GAY FAD STUDIOS

Fran Taylor started Gay Fad Studios in 1939 with $30, originally painting metal wastebaskets.

The studio shifted to glass painting due to WWII-era metal shortages.

Operations grew into a 46,500 sq ft facility in Lancaster, Ohio, employing 25 women decorators.

Designs were hand-painted, fired onto glass using ceramic-based techniques for durability.

Taylor opened a showroom in New York City, with the business reaching multimillion-dollar success.

In 1962, the company closed..

Taylor passed away in 1996.

In 2022, Jason and David Annecy revived Gay Fad Studios with Taylor’s daughter’s blessing.

2024- Leveraging national interest in Gay Fad Studios, they introduced the nation's first midcentury barware show, "Bottoms Up." This initiative, spearheaded by Gay Fad and the Visitor’s Bureau of Fairfield County, united 40 local businesses, 21 national vendors, and 32 sponsors to celebrate midcentury cocktail culture in an immersive experience. The show attracted over 20,000 visitors from 39 states to downtown Lancaster over a three-day event, enabling local businesses and museums to achieve record-breaking sales and attendance.

2025 just concluded the 2nd annual “Bottoms Up” event and Gay Fad Studios debuted “Lady Luck”- their collaboration project with “The Queen of Burlesque”- Dita Von Teese.