Lifestyle Pottery, owner find new home in Clintonville

Bella Lindell has decided to give owning a brick-and-mortar ceramics shop a spin. Lifestyle Pottery – open a month now at 4610 N. High St., in a retail center near Bleu & Fig, Ritzy’s and FrameMakers, is the physical incarnation of Lindell’s ceramics business – which she has operated online and at markets for the past four years.

In addition to offering Lindell’s handmade functional ceramic pieces, the shop hosts small group classes teaching the technique of making pinch pots, as well as throwing pottery.

“I felt it was the right time to make the jump to a storefront,” Lindell said. “I just wanted to have a space where people could come in and have fun and be in community and try their hand at making something.”

Lindell, a 2018 graduate of Olentangy Orange High School, spent a semester at Columbus College of Art & Design as a contemporary crafts major before opting out of classes and into making and selling her own ceramics.

She also managed the studio at Buckeye Ceramics Supply while devising plans for a shop of her own. Lifestyle Pottery marries Lindell’s dual passions of making items with her own hands and teaching others how to make their own ceramics.

“I signed up for a ceramics class my freshman year in high school and before long, I was totally hooked,” Lindell said. She packed her schedule with as many ceramics and art classes as she could for the next three years.

“I feel like I was drawn to making something that was three dimensional, and something where I was putting my hands in dirt that came from the earth and making something out of it, using the other elements – fire, water and air,” Lindell said.

“I could tell by her junior year that she’d been bitten by the ceramics bug,” Allison Echelberry, Lindell’s art teacher at OOHS, said. “She has a passion for pottery. She loved to throw on the wheel whenever she had extra time.

“It’s been great to watch her grow into that passion, making her own pieces and opening a shop. It’s kind of a ‘proud art teacher’ moment,” Echelberry said.

Lindell described her pieces as functional kitchenware with a classic look, with a lot of neutral and earthy colors.

“I was always drawn to making functional rather than sculptural pieces,” she said. “The idea that you have a table with mugs and bowls around and you’re using those pieces every day is really appealing.”

She said she’s making some new pieces as well, including large serving bowls, taking advantage of the new space to experiment. Additionally, Lifestyle is offering classes – “a lot of date nights, girls’ nights, team building, family outings and those kinds of activities” – and plans to expand those offerings as she adds a third and a hoped-for fourth wheel.

“I love to teach, to show people who have never done it before the beauty of this craft. You could come into one of these classes having never even seen a picture of a ceramic bowl before and still enjoy your experience. And you’ll leave with something you’ll be proud of, something you created that you can be excited about,” she said.

Lindell said she was looking for spaces in a handful of different Columbus neighborhoods, but was happy to find a place in Clintonville, where she moved within the past year.

“Before, about three years ago, I wasn’t that familiar with Clintonville, and now I feel like I was missing out,” Lindell said. “This is a great location, with plenty of parking for people from other parts of town, but also there are just so many people you meet who are just out for a stroll and stop in.”

Clintonville Area Business Association Executive Director Nancy Kuhel said she was taken with Lindell's enthusiasm.

"And she's just a really nice person," Kuhel said. "We're excited to have her in the storefront. The space is fabulous and it's an ideal reuse of the space."

Lindell said she also plans to participate in the Beechwold Makers Market on July 16. The event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 100 W. Beechwold Blvd.

Lindell said that participating in these kinds of events is still valuable, even though she now has a storefront location. “I can promote the space at the markets, and vice versa,” she said.

editorial@thisweeknews.com

@ThisWeekNews

This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Lifestyle Pottery, owner find new home in Clintonville