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Potter proves change promotes prosperity |
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Conventional wisdom says when your life is in great change,
be extra cautious. Laura Porter McMurry has never put much stock in conventional
wisdom.
In 1995, while on vacation in San Francisco, McMurry walked
into a very different kind of establishment. It was a pottery shop where
patrons could buy all kinds of plain bisque (unpainted and unglazed pottery)
items, then paint and decorate them in a creative and inviting studio
setting. When finished, the customers had a work of art—completely
personalized pottery. Gears in McMurry’s head started to turn. In the midst of a divorce and looking for work for the
first time in eight years, McMurry seemed to have far more questions than
answers. “My life was changing and I had to make something work,”
she said. “Since I was already going through all kinds of change,
I decided to create a new direction that I was totally happy with. Why
not?” Why not indeed… McMurry spent every day of her vacation in that shop,
working on gifts for family and friends and thinking how something similar
would do well in her hometown of Grand Rapids. When she returned home,
the framework for her goal was set, although with a bachelor’s degree
in journalism, McMurry knew more about promoting a business than she did
running one. But like a good journalist, she was persistent, did a lot
of research and asked the right people the right questions. An early challenge was finding a location. “It was
the first time I had experienced discrimination in my life,” McMurry
said. “No one wanted to lease a woman space for this idea. I approached
building owners and they would say patronizingly, ‘That is a cute
idea, honey, why don’t you do it in your basement?’ They told
me it was too risky, but I wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Her persistence won out, and one year after first seeing
this concept in California, McMurry set up shop in Breton Village Shopping
Center in Grand Rapids. Naked Plates was born. As a working art studio, the setting and atmosphere of
Naked Plates are even more important than in a traditional retail store.
Rather than stopping in to purchase an item, customers will sit down and
spend anywhere from 15 minutes to five hours on their works of art. Because this warmly lit and brightly decorated creative
work space is a second home to its valued customers, free coffee, relaxing
music and creative conversation with staff are always readily available.
“This is not a gift store,” McMurry said. “My
competitors are not tableware stores or gift shops. My competitors are
movie theaters, video game arcades and coffee shops. “Creating in this studio is entertainment. This is
a gift that takes time and effort, but people are here because they want
to be. My customers are creating, not shopping.”
McMurry and Naked Plates have helped raise more than a
half-million dollars over the past five years for God’s Kitchen,
a local soup kitchen, by partnering with it on a fundraiser called “Soup’s
On For All.” Each year, more than 1,000 soup bowls supplied by Naked
Plates are painted by customers, employees, service organizations, businesses
and celebrities, then auctioned with all proceeds going to God’s
Kitchen. “The people behind ‘Soup’s On’ approached
me, and I was more than happy to be a part of it,” said McMurry.
“It was so successful, I had to buy another kiln and have it installed
in my home to accommodate all the firing that needed to be done.” McMurry is also heavily involved with Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Mirroring the auction theme of the “Soup’s On” fundraiser,
“Fluttering Fantasies: When Wishes Take Flight,” asked celebrities
from all walks to paint a bisque butterfly, take a picture of themselves
with it, and mail it back to McMurry to be fired and auctioned by Make-A-Wish.
The fundraiser was a resounding success, and butterflies came fluttering
in from such well known celebrities as The Beach Boys, the Commodores,
Florence Henderson and Mr. Rogers. On top of the good feeling charity involvement gives McMurry,
it is a powerful tool for promoting her studio. “I would rather donate
$500 worth of supplies or studio time to a cause than spend the same amount
on an ad. The way I choose to promote my business benefits the community—you
don’t get that with traditional advertising.” Community involvement and successful fundraisers aren’t
the only rewards of owning Naked Plates. McMurry says that she sees special
bonds develop in the studio and hears inspiring stories surrounding the
gifts made there. “The interaction I see between family and friends
is so rewarding,” McMurry said. “I have seen moms and teenage
daughters go from enemies to buddies as they make their projects together.
I gain insight into peoples lives through the special gifts that they
create for one another here.” The little store that nobody wanted is now one of the
most popular stops in Brenton Village, and copycat studios are popping
up all over the state. “I was the first pottery painting studio in
the state,” McMurry said. “If I had opened more than one studio
in the beginning, I’d have really had something. Now, I can’t
open another store because the market is getting so saturated. As a female
business owner, it is a source of pride that I was able to overcome roadblocks
to be a part of a new and economically successful retail trend in the
state.” Even though her studio is a complete success, McMurry
is not finished dreaming. When her children are done with college (in the next three
to four years) she plans to sell her business, her home and her car and
move to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands—the place of her birth.
There she will spend the rest of her days in the sun, living the good
life and traveling the globe on a 50-foot sailboat. If conventional wisdom
says this dream is too risky, Laura Porter-McMurry is sure to make it
a reality. “So far I have lived a charmed life,” McMurry
said. “I have followed the formula of a positive attitude mixed with
persistence and hard work, and things have worked out for me. Some people
may call your dream a hair-brained scheme, but if you stay positive and
work, you can make it happen. I am living proof.” This article was written by Michigan Retailer staff writer Brendan M. Dwyer. |
Avoiding
caution and doing things her way have brought success to her business
and immeasurable happiness to her life.
Naked
Plates has succeeded in making not one, but two of McMurry’s life-long
dreams come true. First, she has established a creative and fun outlet
for the people of the Grand Rapids area. Second, she has a strong vehicle
to positively influence the world around her. Community involvement is
as much a part of Naked Plates as the paint, glaze and brushes—which
is why McMurry received the 2002 Michigan Retailer of the Year Award this
past October.