May 5, 2010

Working can be pure blissBy Michael J. ArvizuBurbankLeader.com

California — At Bliss Unlimited in the Burbank Town Center, everything has a back story.

Take, for example, the work of San Francisco-based Serendipity Glass Studio artist Carla Geraghty, an Army wife who creates decorative fixtures and glass vases.

Or the bowls made out of recycled candy packaging by kids in India or the bowls made out of recycled telephone wire made in Vietnam.

Each art piece and ware the retail gift shop sells can be traced to independent artists around the world — from India and Guatemala to Vietnam and El Salvador.

“I’m astounded,” said former Bliss employee Amada Martinez, 19. “I just can’t believe that there’s people out there who can be so creative.”

But Bliss Unlimited also has another purpose. Because the store pays no rent, the owners don’t sell for profit.

The store also serves as a classroom for students enrolled in job training programs, such as Glendale Youth Alliance and the Burbank Employment and Student Training Program. Students are either paid or receive high school credit for their work.

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