Tucked in the heart of the West Meadowbrook neighborhood is a historic brick building sitting on a triangular lot of green space between three intersecting streets. Inside, customers are welcomed by a display of handcrafted bowls and mugs 鈥� some in glass showcases 鈥� and a room stocked with pottery wheels, tools and dried rusty, red clay.
The Firehouse Pottery & Gallery has lived many lives. Built in 1927, the house served as a fire station for several decades and was once a photography studio before it landed in the hands of Keith Thomson and his wife, Lori.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a pottery business. It鈥檚 a gallery business,鈥� Firehouse owner and pottery instructor Keith said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 way more than that.鈥�
The historic building sits on a plot of land that also houses a local coffee truck, .
Through its life and transition from a fire station to a local art hub, Firehouse Pottery has become a community space for West Meadowbrook.
鈥淐ommunity space: That was our goal,鈥� Keith said.
From Scotland to Texas
A Scotland native, Thomson moved to the United States in 1992, bringing with him his education and expertise in the arts.
鈥淭hrough high school, I loved art,鈥� Thomson said. It only took a semester of ceramics to know that鈥檚 where his heart belonged.
鈥淚 was hooked,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was able to translate my drawing, paint and visual aspects into clay. It all went hand in hand.鈥�
He graduated in 1988 from the Edinburgh College of Art with a specialty in ceramics. Thomson鈥檚 first destination in the United States was the San Antonio area, where he worked for an art studio for eight years.
Lori brought him to Fort Worth in 2002. Also an artisan, she operated the former fire station as a gallery beginning in 2003. It was a space where local artists could showcase their work, groups could host fundraisers and children could participate in art workshops.
Concurrently, Keith contributed as a gallery director and ceramic potter instructor. He fully took on Firehouse in 2010, repurposing it to offer one-on-one lessons, showcase for-sale pottery and create custom orders.
鈥淭he place has attracted a lot of different artists,鈥� Thomson said. 鈥淎lmost a haven, sometimes.鈥�
A West Meadowbrook oasis
Classes at Firehouse are mostly private, involving no more than couples or small groups at a time. Thomson鈥檚 lessons extend to children as well.
鈥淚鈥檝e found the best way to teach is privately, one on one, so you get the best experience and more of an enjoyable, intimate experience,鈥� Thomson said.
Clients typically spend an hour at the pottery wheel crafting a couple of clay pieces. After pieces are dried and hardened in kiln chambers, customers come back to glaze their art.
At Firehouse, Thomson sees all kinds of people coming in with varying skill sets.
鈥淚 have a lot of people that will continue once or twice a month, and then there are some who, over the years, have been coming,鈥� he said.
Walking into the gallery, customers find ceramics lined along shelves, all handmade by Thomson and his staffer Amaris Perez. He sells a variety of ceramics, including mugs, bowls and other kitchenware. But he also has a few other artisan products, such as handmade candles.
鈥淚 make the cups and make the candles as well,鈥� Thomson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a fun little part of the process.鈥�
Some ceramic pieces at the gallery contain the Scottish thistle, paying homage to the official flower of Keith鈥檚 home country.
Thomson has crafted custom pieces for businesses across the country, including coffee shops. But he鈥檚 also provided custom orders locally 鈥� his pieces have adorned the Capital One Lounge at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the big thing about all the businesses we鈥檝e worked with,鈥� Thomson said. 鈥淭hey enjoy having a handmade product in their store, shop or business.鈥�
Thomson does everything at Firehouse with patience.
鈥淭he patience to be an instructor 鈥� not everyone has that,鈥� Thomson said.
His 40 years of experience in ceramics has shaped Firehouse to be an asset to West Meadowbrook and even the nearby Evans and Rosedale corridors 鈥� areas that have struggled to , such as grocery stores and restaurants.
鈥淓specially with the connection to (Coffee Folk), (Firehouse) has attracted more people and they get the benefits of both spaces,鈥� Thomson said.
Through his time with the East Fort Worth Business Association, Thomson called on city officials to make the area鈥檚 development requests known.
He sees the Firehouse and Coffee Folk partnership as a West Meadowbrook 鈥渙asis鈥� to help attract those businesses long called on by the community.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to do 鈥� with our little oasis here 鈥� what we can within our neighborhood,鈥� Thomson said.
When the time comes, Thomson plans to hand off Firehouse to another locally owned business or artisan to maintain the gallery鈥檚 value as an art hub and community space.
鈥淚t鈥檇 be nice to keep that connection with an artist,鈥� Thomson said.
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Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org.
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