Eleven years ago, while celebrating their anniversary on a trip to West Virginia, Adam and Kimberlee Shewey stumbled upon The Wow! Factory, an open art studio where they spent hours painting their own pottery and enjoying each other’s company. The experience inspired the EnerStar Electric Cooperative members to create the same opportunity for people in their own community.
“I’d never even heard of the concept,” says Kimberlee. “We went in, and I was dazzled. … We decided to do a project, and four hours later, we had enjoyed ourselves so much, just having fun painting like we were little kids.”
When they did leave, the two began talking. “I thought I could bring this concept home and make it colorful and fun and a positive experience for the community,” she explains. “We came home, and I played with it. [It] took me about a year to put it all together.”
Kimberlee and Adam opened the doors to Shewey’s Paint Your Own Pottery Studio in July 2014 and celebrated 10 years in business this year. It’s no easy task for a small business, she adds, saying it was through “sheer will and grit.”
Prior to opening, the couple did their research, meeting with a pottery consultant out of Texas, who taught them the basics and helped them set up the studio. She says the rest came through trial and error. “We learned what to do; we learned what not to do,” says Kimberlee. “We’ve got it down to a science now. You have to learn what works for you in the community you’re in.”
For Shewey’s, that meant offering different types of experiences, from classes on specific techniques and events like their annual “Harry Pottery” in November, to hosting Mad Hatter tea parties, birthdays and showers. “We do all the extra touches [that] really make it worth your while for the time you’re here, [and] help you forget about what you’ve got going on for a couple hours,” she explains.
Kimberlee compares the experience to a well-known children’s novel. “Our studio has always been set up to be a place where you walk in the door and totally forget where you are. It’s kind of dreamy. It’s very ‘Alice in Wonderland,’” she says. “It’s designed to bring back that wonder like when you’re a child. Everything is creative, everything is colorful. … That’s the environment we try to create.”
Operating during the pandemic was a lesson learned. Realizing they would have to shift gears, Kimberlee created “pottery to go,” like curbside pickup at a restaurant, complete with pottery, paint and brushes. “You could call the studio [and] tell us what you wanted,” she explains. “We would pack it up and then literally take it out to your car.”
The couple was surprised to find that even when COVID restrictions were lifted, the option remained popular. “It has been a fan favorite ever since,” she says. “There’s the working mom and the mom who has three kids going to soccer and piano … or the grandparents [who aren’t] as mobile. There are lots of reasons why.”
When it comes to new ideas, Kimberlee watches trends. “[When] something strikes me … I find a way to incorporate it into the business,” she says. “[It’s about] the wonder and the joy of being, [a place] where pigs can be purple … a place where you don’t have the everyday thing.”
