A shiny new kiln sits in the back of Griffin’s Studio downtown, where owner Griffin Moore has opened her latest creative option for customers — pottery painting.
More than 50 customers came by the first two days and painted a variety of dishes, animal figurines, piggy banks and other pieces, Moore said Saturday morning as more people came in the store to try their hand at the new activity.
Customers picks from several dozen plain white ceramic pieces and then select paints. Their creations are left at the store so Moore can bake them in the kiln. They are ready to pick up several days later. (Although the activity is known as pottery painting, the pieces are ceramic.)
“We have about 90 pieces to choose from,” Moore said. More options will be available through the year, including holiday-themed pieces.
Griffin’s Studio, at 100 E. Sixth St., opened in the fall of 2013. Moore sells gifts, jewelry, original art (including some of her own paintings), furnishings, stationery and children’s toys and art supplies. Moore’s business plan relies on her diverse lines. She also teaches art classes, hosts paint parties, and does graphic design and commission work.
“You can’t stand still,” she said. “If you aren’t changing and improving, people will stop coming.”
Pottery painting will be offered for drop-in customers and for special events. Customers should call ahead, at 270-874-2028, to make sure painting is open on certain days.
The store is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
