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MCKENZIE HARDIN, 12, of Brunswick, paints a ceramic horse Saturday during the grand opening of Glazed, a do-it-yourself pottery store at 56 Maine St. The store, operated by Frosty’s Donuts owners Nels and Shelby Omdal, opened in place of Shift Sustainable Home Goods which closed in November.
MCKENZIE HARDIN, 12, of Brunswick, paints a ceramic horse Saturday during the grand opening of Glazed, a do-it-yourself pottery store at 56 Maine St. The store, operated by Frosty’s Donuts owners Nels and Shelby Omdal, opened in place of Shift Sustainable Home Goods which closed in November.
BRUNSWICK

It’s called Glazed, of course, because when a couple of doughnut makers decide to open a do-it-yourself pottery store, there’s pretty much only one name that will suffice.

WHILE HIS FATHER Jason looks on, Jayse Welch, 7, of Brunswick, puts the final touches on a ceramic fighter jet during the Glazed grand opening Saturday.
WHILE HIS FATHER Jason looks on, Jayse Welch, 7, of Brunswick, puts the final touches on a ceramic fighter jet during the Glazed grand opening Saturday.
Frosty’s Donuts owners Nels and Shelby Omdal opened their newest business space at 56 Maine St. on Saturday, amid throngs of holiday shoppers and anticipation of the season’s first real snowstorm. Artisans of all abilities and interest levels can decorate and fire earthen vessels sourced from several vendors. Inventory runs to more than 180 different pieces, from cartoonish pigs and hippos to plates, mugs, airplanes and robots.

“I feel like it was meant to be,” Shelby Omdal said. “We just walked into the space and it felt like it should be this. We wanted a place that families could unplug from video games and computers and sit down to do hands-on stuff, because there aren’t many places in Brunswick for that.”

The avocation is dear to Shelby, and the space — immediately adjacent to the doughnut and coffee shop that she operates with her husband, Nels — is both perfectly located and suited for such a shopfront, she said.

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They started preparing the former Shift Sustainable Home Goods storefront about a month ago, after owners Corie Washow and Rob Schulz decided to close their eco-friendly retail shop. While the display shelves are the same, the wall paint, blackboards, specialty teas and refreshments are new.

So is the 27-cubic-foot kiln in the back room where pottery pieces decorated by customers are fired and, well, glazed.

More than just pottery and painting, Omdal wants the store to be a place for customers to gather. She wants it to be a “date night” kind of place on weekends, or a hangout for artsy friends. She plans to have live music every month and eventually will offer various classes or guided projects, “painting nights,” birthday parties and summer art camps.

“There hasn’t been a shop like this in Brunswick for about seven years,” said Josi Omdal, Shelby’s sister-in-law and the store’s manager. “It just seemed like an opportunity to reach a niche that hasn’t been served here in a while.”

jtleonard@timesrecord.com


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