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Jewelry salutes margarita lovers Photo by Steve Johnson Jessy Carrara makes stained-glass jewelry, as well as bigger pieces, for clients as diverse as music stars Jimmy Buffett and Sammy Hagar, at her LightGarden art studio in Medford. Big-name clients buoy Medford artist By JOANNA COLLINS With tequila-loving rock legends Sammy Hagar and Jimmy Buffett on her client list, Jessy Carrara's business is certainly not wasting away in Margaritaville. Carrara, owner of LightGarden Glass Art, makes miniature margarita glass jewelry. But she's also made a large etched piece called "Take me to Margaritaville" for Buffett's store in Florida. And she's made tiny tequila bottle jewelry, Cabo Wabo stained glass panels and sandblasted mirrors for Hagar's merchandising Web site. The two famous clients "sure help out" the business, Carrara says, but they're not the only people she serves. She makes stained glass panels for her biggest client, Gazebo Works, Too, of Central Point. She also designs music boxes, delicate necklaces and earrings, stained glass windows, picture frames, etched mirrors, lamps and even framed wedding invitations for the public. Carrara, the sole owner and operator of LightGarden Glass Art, works out of her studio at her home in west Medford. She's been at it for 16 years and recently created an online store for her merchandise through Key Bank, with shopping carts and guaranteed safety. But it's a bit more personal, since the company consists of one person; the owner is also the sole employee. "Being a one-person business," says Carrara, "you get to be the janitor, accountant, purchasing agent, receptionist ... ." Income can be anywhere from $15,000 to $35,000 per year, but Carrara doesn't mind the fluctuation. She says she's learning how to get the word out fast now that she's online and has read numerous books about Internet marketing. She sees it as a great opportunity for LightGarden Glass Art. Still, Carrara keeps on her toes and watches her line of products carefully. "What's popular this year won't be popular next year," she says. Surrounded by glass dragonflies, frogs and flowers, Carrara is happy to be in her studio 40 hours a week. She started working with stained glass in high school but settled on being an accountant. For a while. "I just got so sick of the whole thing -- I didn't like working behind a desk," she says. "I wanted to do something fun and creative." In 1984 Carrara started working as a producer at KDRV and started to take her glass art more seriously. Her husband, Rick, works as a chief engineer at the television station. After eight years, she turned solely to glass. "Once I started accumulating the tools I knew I was going to do it forever," says Carrara. "You kind of become addicted to it.'' She also has a bit of a green thumb that adds to her income. Carrara keeps a small greenhouse full of Tillandsias, plants that don't need dirt to grow in. One can glue the spidery plant to almost any surface and watch it take off. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA