About Us

About Joan Baker Designs

Founded in 1975, Joan Baker Designs is a leading supplier of hand-painted art glass gifts and home accessories.

The Original Hand-painted Art Glass Company
Joan Baker Designs has more than 30 years of success in creating hand-painted art glass products that rank among the top-selling lines in the country. Our offices, distribution center and art glass studio are located in San Clemente, California.

The Story Behind the Name
Many people ask, "Is there really a Joan Baker?" Yes, there is! Joan's career began when she started creating unique gifts out of salvaged bits of broken glass ("Hey, you could sell these") and came to fruition when she founded one of the top-selling painted art glass lines, Joan Baker Designs.

Joan's story is the classic realization of the American dream. She grew up in Hong Kong and Taiwan, the daughter of missionary parents, and at age 17 she came to the United States - alone - and earned her way through college with a variety of jobs, including picking beans and selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door.

She started her art glass company after borrowing $50 on a credit card and talking her sister and neighbor into helping her paint glass at the kitchen table. Sales boomed, but no one would make a business loan to a woman with just "a cute little hobby." In 1978 she moved Joan Baker Designs into its first building in San Clemente, California. Her "hobby" thrived as Joan hired and trained Marine Corps wives from the nearby military base and provided badly needed jobs to Southeast Asian refugees arriving in Orange County. By 1995, Joan had built a new facility in San Clemente, as well as a 65,000 square foot factory in China.

One of the World's Leading Art Glass Galleries
Today, Joan Baker Designs is one of the leading giftware companies in the country. We are truly blessed.

Success has also brought responsibility. Each year, Joan Baker Designs gives a significant portion of its profits to charity and ministry projects in poor countries. For the past ten years, it has been our privilege to donate the majority of these funds to an organization working in the famine and AIDS-ravaged nation of Mozambique, Africa.

We hope that this true story about a lady with some broken glass, $50 and an idea encourages you in your own ventures.


Mission Statement
Joan Baker Designs' objective is to be one of the world's leading producers of quality, hand-painted art glass gift products, capable of giving our retail customer base exceptional returns on sales. We are a values-driven company whose purpose includes championing the cause of children around the world through our support of orphanages in Africa. We intend on making a sustainable difference in the lives of those children we support.


Company Values and Beliefs
We believe God is the original, master Artist who created beauty to be a lasting expression of His love for us. We are committed to personal excellence and maintaining a strong entrepreneurial spirit. We strive to build strong relationships with our customers and vendors. We believe in working honestly and with integrity, utilizing our gifts, dreams and creativity.