News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Terri Powers, owner of the new Suncatchers store in downtown Alpena, pulls a pane of colored glass off a shelf Friday.

ALPENA — The new Suncatchers store in downtown Alpena offers people an opportunity to purchase unique stained-glass art and join classes to learn how to make stained-glass items.

Suncatchers, formerly known as My Glass Wings, now with new ownership, is located in the rear of the Parallel 45 Books and Gifts.

The store offers both beginner and mixed-skill level classes and repairs broken or damaged stained glass of all sizes.

In January, Terri Powers opened the craft store and studio, and today, customers can admire stained-glass creations that are perfect for gifts or home decor.

She said many people utilize the classes and workshops where customers can learn the techniques of stained glass art. Powers said the beginner class is two hours a week, for four weeks. She said working on the stained glass can be soothing and bring out people’s creativity. She said they are also a good opportunity to meet and mingle with new people.

“The store, as a whole, is a place for people to gather socially,” she said. “We have couples that come, we have people who just want to get out of the house during the winter, and it is perfect for people who are art-minded who have never ventured outside of drawing or painting. It is a whole new medium and a great way to socialize.”

Powers said beginners should not feel out of place and instructors will each oversee the stained-glass-making process. She said the store also has the needed protective equipment to help customers avoid cuts or burns while working on their projects.

Now that the store is open, Powers said, she already has future plans for it. She said she wants to implement classes for children that utilize glass fusion techniques, which are simpler and less likely for children to injure themselves.

“This is a huge goal for us that we would like to begin doing this summer,” she said. “I have a lot of people ask if there was anything for kids and this would be something the whole family could do, or for a birthday party.”

Powers said she also plans to extend her art offerings. She said she is unsure right now what direction she wants to go, but she did mention painting as an option for a class.

“We don’t want to limit ourselves just to glass, so we’re still looking into options for kids and families,” she said.

Powers said in northern Michigan, there are few people who offer stained-glass repair services. She said she can fix damaged stained glass from small knick-knacks to large windows like in churches.

“There is almost nobody that does it, so I think there will be a lot of people who will take advantage of the service,” she said.

Powers said the store is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The store is closed on Sunday and open only via appointments on Monday.

The store has a Facebook page where people can learn more about the products and services and other facts about the new business.