Artsea Craftsea opens in South Beach
After a decades-long career in the hospitality industry in Colorado, a recent transplant to the Oregon coast made a decision to do something fun for a living.
Lara Lubinski opened Artsea Craftsea, a paint-your-own pottery business located in the former South Beach Post Office. Lubinski said all the pieces fell into place once she moved to the central coast in 2020.
After staying at places all along the coast, Lubinski said Newport seemed like the right spot to start a business, but finding a retail rental took her six months. When she went to the former post office, Lubinski knew she had a winner.
She had the idea to create a place that locals and tourists could enjoy even in bad weather. “I kept seeing posts on Facebook that people were looking for things to do, and it’s fun,” she said.
The community of Newport has embraced Lubinski and her start-up business. “They just took me in and want me to succeed,” she said.
Artsea Craftsea has nearly 200 unique pieces of ceramics for guests to choose from. The selection includes dishware, holiday decor, pet bowls, piggy banks, figurines, and planters, which come with a complimentary plant.
With 62 different glazes, technique and video, and a variety of silk screen patterns to trace, Lubinski takes the finished pottery, adds a food and dishwasher safe glaze and fires it in a kiln. The process takes between seven to 10 days to complete after which the artist can pick up their finished products.
She also has mosaic tiles for board creations. Anyone who uses the glass will be sent home with grout to finish the piece.
The studio is a great place for special occasions and parties for kids and adults, team building for businesses, a girl’s night out or a guy’s night out. Lubinski said parties can be held during regular business hours or rented after hours. Walk-ins are welcome, but parties over six should make reservations.
Costs range from $20 to $145 for the largest pieces. Parties have a minimum of a $200 pottery purchase. The average time for a project is one-and-a-half hours.
Eventually, Lubinski would like to incorporate other popular crafts and would like to bring in instructors to teach classes. Attendees in an upcoming class, for example, will make driftwood wreaths. “It doesn’t have to be pottery or painting,” Lubinski said. “Just someone who has a talent they want to share.” She is also looking to get some of the mobile paint and sip classes scheduled as well.
