By Dylan Haas
The beautiful stained glass on display in the front window of the Co-op has been a mainstay of the store since there was a front window to adorn - going as far back as the 13th Street location, and similar such artistic pieces have been decorating the interior of our shop for years. Perhaps the most imaginative and abstract works of art we carry come from the good folks at Forget Me Not stained glass. If you've never taken a moment to admire the beauty that's sparkling there above our lunch counter, be sure to do so nex ttime you're in. These gorgeous, abstract Forget Me Not pieces will knock your socks off! 
Forget Me Not stained glass is effectively Melissa Neiers, a native Idahoan who has spent the past twenty-plus years living in Pocatello. Melisa does get some help from her sister and mother in putting together these stained glass pieces, in fact, her mother actually introduced her to the medium some thirty plus years ago!
For a long time, the stained glass craft was little more than a hobby to Melissa, and her pieces tended towards the more traditional, two dimensional, “paint-by-numbers” approach, forming tangible scenes and images out of colored panes. However, after a nearly ten-year hiatus spent raising her family, Melisa revisited the art from a decade ago, and something clicked within her. She discovered her love of abstract glass art, and the Forget Me Not style was born. One look at the pieces adorning the front window of the Co-op immediately reveals the considerable heart that makes up each piece, the artistic blending of chunky glass and decorative quartz with twisted metals. The materials are cobbled together from various locales including small vendors in Pocatello, Salt Lake City, and, naturally, the internet.
Today, abstract stained glass is not just a hobby but is Melissa’s passion and drive. Moonlighting on her position within the Idaho State University Geoscience Department, Melissa and the Forget Me Not team produce 80 to 100 different pieces each year - indeed, four brand new pieces were recently added to the eclectic display here at the Co-op. Since each piece is unique, there's a lot of excitement when we receive new art from Melissa. We hope you'll come check them out!