Pottery-painting shop cashing in on crafts boom

A growing trend in people wanting to make handmade gifts and to enjoy crafts has resulted in a pottery-painting shop in Mansfield moving to new, larger premises.
Entrepreneur Sue Nelson with VIP guest Chloe Hanman and daughter Hannah Brown (left) on the opening day at The Glazey Place's new premises.Entrepreneur Sue Nelson with VIP guest Chloe Hanman and daughter Hannah Brown (left) on the opening day at The Glazey Place's new premises.
Entrepreneur Sue Nelson with VIP guest Chloe Hanman and daughter Hannah Brown (left) on the opening day at The Glazey Place's new premises.

The Glazey Place was launched on White Hart Street in March, 2012, and has been so popular that it has now switched to a refurbished store on Leeming Street.

Owner Sue Nelson’s original idea was to bring something different to the town centre and create a venue where everyone, young and old, could go in and paint their own designs on pottery items, which could then be fired in the shop’s own kiln.

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The White Hart Street store has even held parties for young children, as well as adults-only sessions in the evenings, where people could paint, talk and enjoy a glass of wine together.

“The shop has been a big success,” said Sue. “People have really taken to what we have been offering.

“I think they have wanted to return to what might have been seen as old-fashioned. They have also wanted to put a little bit of themselves into presents for relatives and friends, and to socialise while they’re doing it.”

The Glazey Place’s new base is twice the size of the original shop and, as an extra string to the business’s bow, it will even provide the opportunity for visitors to make their own teddy bears.

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“Getting the new shop ready has taken a lot of hard work, and I am grateful to everyone who has helped us move,” said Sue.

At the opening ceremony of the Leeming Street shop, she invited seven-year-old Chloe Hanman to cut the ribbon, alongside her own daughter, Hannah Brown. Chloe was one of the first customers at the original shop when she was just two.

Sue’s entrepreneurial qualities have also impressed Mansfield BID (Business Improvement District), the partnership between the council and the local business community aiming to drive forward projects that improve town-centre trade.

“Sue hit upon a wonderful business idea that has really taken off, helping to attract people into the town centre,” said Sarah Nelson, manager of Mansfield BID. “We wish her all the best for a great future in her new premises, which she has worked really hard on to get ready.”

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