In 2007, a new pottery shop opened in the Illinois town where Maria Hauschild and her family were living. One afternoon, she took her daughter and the pair had a blast painting the small figures together.
“I had fun with my daughter,” Hauschild said. “I didn’t even know pottery itself. It just brought out the art in us.”
Flash forward two years with the Hauschild family living in Kent, when Maria, a business analyst, was laid off when her company moved their office to New Jersey.
Looking for ways to supplement the family’s income (her husband is with the U.S. Navy and presently stationed in the Middle East), Hauschild thought back to the enjoyment she and her daughter had at the pottery shop. She decided to open a shop of her own, so that others could have the same experience.
Today, Kent has its own version of that shop in Pottery-fic Studio, located in the downtown core on Second Avenue.
To help get acquainted with the business, Hauschild took a few classes to learn about the specifics of temperatures and glazing and some painting techniques, all of which were a far cry from her previous career.
“This is so different from software data analysis,” she said. “It just blew my mind.”
After purchasing a kiln (which she keeps in her garage at home) and searching for a space for three months, Hauschild settled on a 780-square-foot space on Second Avenue in downtown Kent.
She said she chose the location because of the relatively low rent and because it was near a corner lot and had good visibility.
Inside the shop are shelves lined with unpainted pieces of pottery, which Hauschild said she buys, though she one day hopes to make them herself. Customers can pick out a piece (prices vary depending on size, but most seem to run in the $10 – $15 range) and sit at one of the tables to paint it any way they want. When completed, Hauschild will take the piece home, glaze it, fire it in the kiln and return it to the shop for pick-up within a week.
Hauschild charges an additional fee of $5, $7, or $9 for the paint and firing, depending on the size of the piece.
Hauschild said the painting can provide a good stress relief and a relaxing way to spend time with friends and family.
“It’s totally relaxing,” she said. “It’s something for fun. If you like painting, you’ll have fun.”
Hauschild said she loves seeing the designs and colors people choose for their work and never pushes anyone to stay between the lines or paint a piece in any particular way.
“There’s no perfection in here,” she said. “I respect the creativity of the painters.”
Hauschild said one of her more fun moments so far was when her brother-in-law, a large, jock type of fellow, came in and painted a mug, meticulously choosing colors and having a great time while he did it, proving to her that anyone can have a good time at the shop.
The most popular choice in pottery, however, are the piggy banks, as well as other coin banks, such as the baseballs and footballs.
“I’m almost out of these banks,” Hauschild said with a laugh.
While the new shop will probably not bring in as much money as her previous work as an analyst, Hauschild said she is very happy at her new business, which she said is the first of its kind in Kent.
“It’s not the money,” she said. “It’s about ‘What can I bring to downtown Kent?’”
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