2019 where did you go? To Kingston, to craft shows, to the studio, and home!

Life as a shopkeeper

I can’t believe it, but it’s been almost two years since we opened the doors at Kingston Square Arts. Life as a shopkeeper can be a lot of fun. But it is also a lot of work. So much work that, at times, it has been hard to keep my head up and the smile on my face.

But then the bell rings

Which means a customer is coming in. There is nothing better than sitting in the back room of the store, wheel spinning, water flying, clay being worked up and down, and a head pokes around the corner. What are you doing? Can I try? Before I know it, I am helping someone else experience the magic of clay – your clay-covered hands making a bowl rise out of a blob.

People from all over head this way

You may not believe it, but we have had visitors come to the store in little Kingston, Arkansas from all over the globe. Lots of people from Arkansas and the neighboring states but also from the coasts and countries in Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. We had members of the crew come in when a season of “True Detective” was being filmed in Northwest Arkansas. We’ve had more bikers and car cruisers than we can count. We’ve even had a local blogger come in and capture some of the feel and the history of the store.  You can check out that piece at OzarksAlive.com. It’s the February 10, 2020 post.

Sink or swim

But despite all the good times, there are days when not a soul comes through that door. These are the days when I sometimes feel I can barely keep my head above the clay. I once compared throwing pottery to riding a wave.  Keeping a store open is another wave in the ocean of my life. Perhaps a wave that was a bit bigger than I expected.  But…one I am still excited to ride, even if it means a few falls, now and then.

In 2020, with two years of shop keeping under by belt, I know I can spend more time with my head above the wheel and hands in clay.  Pura vida!