Their ceramics can be found in tens of thousands of homes in Omaha and the country. While they might not ever fetch the price of a Picasso, the pieces are regarded as priceless works of art, not for their monetary value, but for their sentiment.

These one-of-a-kind pieces – prized by generations and crafted by loving hands – were inspired by “That Pottery Place,” a contemporary ceramics studio, also known as a paint-your-own pottery studio, now celebrating its 26th year in business.

Located at 7828 Dodge, they offer people of all ages, for virtually any occasion, a space to create personalized gifts – be it keepsakes, to spend time with friends or family, or to celebrate a special milestone, according to its owner Nancy King.

Born and raised in Omaha, the mother of four and grandmother of eight always loved to sew, do needlecraft and a variety of other “artsy” projects. Although she doesn’t consider herself an artist, King has found a variety of creative ways to enrich her life and the lives of others – from bridal showers to school field trips, fundraisers, summer camps, kits-to-go, birthday parties, youth groups and corporate outings.

But opening a pottery studio, which also offers small, glass-fused projects and mosaics, was never something this Westside High School graduate had planned to do.

“Before opening my retail business, I worked for an interior designer, sewing and upholstering a variety of home and business decor projects,” she said.

Then, during one of her many travels, she found her “muse.”

“While taking a week-long trip to Breckenridge, Colo., we discovered a small, paint-your-own-pottery studio that had only been open for three weeks.”

The novel idea appealed to her artistic sensibilities, as well as her sense of business. As King explained, the “contemporary ceramic studio” was still a new concept in the US, and “most were only familiar with traditional ceramics.”

After spending a few days painting in the studio and speaking to the owner, King decided to put pen to paper and establish her own studio.

King explained a large piece of her vision was to provide “a place for families to spend time together while creating. The finished products are the perfect keepsakes for families and make for great personalized gift giving.”

But that meant starting out with a rather blank canvas.

King never planned on running a retail business but decided to go forward with this new concept that she now felt passionate about. She made contact with other studio owners for educational purposes in different cities. During this time there was no Internet access, Facebook groups or easy ways to start on this adventure.

Undeterred, her vision began to materialize as she physically began to build her business.

“Over the next couple of months I did my research and started putting together a plan while building my studio’s tables in my garage. Once securing our studio, I personally continued to build the tables, displays and cabinets during the evening and putting the business portion together during the day.”

No less than five months later, she was ready to open. By drawing on her sense of humor, they also knew exactly what to call her new business.

“We decided to do a play on words. Figuring people don’t always remember your name, we decided on ‘That Pottery Place.’ Someone might ask, ‘Where are you going today?’ ‘That Pottery Place.’ ‘OK, but what’s the name of it?’” King explained.

However, once open, success was not always etched in stone.

“It was definitely a learning curve for me as I learned the ebb and flow of business, not knowing if we would succeed from one year to the next,” she said. “It was also a challenge to educate our customers on the concept as it was different from what their grandparents were doing with traditional ceramics.” As King had never done ceramics, she says there was a real learning curve for the process, as well as many issues that came with it such as learning the different types of glazes and clays. “This is something a customer is never aware of, but something we constantly deal with.”

Although it wasn’t as easy as paint by numbers, once the concept caught on, the curious interested certainly helped propel the business.

The same year they opened the studio, “several other studios across the U.S. started an association with yearly conventions. That was a great lifeline. Now we have Facebook and other ways to easily communicate with owners and vendors,” she said.

Dinnerware, and for the children, the figurines, appear to be the most popular items to paint. But King carries more than 200 different items and tries to rotate the novelties to provide more variety, she said. King says her biggest challenge is hiring and maintaining a consistent staff, and that the past few years have made this more difficult. She believes they are fortunate to have had so many of their staff stay on “while going to college or before moving on to full-time work.”

Perhaps it’s the benefits of creative expression that helps keep these studios afloat, she notes.

“For a young child to have the experience painting and then seeing their finished creation, all bright and shiny, personalizing gifts for family and friends, or to complete that perfect piece for your home,” she said of its appeal.

Not to mention the bonding experience, she added, or just relaxing and taking time out for yourself.

Nor is age a factor, as one might find many generations of family enjoying a session together, where at least one tyke brushes a splash of color across their cheek. No worries though, the paints are water-based and non-toxic.

“There is no real minimum age for this activity … This is an activity where the parents, grandparents or nannies would stay and paint with their children,” she said.

In fact, for King herself, the studio has been a real family affair. Her niece, Shelly Nauss, has worked with her for 25 years, and she credits her as “the main reason that we are still open today. She handles the in-studio activities while I mostly work the business end.” She says nowadays she is able to travel and work remotely because of Shelly and the advances in technology.

“Many of our painters that started painting with us when they were small children have come back for their bridal showers, and as adults painting with their children. Other than making me realize how quickly life passes, I love the concept that we have been here for so many years and getting to know all the great customers through our business,” she said.

In retrospect, it all seems to have come full circle for her.

“Small businesses only exist by having wonderful customers and for that I am grateful to them for supporting us all these years. We also show our gratitude to the community by donating gift certificates for fundraisers and worthy causes. There is a misconception that those are tax deductible, although they are not, we feel it is very important to be supportive in anyway we can,” she said.

Not ready to hang up her paint brush, King reflects on the journey as transformational. “I honestly don’t know what I expected from this business when I started out. I was literally flying by the seat of my pants. But it has provided me with such an education and feeling of self satisfaction that I am truly grateful,” she said.