The fairy starts out a dull, austere white figurine sitting on a metal shelf amid a sea of colorless objects. Once it is selected, however, it undergoes a metamorphosis that turns something ordinary into a unique work of art, all at a reasonable price. At Brush-Fire, a do-it-yourself ceramic and glass store at 954 Pearl St. in Eugene, the art is in the customers’ hands, and regardless of their level of talent, the work produced comes out surprisingly polished.
Nancy Steers and Kate Tiernan, the mother-daughter combination that owns and operates the store, act as guides to pottery-painting beginners by walking them through the process and helping them to achieve making the piece they envisioned.
“They tell us what they want,” Tiernan said, “and then we point them in the right direction.” After Tiernan, Steers or one of their employees helps customers choose from one of dozens of available pieces, the Brush-Fire staff takes them to the design center where they can choose from numerous stamps, stencils and paints to decorate their piece. Then the customers sit down and go to work.
“Customer service is extremely important to us,” Tiernan said. “We love the busy days, but at the same time, we want more one-on-one time with each customer.” The extra attention that the Brush-Fire employees give their customers is what sets the store apart from other such businesses, Tiernan said. Where most other do-it-yourself ceramic stores have a five-to-seven-day turnaround of goods, Brush-Fire gets pieces back to customers three days after they paint them.
After the pieces are painted, they dry overnight and are glazed the next day. The glaze, which is a baby blue, burns clear as the kiln gradually heats up to 1820 degrees, where it holds steady for 20 minutes before gradually heading back to room temperature. The entire burning process takes about 14 hours, Tiernan said. When they’re finished, the once-boring pieces are bright and lustrous.
In addition to helping their customers create the pieces they want, Tiernan and Steers offer various theme nights to give customers something different. Apparently, some themes aren’t reserved solely for John Henry’s.
“Ladies’ Night is pretty much standard for the industry,” Tiernan said, and while Brush-Fire does indeed offer Ladies’ Night once a month, it also offers Pizza Night, Diva Night and Therapy Thursday, among other events. Therapy Thursday is especially popular, Tiernan said, because of the massage therapists who are available for a relaxing shoulder rub while customers create their masterpieces and sip some
bubbly. “And who doesn’t like a glass of champagne?” Tiernan said.
Diva Night is especially popular among the University women’s crowd, Tiernan said, because of the tiaras, feather boas and obnoxiously loud, fun music. “It’s a blast, “she said.
The Thanksgiving through Christmas season is the store’s busiest, Tiernan said, with a lot of customers seeking Christmas ornaments and gifts. Be it making a piece for fun or a gift for Grandma, Brush-Fire offers customers a blazing good time.
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