Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Minor and Kellie Wright.
Hi Lindsay and Kellie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
When we first had the idea to start our company, we were looking for a way to connect with our community and provide a service that we knew it was lacking. We envisioned more of a productive hobby rather than a business, thinking we’d offer opportunities for moms and dads to bring their children for clay handprints one or two days per month. We spent about a year teaching ourselves the craft of ceramics, as neither of us has any formal experience or training in art. We practiced on our own kids and our friends’ kids until we felt confident enough to officially open to the public in January 2019. Our city blew us away with their support, and it became quickly clear that Fort Worth had been needing a ceramic keepsake company. We were working out of our garages (we are next-door neighbors) and having trouble keeping up with the ongoing demand for our keepsakes. Our hobby very quickly turned into a growing business, and we eventually opened a brick-and-mortar storefront that doubles as a retail studio and production warehouse in the summer of 2021. Our team has grown to 5 employees in addition to the two of us, and we now are able to offer our keepsakes to anyone in the USA and even some international customers through our mail-order kits.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The pandemic threw a wrench in our plans, as it did to many small businesses. We were unable to host in-person appointments for most of that year, so with the extra time, we decided to pivot our business model. We spent a large portion of that year creating our mail order system so that families could order our keepsakes remotely, doing the hand and footprints from the comfort of their homes and mailing them back to us. The response was overwhelming, and our market instantly grew tenfold. We also utilized that time to curate additional offerings, including our best-selling personalized Easter eggs, Paint your own pottery kits, and other decorative hand painted ceramics.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
We specialize in custom keepsakes utilizing children’s hands and feet. We make keepsakes for people and pets of all ages, including unique family heirloom pieces using every member of the family’s hand. Every product we create is completely handmade start to finish. We make plates to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays and holidays, Christmas ornaments, family plaques, and our best-selling acrylic shadowboxes, which frame a child’s hand and footprint on a grasscloth canvas in a timeless acrylic box. We are most proud of the opportunities we’ve had to create lasting and beautiful keepsakes for families who have lost a child. We have been fortunate to partner with a non-profit called Abel Speaks, which supports families who are given a life-limiting diagnosis while their baby is in utero. Every Abel Speaks baby receives an acrylic shadowbox with their child’s impressions, which has been a special way to use our business for good. We are also able to create shadowboxes using ink prints from the hospital and have been able to make keepsakes for moms who have lost babies as early as 15 weeks.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to us is spending time with our family and cherishing the time we are given with our children. Between the two of us, we have 7 children who are the heartbeat of and inspiration behind our business. We know that the days can be long, but the years go by so fast, and our company seeks to memorialize these days while our kids are still little.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cowtownclay.com
- Instagram: @cowtownclay
- Facebook: Cowtown Clay
Image Credits
Kristen Howell Photography
