First Anniversary for Pottery 101

We celebrated our first anniversary in business on Saturday, December 5th. It's hard to believe it has been a year already. We really didn't do anything special to commemorate the special day. Our loft was on the Symphony's Christmas homes tour so we were just a little busy.

All in all, it has been a very good year. The gallery is doing well and the classes have been a huge success. We had our first artist opening and reception in November featuring works by Joy Tanner and Annie Singletary. We were very pleased with the response to this show and are looking forward to doing several more in the coming year.

It's been a long journey but we are finally home. Pottery 101 opened for business on December 5th. In addition to my own work, Pottery 101 represents potters from across the Carolinas.

We are in! The past few weeks have been a bit of a blur but we managed to close on and move out of our old house and are, at least half way, moved into our new home. We still have quite a few boxes to unpack but have managed to get a couple of areas livable.

Pottery Gallery

Now that the work on the loft is nearing completion focus has shifted to the 1st floor gallery and studio. The windows and trim are close to being completed and this week the tin ceiling was put back in place. Next will be the paint and flooring. It's amazing the difference the windows on the Innes st. side have made to the building, not only from the outside but also to the interior. The natural light that streams in illuminates the gallery in a way that I never could have imagined. I can't wait to see the display windows lined with pottery.

Refinished floors

The upstairs floors have been sanded and refinished. They turned out so pretty. Chad, our contractor, told me they would be beautiful and had very specific ideas about how they should be finished...."Clear with three coats of semi-gloss polyurethane". I have to say, I cringed at the thought that the floors would turn out too light without stain. But, as usual, Chad knew what he was talking about. As soon as the floor sander made it's first pass I could see what he meant. The wood is yellow heart pine and is cut on the vertical.....I think I'm saying that right. In any case. The wood grain and natural color is gorgeous and unlike anything I have ever seen. Thanks Chad!

Elevator mural completed

The elevator mural is finished. While acknowledging all of the businesses that have occupied the building, I wanted to recognize the fact that it is now also a residence. I did this by adding a pot at the top with the inscription "Goins House, Est. 2008". Some of the other things that it has been over the years is a grocery store, a building and loan, a restaurant, a confectionary, a jewelry store and, just prior to renovation, a soccer supply shop. The upstairs, soon to be our home, used to house accounting, law and insurance offices. For many years there was a huge Pilot Life Insurance sign on the roof. You can just barely see it in the 1928 picture at the bottom of this page. Going by pictures that we have of the building through the years we know that this sign was up there for at least 30 years. It's gone now but has been recreated in the elevator shaft.

Changes

Things are changing quickly at 101 S. Main St. As we near completion of our upstairs residence I remember that we also have a pottery studio and gallery to complete. We hope to be up and running before the holidays. This is an ambitious goal but one that we feel is necessary.

The floors upstairs are in the finishing process. They receive their third coat of poly. in the morning. Later in the week the lighting fixtures will be installed.

The focus now moves to the exterior and the retail level. Workers are currently remaking the faux mansard style roof on the front and side of the building and work continues on the storefront.