Write a commentOn Saturday, Constantia Town Historian Christene Kieffer and other members of the community came together to celebrate the historic Glass Factory Store.
The marker’s installation, funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, is the first step towards receiving historical building status.
Over 100 people joined the owners and representatives of the town to mark the occasion and celebrate the building, which currently houses North Shore Tea Company, along with a small toy and book lending library and general store.
One attendee recalled her happiness at being able to use credit at the store in 1972—several years before women were guaranteed the ability to open credit cards in their own name nationally. “It was such a relief—I bought bread, cheese, milk, and Gerber’s baby formula,” the woman said.
Next to her, her daughter laughed. “And I survived!”
“There’s a long history of that here,” Kieffer said in response. “Women were able to buy on credit here as early as 1926, according to records I’ve been able to find.”
Located in the hamlet of Bernhards Bay overlooking Oneida Lake, the store has been in near-continuous use over its 173-year history. The building was constructed in 1851-1852 for use as a store selling window glass made by the glass manufacturing factory across the street. By 1895, after multiple factory fires and ownership changes at the factory, glass manufacturing ended in Bernhards Bay… but that was far from the end for the store. The store’s upstairs was transformed into a community space, where the community came together for dances, concerts, and theater productions. Downstairs, the building was used as a post office, general store, polling place, antique shop, and even an ice cream parlor across its storied history.
Despite its rich history, the building fell into disuse after 1998 and the closure of the antique shop that was in the store at the time. In 2006, Tony and Mary Lou Ciesla decided to take on renovations as the building’s new owners. They took great care to restore the building to much of its former glory—after falling through a rotten floor into a basement filled with four feet of water, that is. Historic elements were saved wherever possible, including several murals painted in the 1940s showing life throughout the area. Other original elements to the building include cherry shelving, the storefront’s windows—made by the glass factory in the 1800s—and even an original ice box. In 2024, the Cieslas sold the building to Mike and Marcy Korczakowski of Glass Ark, who are the current owners. They operate the North Shore Tea and Coffee Company in the building, as well as the libraries and general store in the building.
The upstairs is currently closed due to fire codes (there is only one way in and out), but achieving historical status in the future may allow for an exemption. That would potentially allow the community room to come back into use after decades of quiet.
Congratulations to the Town of Constantia, the Korczakowskis, and the entire community on achieving this milestone together!
