side business was to provide a space for local artists to collaborate and learn new creative skill sets.
According to Whitt, Rare Earth Gatherhouse will offer a variety of classes in glass blowing, 3D printing, woodworking and other fields.
“As many different mediums as we can offer and as many different minds as we can have bouncing off each other, that’s the goal,” Andrew Whitt said.
Artists may reserve Rare Earth Gatherhouse’s equipment, including a glassblowing bench and metal and leather work stations.
“It’ll be something that people need to sign up and choose their timeslots for, because it is going to be limited,” Andrew Whitt said.
The 600-square-foot space, which Andrew and Taylen Whitt hope to have open by the end of January, will also house an herbal lounge stocked with kava kava beverages and equipped with kombucha on tap.
“We want intellectuals to come together and create art,” Andrew Whitt said.
Lovers of all things art-related themselves, Andrew actually met his fiancé Taylen after his car broke down in her driveway in Nebraska.
The coincidence led to the two quickly discovering their mutual love for 1960s jam bands.
“We got brought together by the music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead,” Andrew Whitt said.
The Glenwood Springs residents and small business owners said they look forward to promoting not only their own glassblowing, but also the work of other local artists at Rare Earth Gatherhouse.
