Business of the Week: Westchester Putnam Pottery, Mahopac
What do you do when you’re unable to find fun activities in your hometown? If you’re Debbie Albanese, you open a paint-your-own pottery studio.
Albanese opened Westchester Putnam Pottery in November. “I’ve always had a love for art and did pottery as a hobby for years,” she says. “There are no opportunities for that kind of thing in Mahopac, so I thought, why don’t I open a studio?”
Customers can choose from more than 200 pieces of pottery to paint, stencil, letter, or silkscreen. They can also try their hand at glass fusing, the process of laying sheets of glass on top of each other and melting them together to create everything from pendants to lamps.
Westchester Putnam Pottery is located on Miller Road, right behind Mavis and the Olympic Diner, in a former dance studio.
“I wanted it to be in Mahopac, but I had a hard time finding a location,” Albanese says. “One day, I was driving by the studio and saw that it was available, so I called. It actually ended up being the property of an old friend of my husband’s.”
The hardwood floors are ideal for cleaning up paint spills. Albanese had a refrigerator and sink put in to complete the transformation from dance studio to pottery studio. There’s also a private room, perfect for hosting parties.
While walk-ins are always welcome, Westchester Putnam Pottery is also great for birthdays, ladies’ nights, bridal showers and bachelorette parties, scout and church groups, team building, and field trips.
On Black Friday, the Pottery held a drop-and-shop, where parents could drop off the kids for an afternoon of crafting while they did their holiday shopping.
In the New Year, Albanese plans to add Princess and Pirate parties where children are encouraged to come dressed in costume to enjoy story time, painting, hot cocoa, and cookies.
Besides keeping busy with parties (Albanese had to rush out following our interview to clean up from the party the night before and set up for the birthday party later that morning), Albanese is also going to be offering classes through the Somers and Carmel Recreation Center.
“We’re selling a lot of gift certificates and seeing a lot of moms with kids coming in to make platters of hand- and footprints. Those make excellent gifts for grandparents.”
Albanese says that most of her clients are finding out about her company via word of mouth. Most of that word of mouth promotion comes from Facebook, where people post photos of their pottery and glass fusion creations. Facebook connections then see those photos and want to join in on the fun.
The best part is there’s no appointment necessary. Come in anytime during opening hours (“I’m local, so even if it snows, I’m there,” Albanese says) and let your creativity carry you away. You’re guaranteed to leave with a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
Westchester Putnam Pottery is located at 54 Miller Road in Mahopac, NY. For more information, visit www.westchesterputnampottery.com or call 845-628-2127. Westchester Putnam Pottery is also on Facebook.
