Today we’d like to introduce you to Tricia Langeleh.
Tricia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I purchased my business 7 years ago. I decided to work for myself instead of in the corporate field. I had always had a 9-5pm job. This job gives me the flexibility to make my own hours. Don’t get me wrong, I work 24/7 but I don’t always have to be in the shop to do that. I worked with pottery as a side job for a few years before doing it full time. When this business was an opportunity for me I jumped on it.
Since I have had Magic Brush Pottery & Fused Glass we have added three mediums which makes our business the one stop arts and crafts store to go to. Originally it had paint your own pottery, I added Fused Glass, Canvas Painting, and wine glass painting. We have increased our customer base by 400% since I took it over. We cater to all surrounding towns and communities. We do a lot of fundraising for different organizations. We typically donate over $5000.00 each year to different organizations. We have paint nights, pottery nights, fused glass nights, and a percentage is donated back to the charity.
We work with 13 community education departments in the surrounding towns to bring Art to the School. We will do a 5-8 week session after school for an hour and introduce pottery, glass, and canvas to the kids. Typically we do K-5th grade.
We host a lot of private parties, birthday parties, girls’ nights outs, paint nights, and more. Our largest event in the last year has been our Mother/Daughter Tea Parties in which they enjoy a light snack and each person paints a tea cup and saucer it is such a good bonding time for Mom and Daughter. I am proud being a former Girl Scout leader that we can work closely with Girl Scouts. We have several badges that we offer for them at a discounted price so it helps them and we have a way of giving back at the same time.
I have one child and she is embarking on College in the spring and including working at my business to make it a success it has given me the time to train for Triathlons and Road Races. I am involved in two groups- Trifury of the Greater Lowell Area and Sole Sisters 01887 of the Tewsbury/Wilmington area. I have just recently completed my first 10 mile road race which brought me to my first 1/2 marathon and now we are in Triathlon Season in which I will participate in Sprint and Olympic Distance Triathlons throughout the Summer. A 1/2 Ironman and Full Ironman are on my radar.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a road of ups and downs. We have our slow months and we have our really busy months. Typically the busy month will help with the slow months. We are a place that is made to help you relax and have fun.
We are a walk in Business so you never know how the day is going to go. I have changed my look at my business in the past couple of years and working towards doing outside work (outside the shop) to make up for the walk in business and hopefully someday I will have it so that my outside work is my bulk of my business and I won’t have to worry about the walk in side of it. I will always have the walk in side and the shop will be my home base and a place for people to come and relax and make a piece for themselves or as a gift, but it is nice to be out of the shop and visiting schools, daycare’s, homes, and businesses.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Magic Brush Pottery & Fused Glass – what should we know?
We are a paint your own pottery, fused glass, canvas painting, and wine glass painting studio. We are a walk in business. We host Birthday Parties, ladies nights out, paint nights, kids’ nights, private parties, and we also do a bulk of our work outside the shop.
We specialize in helping customers create a piece that they will be proud of. We love to do hand-print and footprints of little ones on a piece of pottery so it is a piece that will preserve their hands and fits for a long time to come.
We are known for being consistent and helpful. Our shop is homey and comfortable for all customers. We have people that range from newborns to elderly. Everyone loves to paint. Our pieces are food safe after they are fired which also makes it a specialized gift as there is not many of us left.
I am most proud of the way that the customers and the workers all know each other. It is so nice to come in and see a friendly face return to paint another piece and be proud of the work that they do.
What sets us apart from the others is that we fire our potter and glass so that they are food safe and it preserves the painting. There are other companies out there that use glitter and sharpies on mugs and plates and that is just a decorative piece and is not food safe. So once the customer finds out they can drink or eat off of our pieces it is a surprise to the new customers and they love it.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I feel that my passion for customers and their pieces has contributed to my success. I don’t do much advertising because it is too expensive so I rely on word of mouth and happy customers. A piece doesn’t go out of the shop without it being inspected and if it is not up to par we will fix it or replace it. We pride ourselves on our Customer Service.
Contact Info:
- Address: Magic Brush Pottery & Fused Glass
361 Main Street
Tewksbury, MA 01876 - Website: www.magicbrushpottery.com
- Phone: 978-446-0588
- Email: magicbrushpottery1@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magicbrushpottery1
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Magicbrushpottery
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