More than a decade ago, pottery became a therapeutic outlet for Augie Echeandia.
Aside from enjoying the way that shaping a new piece of pottery helped worries melt away, Echeandia said, he also enjoyed the camaraderie that came with throwing clay alongside fellow artists.
This was something he hoped to replicate when he relocated to the Kansas City area from Virginia for a job at Olathe-based tech company Garmin nine years ago. But when he didn’t quite find a new pottery community, he set out to create his own.
His new pottery studio and art shop, House of Clay, celebrated its grand opening on Saturday.
House of Clay opened at 7811 Marty St.
- The pottery studio moved into a space on the north side of downtown Overland Park, near Petersons Antiques.
- The space was previously used as a flour milling facility.
- House of Clay generally offers classes from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily.
House of Clay offers classes for all ability levels
In House of Clay’s gallery up front, shelves and walls feature pottery and other artworks, like paintings and jewelry, from local makers.
The back of House of Clay is where the hands-on action happens. House of Clay offers classes for a variety of ability levels, as well as memberships for artists who want to come in and use the studio on their own.
As of right now, classes are open to adults, though Echeandia said he’s considering offering some classes for younger teens later on, depending on demand.
The studio also plans to offer events like featured artist meet-and-greets, live music, and “pottery and pinot” date nights.
Later on, Echeandia also plans to partner with Empty Bowls, an organization that aims to raise funds for hunger-fighting charities by serving food in bowls made by local artists.
House of Clay is a long time coming for its owner
Echeandia first dipped his toes into the pottery world while living in Virginia 12 years ago, during what he said was a turbulent time in his life.
“I just fell in love with it, and I made some good friends (through it),” he said. “Making things that people appreciate and that were usable, it just gave me a lot of joy.”
When looking for a place to open his own studio, Echeandia said he knew he wanted it to be in downtown Overland Park, largely because of the strong art community already present there.
Depending on how things shake out, Echeandia said he may eventually open more studios in Johnson County or other parts of the Kansas City metro area.
But for now, he’s focused on laying the groundwork with his new Overland Park studio.
“I’m just really excited about getting this going,” he said. “(About) having people come here and really enjoying themselves, having fun.”
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