MANY PEOPLE dream by the beach during the summer, but few run with those musings months later. That's what Westminster resident Melissa Shaffer did when she opened the Pottery Loft on Main Street.
On Nov. 15, with hot cider and shortbread, and soothing music playing, Shaffer opened what she and others describe as a "stress-free place to have fun and explore your creativity."
The Pottery Loft provides more than 100 pieces of unfinished pottery for customers to paint, sponge or stencil at their whim. Vases, platters, pencil holders, boxes, business card holders, ornaments and other trinkets sit on the shelves in uniform, nondescript color until customers paint them.
Once painted, the items become individualized works of art. Prices range from $6 for an ornament, to $42 for an Italian platter. The fees cover what Shaffer calls the "studio fee," costs associated with supplies and kiln time.
Shaffer's journey into the small-business world has been swift. Last summer, she started to miss the family trips to paint-your-own-pottery studios in Austin, Texas, where she recently lived. She also remembered the "Ladies Nights" at those studios, where she would paint, chat, and relax for hours before purchasing her items at a discounted rate.
Not finding a place like that here, she mused that Westminster needed a paint-your-own-pottery studio downtown.
By the end of the summer, Shaffer decided to take her favorite hobby and turn it into a business.
She said that she has received a positive response.
"One of the biggest joys has been the feedback from the public, and all the help my family and from my business neighbors," Shaffer said.
The weekend before it opened, Shaffer and family members painted more than 80 samples for display. The group, which included her mother-in-law, Sue Henthorn, sister Zora Beadnell, and brother-in-law Scott Shaffer and his wife, Gina, Shaffer "had fun and felt quite creative," she said.
Some of her initial customers said that artists of any ability level can enjoy the paint-your-own pottery experience.
"I'm painting a mug and it's simple for beginners," said Marlene Biddinger of Finksburg. "It's my birthday, and finding this place was a great surprise."
Biddinger's daughter Stacy painted green and yellow stripes and scrolls on a planter.
"This is going to be perfect for the office gift exchange," she said. "We're supposed to bring in something that costs between $10 and $15. This will be about $11, and it will be a hit because it's personal and it's cute."
Shaffer's advice to anyone hesitant to follow their start-your-own-business dream: "Say it out loud - share your dream, and then things start to happen."
It helped that the first people Shaffer shared her dream with were her husband, Jeff, and her stepdaughter Jessica. Within days, Jeff created a business plan and a budget.
"I didn't know about all the formalities of opening my own business," Shaffer said. "But everyone has helped me walk through all the details."
The Pottery Loft, at 185 E. Main St., is open from noon to 6 p.m. Sundays and Wednesdays and noon to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.
Information: 410-840-3180 or www.potteryloft.com.
School nurses' thanks
The county's public school nurses are to gather today at Carroll County Career and Technology Center in Westminster for a group photo to honor 100 years of nursing in public schools. The first week in May is the official week to honor school nurses, but officials are getting a jump on the celebration while students are on vacation and nurses are able to leave the buildings.
Each Thanksgiving, I like to touch base with people in the community to ask them what they are the most thankful for. This year, to show my appreciation for all the nurses who comfort our children, I talked with nurses in Central Carroll.
All of them expressed gratitude for their families, good health, their support staff, recent rains, and colleagues at their schools. Here is what they said when asked, "What item in the health room do they value the most?"
Marge Hoffmaster, supervisor of health services for the school system: The sink - "It helps me keep my hands clean, wash off injuries, and give drinks to people who need them."
Letitia Simonette, Robert Moton Elementary: The thermometer - "When a child comes in and says he's burning up with a fever, the thermometer can read 98.6 [degrees] and put things into perspective."
Jan Borisevic, Westminster Elementary: Band-Aids - "I go through hundreds a day."
Pat Falcone, Career and Technology Center: Humor - "It helps me go with the flow."
Corki Miller, Westminster High: The thermometer - "It can give me an accurate assessment of a child's health."
Carol Laird, West Middle: The computer - "With it, I can correspond with the staff and parents about the care I provide for the children."
Mary Peters, East Middle: The thermometer - "It is the first indication that a child is very sick."
Leigh Emerson, Cranberry Station Elementary: The emergency cards - "They are my lifeline to the parents."
Donna Armacost, Sandymount Elementary: The thermometer - "I know when it hits 100, I can send the child home."
Darlene Rankin, Friendship Valley Elementary: The phone - "I can call moms and say, 'Come get your children now.'"
Doris Smith, William Winchester Elementary: The phone - "I can make contact if I need an ambulance or to talk to the kids. I use that a lot."
Cyd Sheehy, Carroll Springs: The feeding pumps - "The pumps can be programmed to give a certain amount of food each day. We have four. We could use more, but these pumps give me some independence and great peace of mind."
Robin Bridgeman, Gateway: A sense of humor - "When a student comes in and says he has dog jaw, not lock jaw, and then barks when you try to check it out, you have to laugh."
Lisa Breslin's Central Carroll neighborhood column appears Mondays in the Carroll County edition of The Sun.