Elodie's Oddities adds pottery and painting classes.

Elodie’s Oddities, a paint-your-own pottery studio at 102 East Overland in Scottsbluff, is expanding its selection of classes.

Owner Tiffany Schank-Hort named the store after her daughter, Lalaith Elodie Hort. The second part of the name came from her original hobby at the store.

“I started doing doll heads … and I would make them into stuff like night lights and necklaces and things like that, so that’s where the oddities came from,” Schank-Hort said. “Then I switched into paint-your-own pottery because people were asking if I had other stuff and if they could paint it.”

Expressing one’s creativity through painting is a big draw of the store, which offers both personal painting sessions as well as guided lessons.

“I’ve done lessons for a long time, but I’m changing it up this year to take a different objective. Instead of art lessons, they’re actually going to follow a lesson plan so they can add to what the kids learn in schools,” Schank-Hort said.

Her classes bring in both children and adults. Specialty events are geared toward different age groups or fans of different series or genres.

“There’s not a lot to do around here, especially for kids and families, that isn’t just going out to eat,” Schank-Hort said. “…We make it easy for people to make great stuff without having a lot of skill.”

The special events and regular sessions attract newcomers and regular customers alike.

The store recently hosted a Stranger Things-themed event on Aug. 25. A charcuterie clay workshop is scheduled for Sep. 11 and a true crime event will be held Sep. 23.

Other classes, reoccurring on a monthly basis, are ladies’ night, teen night and kids’ night events.

Another regular class is a story time event. For these classes, aimed at young kids, Schank-Hort buys children’s books from Bard’s Den Books and Beyond in Scottsbluff and focuses each activity around the characters in the book. The next of these will take place Saturday, Aug. 26.

The newest classes are Tiny Tot Sensory Time events, starting every Friday in September. These sessions will feature activities like bubble wrap painting and clay molding — everything a toddler needs for a first-time tactile artistic experience.

Every other Thursday, also starting in September, the store will hold special morning events for moms.

For some events, Schank-Hort brings along special snacks which fit the theme. Other times, she gives away special prizes.

She belongs to the Contemporary Ceramics Studio Association, an organization which brainstorms ceramics events.

“Most of the events are reservations … so we hold the seat and then the registration fee comes off your total,” Schank-Hort said.

Different pieces of pottery have different prices, and the reservation cost is subtracted from that amount. This is generally how non-event painting sessions are priced, as well.

Her classes are based around the requirements used in both public school and home schooling. She has a substitute teaching certificate.

“I have quite a history of teaching and things like that,” she said. “…When I come here, it’s like this isn’t work. It’s fun for me.”

These classes can be supplementary to schools, Schank-Hort added, since many elementary schools don’t put as much focus on art and creativity as they have in the past.

In addition to pottery, she offers mosaics, boards and sand art. The store is transitioning to its fall hours; it will be open in the evenings on Tuesdays, both the mornings and evenings on Thursdays and Fridays, and in the late morning or afternoon on Saturdays and Sundays.