When Heidi Fosnaught and Kelly Debelak were looking for a space to store their ceramic molds, they were not expecting to open a store. They are now planning to celebrate five years in business for Crafty Workshop and Gifts over the weekend of March 7-8. Located at 420 Newell St. in Painesville, Craf ty’s shelves and walls are lined with ceramic goods and other items made from materials like clay, wood, glass and jewelry. Fosnaught said that the store includes ceramic items that people can choose off the shelf and do-it-yourself kits. Wooden items include porch decorations. Debelak added that participants can take pottery home the day they make it. “We have things that we make that you can only get here because we add a ceramic to it, we add wood to it or we add flowers to it,” she said. Crafty Workshop and Gifts owners Kelly Debelak, left, and Heidi Fosnaught pose near some of the Painesville store's ceramic goods on Feb. 24. (Bryson Durst -- The News-Herald)Crafty Workshop and Gifts goods, including Easter- and St. Patrick's Day-themed items, line the Painesville store's entrance on Feb. 24. (Bryson Durst -- The News-Herald)Show Caption1 of 2Crafty Workshop and Gifts owners Kelly Debelak, left, and Heidi Fosnaught pose near some of the Painesville store's ceramic goods on Feb. 24. (Bryson Durst -- The News-Herald)Expand The store also sells seasonal items, and displays in late February, including St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and spring decorations. The owners said they also make Christmas tree-style ceramic decorations for different holidays. “We take Christmas trees, which, everybody loves the vintage Christmas trees, and we make them for every season pretty much,” Fosnaught said. Crafty includes an area where visitors can sit and work on their own crafts. The store also has a calendar featuring different classes and projects, and it said that there is daily open class painting. Crafty also hosts different groups. The owners said that they have done clay building, birthday parties, events for Girl Scout troops, girls night events and wine paint and sip events. Fosnaught said that slime making is popular for birthdays right now. “Any craft you can think of, we do,” Debelak said. “We work with wood, we work with jewelry, we do glass, sea glass.” Outside the store, they said they also go to summer festivals, campgrounds, remote classes at restaurants and nursing homes. Crafty Workshop and Gifts is pictured at 420 Newell St. in Painesville on Feb. 24. (Bryson Durst -- The News-Herald) The back of the store features a large collection of ceramic molds and items, along with the kilns and pouring table they use to prepare their goods. Debelak said that they got started with the store “by accident.” “We accidentally fell into it because some lady posted on Facebook, ‘I have 120-some molds, does anybody want them?’” she said. Debelak added that they said they would get them, but they weren’t sure what they’d do with them. They bid online for another lot of molds about a month later, and their $500 bid won despite a $1,500 asking price. Fosnaught said that they had to “scramble.” They initially planned to store the molds in the Newell Street facility. “Had no clue we were going to open a store until we decided, OK, well, we’ve got all these molds, we like to craft, we want to retire eventually, so, let’s jump,” Debelak added. Over the years, they have added more equipment like a laser cutter engraver and 3D printer. Fosnaught said they would like to add a wheel in the future. An Easter tree and a St. Patrick's Day tree line a table at Crafty Workshop and Gifts in Painesville on Feb. 24. Store owners Kelly Debelak and Heidi Fosnaught said they make Christmas tree-style ceramics for a variety of seasons. (Bryson Durst -- The News-Herald)An Easter decoration from Crafty Workshop and Gifts is pictured. (Courtesy of Crafty Workshop and Gifts)A caterpillar decoration from Crafty Workshop and Gifts is pictured. (Courtesy of Crafty Workshop and Gifts)A rabbit decoration from Crafty Workshop and Gifts is pictured. (Courtesy of Crafty Workshop and Gifts)A Christmas decoration from Crafty Workshop and Gifts is pictured. (Courtesy of Crafty Workshop and Gifts)Show Caption1 of 5An Easter tree and a St. Patrick's Day tree line a table at Crafty Workshop and Gifts in Painesville on Feb. 24. Store owners Kelly Debelak and Heidi Fosnaught said they make Christmas tree-style ceramics for a variety of seasons. (Bryson Durst -- The News-Herald)Expand They also continue to learn about new techniques and products. “We’re YouTube certified in a lot of things, or we go and we’ll take a class with somebody else so we can learn how to do it and then come back and teach it,” Fosnaught said. “There’s a few things that we haven’t dabbled into yet, but if somebody’s looking for it or asking for it, we’ll find a way to bring it,” she added later. They have also developed relationships over their five years in business. “Some of our regular customers have become like family for us,” Fosnaught said. They said that some families have come since the first day. The store also held a friends and family event around Christmas, which included an art-related gift exchange. Fosnaught described Crafty as a “more casual, relaxed, family atmosphere.” “It’s very therapeutic for most of our customers,” she added. Crafty is open from 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The store has a senior day on Wednesday afternoons, when visitors 55 and over pay half-price for class fees. The March 7-8 Five-Year Anniversary Party will include raffles, refreshments and schedules. More information can be found by visiting crafty-workshop-and-gifts.square.site or calling 440-772-0019. ...read more read less