SMOKEY POINT — By the time Arlington Mayor Barbara Tolbert was ready to do the ribbon-cutting marking the official grand opening of Kim Winfrey’s Pottery Nook on March 16, so many families had already started painting various do-it-yourself pottery art objects that they had to be reminded that the ceremony was taking place.

“I’ll bring my mom back next time,” Tolbert laughed. “It’s always exciting to help open a new business in town, particularly in Smokey Point. This place offers a creative outlet for the whole family, and the shop is so beautiful that it’s worth taking your time to find, especially during those long winters when you’re dying to find something for the kids to do that’s indoors and warm.”

Winfrey, who was assisted by her sons Noah and Jeffrey in performing the ribbon-cutting in Suite 14-B at 3131 Smokey Point Dr. in Arlington, had previously worked for 22 years in the telecommunications industry before getting laid off last July which inspired her to seek out an entirely different life.

“It’s about exposing kids, and adults, to art,” said Winfrey, who’s hosted children’s birthdays, teen pizza parties and ladies’ nights since her “soft opening” on Valentine’s Day. “Whether it’s painting pottery or glass fusion, we have all the tools to make anyone look like an artist, regardless of their age or skill level, because everyone is an artist.”

With at least 200 customers since the Pottery Nook’s opening, Winfrey is even channeling the kids’ creative impulses toward charity, by letting them place paint handprints on a wall for $5 each, with the proceeds going toward Seattle Children’s Hospital.

For more information, call 360-651-0555 or log onto www.potterynookart.com.