Bullseye Glass's ticket out from under the thumb of state and federal regulators is going to be paid partly by its art world customers.
A day after the Southeast Portland glass factory and state Department of Environmental Quality officials announced a new agreement to bring Bullseye into compliance with federal emissions laws, the company had some bad news for its fans: Prices are about to shoot up by 12.5 percent.
The hike, Bullseye says, is necessary because it can no longer melt metals like lead, cadmium, and arsenic in unfiltered furnaces. Doing so has contributed to alarming air quality levels in its immediate vicinity.
Under its agreement with the state, it's got to install filtration systems known as "baghouses." The company has just one to-date.
In its announcement Tuesday, Bullseye said the price hike would apply to all of its products, and go into effect at the beginning of August. Until then, customers can order at the normal price—if, that is, they can find one they're looking for. Bullseye has had to slash production while it works to meet more stringent regulations.
Here's the announcement Bullseye sent to customers on Tuesday:
As you know, Bullseye is currently installing enhanced emissions control technology. We look forward to improving our manufacturing process. However, this investment comes at an unprecedented cost, which we can no longer absorb entirely on our own.
As a result, Bullseye Glass will institute a price increase of 12.5% on all glass products effective August 1, 2016. All orders shipped before August 1, 2016 will be billed at our current pricing.
Thank you for your continued business and ongoing support.