BLESSING — The Rev. Drake McCalister blessed Spyridon Studios, a newly opened pottery and ceramic studio in downtown Steubenville, during its grand opening Tuesday. -- Christopher Dacanay

STEUBENVILLE — One family’s dream of opening a business has finally come true after Tuesday’s grand opening of a downtown pottery studio.

Located at 189 N. Fourth St., Spyridon Studios is a pottery and ceramics studio with a community-building atmosphere and the tools to help individuals hone their craft, according to owner Paul Monroe.

The studio will be open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., excepts during special events in the evenings. A membership, which includes 25 pounds of clay and access to the studio’s workstations during open hours, is $100 per month, although day and week passes are available for $20 and $50 respectively. Private lessons are also offered at $20 per person, maximum of four participants.

During the grand opening, supporters packed into the studio, with overflow spilling onto the sidewalk at the corner of Washington and Fourth streets. Kids played, grown-ups chatted and there was food aplenty, following a speech from Monroe, who said he and his family had been searching for a place to settle down for some time before settling on Steubenville.

“We moved here 10 months ago, and (the studio) has been a dream of ours for a long time,” Monroe said. “Today is St. Benedict Joseph Labre’s feast day. … He was known as ‘the monk of the streets’ because he was denied being a brother two times. (My wife) Shannon and I have both been on the move our entire lives, so we feel in a sense that we’ve been looking for a home too. It’s been a blessing that we’ve been able to find a home in a small town here in Steubenville.”

Educated in pottery at Huntington University in Indiana, Monroe said his hope of opening a pottery studio had been longstanding and came to fruition in short time thanks to local friends, whose skillful contributions helped the newly remodeled studio space flourish.

“Between our landlords working with us the whole time, Ahysen Silva being a contractor for part of the work and other people who have helping in a large way to help us get prepared to be open and get us up to code, … it’s been the work of a million hands, which is beautiful.

The studio is named after St. Spyridon, the Catholic patron saint of pottery and craftsmen, Monroe said, adding that the saint’s blessing falls upon all of the handiwork that’s gone into the studio’s preparation.

Monroe said he’s grateful for the community’s collaboration and for Shannon Monroe’s who has covered for him at the studio to make sure he has time to be with their kids.

Near the studio’s front entrance is a corner for individuals to sit and drink complimentary coffee, Monroe said. That, in addition to an open-doors attitude, demonstrates the studio’s purpose as a community center, where individuals shouldn’t feel pressured to be patrons and instead should be comfortable simply hanging out.

Monroe said he plans to host special events once per week, such as a paint and sip night on April 26 and a kids’ pottery class on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., during which kids can paint their own pottery for $15.

Events may increase in frequency as the studio receives more income, Monroe said. Income will be directed back toward purchasing more pottery wheels, which will allow the studio to accommodate larger, formal classes. Another source of income will be pre-made pottery pieces, which are on sale, lining the studio’s walls and show pottery makers the different possibilities of what they can make.

At the grand opening’s commencement, the Rev. Drake McCalister gave a blessing over the studio, as well as over Paul and Shannon Monroe and their three children, Juniper, Magdalena and Josephine.

Shannon Monroe reflected during the opening, saying that getting the studio opened was a team effort.

“We could feel community support from friends and neighbors every step of the way. People were so gracious in offering their aid whenever we were having a hard time trying to get things finished. … Everybody supported us so we could have things ready and have this opening.

“That represents what we want the studio to be — a space where the community supports one another and encourages each other in the arts and in making beautiful things that last, one of which is friendship.”

David Mathews was one of many of the Monroe’s friends present Tuesday to support. He praised the Monroes efforts, calling the studio “the best thing going on in downtown Steubenville right now.”