Wasilla pottery studio offers opportunity for the entire family

Forget Me Not Pottery provides a relaxing, quiet space for everyone in the entire family to enjoy creating their own one-of-a-kind piece of art. From dishware to rocket ships, dragons to cars and fish to frogs, there is something for any adult or child to paint and create.

Owner Tierra Colegrove opened her store, located in the building at the corner of Bogard Road and Peck Street in Wasilla, with the goal to provide this unique service to the Valley.

“It’s always been something that my kids and I really enjoyed doing together,” Colegrove said. “I just really wanted to have a place where families could come and everybody would be able to do something.”

Customers are welcome to walk in and choose from a variety of designs. Prices range from $8-$45 per piece, with an additional $8 charge per item. Colegrove said popular pieces include plates, bowls, plain mugs and flat tiles. Families with young children typically spend an hour in the shop, and groups of adults usually spend two or three hours. There is no limit on the amount of time that people can stay in the store and customers are welcome to leave a project and return to it at any time.

“I would love to see more families come in,” Colegrove said. “When we do have kids in, and especially younger kids, they have so much fun. Picking out their paint colors, being excited about what piece they get to pick out and then watching them paint it. It’s really fun to see.”

Once a customer is finished with their piece, it is set aside to dry for 24 hours. The pieces will then be glazed, dried again, and then enter the kiln for roughly 20 hours. Colegrove said she will then sand off any imperfections or sharp edges before wrapping the piece and calling the customer to pick it up. The entire process usually takes seven to 10 days.

Many return customers say that the process is relaxing, according to Colegrove. Some bring their phones and watch a show while they paint and say the process is very therapeutic. Young children enjoy the positive critiques from the workers about their artwork and celebrate with their classmates and families. Both older adults and children as young as two enjoy the process for different reasons.

“It’s been really fun to see just the different dynamics that people have coming in,” Colegrove said.

Putting together a business plan, acquiring funding and building inventory started in January, and Colegrove opened her doors in April. Located at the same location as previous business Just Add Paint, Colegrove said the building offered the only suitable space for her needs. Having a private area at the back of the store for larger groups like birthday parties and field trips was important for her. The high-wattage kiln, an integral tool in the pottery process, required the proper electrical setup.

“When I was looking at many places, none of them had everything except for this, which had already been used for the same design of business,” Colegrove said.

Colegrove said that business has been picking up as more and more customers share with their friends. She said that days when the weather is poor and stormy tend to be busier days in the store. Colegrove has received a lot of positive feedback from her customers and finds a lot of joy in bringing the service to the community.

“Being able to see that has been very rewarding,” Colegrove said.

Forget Me Not Pottery is open seven days per week. Business hours are from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, and from 11a.m. - 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.