Residents throughout the territory may get a chance to try out glass blowing in their home community.

It’s all thanks to a federal investment of $50,000 in Lumel Studios of Whitehorse, which plans to use the cash to purchase a few “baby dragons” of its own.

The “baby dragons” are small, mobile furnaces for glass blowing that will allow Lumel to travel to take the business on the road.

The funding was announced Wednesday by Mary Ng, the federal Minister of Small Business, and Yukon MP Larry Bagnell at Lumel Studios on the waterfront.

“This is a female-owned, female-led enterprise here,” Ng said.

“(Lumel owner Luann Baker-Johnson) is going to receive $50,000 for the purchase of additional equipment so she can scale and grow this business.”

Ng highlighted her mandate as minister to help supporting and grow female entrepreneurs.

For the Yukon, that means the possibility to do glass blowing outside of Whitehorse.

“We’ll go to every community in the Yukon, including Old Crow,” Baker-Johnson told those gathered in the studio for the announcement.

The $50,000 will support the “birth of baby dragons,” Baker-Johnson said.

It also moves her closer to her “much broader” dream of growing the glass blowing industry in the Yukon and ultimately across the North.

“Canada does not have a major glass industry,” she said, pointing to the opportunity that creates for the North to establish itself as a centre for the glass industry.

As she pointed out, it’s very fitting that the funding will go to help her purchase “baby dragons” because “dragons have great potential.

“Big dreams start with one baby dragon,” Baker-Johnson said.

She highlighted her hopes to one day see the industry grow to a point that local recycled glass can be used for the local operations (something that would require other new equipment) and which could see more staff hired at the studio.

Baker-Johnson did note Lumel is already working to find two new staffers to work there through the summer.

Asked about her reaction to learning her business would receive the funding, she commented she is “absolutely thankful that people are listening.”

Following Wednesday’s news conference, Ng tried her hand at glass blowing in the studio with Baker-Johnson.