With love in the name, it’s hard not to adore Aime Pottery Studio, which celebrated its grand opening in Pilot Point on May 22.
The Pilot Point Chamber of Commerce was there to support the new business at 717 E. Liberty St., with President Jimerson Adkins sharing a few words about the joy of having another creative space in town, as did Mayor Chad Major.
“I really want to welcome you because I love doing this because it relaxes me, and this is awesome,” Major said.
Adkins presented the ceremonial scissors for the ribbon cutting to owner Wendy Amie Cavazos.
The inspiration for the business came from visiting paint-your-own pottery places in Frisco, McKinney and surrounding cities with her daughters.
“We made so many new memories and everything together that when I had the opportunity and started to think about, ‘OK, I want to start a business. What would be the ideal thing to do?’” she said. “And well, we love to paint, we love to craft, we like to have those moments as mother and daughter. So, then I was like, paint your own pottery.”
She received added encouragement from her landlord, who saw the vision.
“It’s been exciting but nervous at the same time because, first of all, I’m a new business owner, so just the fact of opening my own business, I was already like, could I really do this?” she said. “Could this really happen? So, that was nervous, but when I saw it all come together, I was, like yeah, it can happen, yeah, we can do this.”
Although the business opened back on the first of April, Cavazos said there are already talks of collaborating with another ma-and-pa business in Pilot Point.
She added that the possibilities seem endless, with plans to host a ladies’ night and other events in the future.
Through the process, she has inspired those around her, like her oldest daughter, Bernece Cruz, who recalled an early conversation she had with her mom when it was only an idea.
“She couldn’t sleep because she was trying to make a decision,” Cruz said.
So, Cavazos’ daughter offered her words of advice.
“If you want to, you’ll do it,” Cruz said. “And if you feel like you’re called to do it, you can’t miss your mark, this is it.”
Now that the place is up and running, it’s become a full-circle moment for her, as she shared what it meant to be there to support her mom’s grand opening.
“It was really inspiring,” Cruz said. “And if anything, it’s amazing. It really, really is, because she’s not setting an example just for me but for everybody around her.”
The moment was even more special for Cruz, who brought her own children to the grand opening.
“My kids feel so proud to just come in, and they know where to go, what to do,” Cruz said. “They set an example, too. They can act crazy other places, but here it’s like, this is my grandma’s place. This is our place. We’ve got to act right.”
In addition to the outpouring of support from family, community members offered their own warm welcomes.
“They’re all happy to have me here, and I feel like the future will be good,” Cavazos said. “I feel like every month is gonna be better and better as we go.”
