[title subtitle=”WORDS Jeanni Brosius
MAGE courtesy Osage Clayworks][/title]
Amy McGhee and Newton “Newt” Lale, own and operate Osage Clayworks, out of what he describes as “a neat old building,” which was love at first sight for Newt. And, while it was a mutual passion for pottery and not love at first sight for the two, pottery is the glue that has held them together for the past thirty- eight years.
Osage Clayworks is located in beautiful downtown Osage, Arkansas, in a 118-year-old general store, nestled in the heart of the Ozark Mountains within an hour of Eureka Springs, Fayetteville, the Buffalo National River, and Branson, Missouri. Each piece of Osage Clayworks pottery is handmade, fired in store, and utterly unique.
Looking at this old structure through the eyes of an architect, Newt knew he wanted this building, which was originally home to the old Stamps General Store Building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, built in 1901. “Osage is a tiny town,” Amy said. “There is our store, a great Baptist church, and about eight families living in Osage.”
Newt was attending college at Texas A&M when he elected to take a pottery class the summer before his senior year. He loved it so much that during his last year, before earning his degree in architecture, he took night classes for pottery. After graduation, Newt leased an old gas station in Dallas, Texas, to sell his creations. “I graduated from college in 1974 and started making pots full time, right away,” Newt said.
One of his pottery teachers came to Osage from Dallas and bought forty acres on a natural gas pipeline that crosses from Harrison to Huntsville. It’s important to a potter to have access to natural gas because if a propane tank runs out during a firing, it can be disastrous. “I came here to visit him and walked in the store at Osage to ask directions; that was definitely love at first sight,” Newt said about the building. “I bought forty acres and built a studio for myself on the hill overlooking Osage. I asked Frank Stamps, the owner of the building, several times to sell to me, but he would always reply, ‘No, Newt. I need to die here.’ After Frank passed, his nephew came and asked if I was serious about buying the store, and I jumped at the chance.”
Amy, on the other hand, was teaching at St. Joseph School in Conway. She had always played with clay and would dig it out of the road out by her house when she was a child. She took a class in college and never stopped making it. Then, one day she met Newt at a craft show in Memphis.
“I tried to stick my foot in my mouth continually,” Newt said about when he met Amy. “I was at my booth in Memphis and this little fuzzy-headed girl walked in and asked where I was from. I told her. ‘You wouldn’t know. It’s a little town in the hills of Arkansas.’ So, she said, ‘Try me, I might.’ After I shined her on a little more, I finally said, ‘Osage.’ She asked, ‘Does Frank Stamps still run that store?’ I was flabbergasted. I asked, ‘How do you know Frank?’ She told me she grew up in Alpena and had been in the store many times as a child.”
Amy chimed in, “I grew up about ten miles from the store in Alpena. So, for me it was a homecoming to come to Osage. I had been in Conway working with a group of potters at Pickles Gap. I met Newt at that craft show in Memphis and visited with him the next time I was home to visit my mother. There was both the common interest in pottery and a natural attraction between us.”
Amy left St. Joseph School in 1981, and then became a full-time potter for nineteen years while raising their daughter, Jessa. Then, she was offered the opportunity to teach special education in the Alpena School District, which she did for another nineteen years.
Amy and Newt will tell you Osage is not just pottery, it’s an experience. They love to visit with their customers, and they especially love for children to come in. “One thing we do with kids is just give them a piece of clay and help them make a pinch pot,” Amy said. “Then we have fired pinch pots other kids have made for them to take home with them. It is a pay it forward program. You make a pot, and you take a pot. That lets them have a clay experience and have something to take home with them. We do not charge for this. It is just a chance to have a good time with the kids and provide them with an experience.”
When you drive up to the store, the first thing you’ll see is Ol’ Henry, the 1926 Model T Ford – which still runs – parked out front. Newt purchased the Model T about five years ago. “I had to make 400 mugs that sold for twenty-five dollars each to pay for the transaction,” Newt said with a laugh. “Although it still has a crank in front, it has been converted to 12-volts and has a starter. Most riding lawnmowers have more horsepower than Henry. Even with high- performance heads, it only has 22 horsepower. Top speed, downhill, is 45 mph. I still can’t imagine loading up and driving to California during the depression, but many did, back in the day.”
The front of the massive building is striking. The arched windows, the eyes of the store, seemingly gaze back at you. The store seems old and wise. All of the rock was hauled in a wagon and stacked by hand. It’s easy to see why Newt fell in love with the place all those years ago.
When you step inside, two things immediately catch your attention. First are the pillars of turned pine that run down the center of the store and stretch fourteen feet up to the ceiling. The second is the antique cases and fixtures, all filled with pottery. One of the stipulations of buying the old building was the antiques had to stay with it.
“We were too broke to buy the contents, and we just assumed they would have an auction,” Amy said. “They took out a couple pieces that they wanted for themselves then asked us if they left them would we commit to not selling them off. We shook hands on the deal, and we refuse to sell any of the antiques that came with the store.”
Beauty and joy are found in the various pieces created by Amy and Newt. Amy loves to create small pieces like bud vases, small bowls and coffee cups. She said there is something wonderful about a pot that fits neatly in your hand while Newt prefers making bird feeders. The birds love them, which makes Newt and his customers happy. The best-selling items are their unique coffee mugs and other drinking vessels. Yet, perhaps the most interesting pieces they’ve created were a set of dinnerware for Johnny and June Cash. Cash was doing a show for a time in Branson, and he wandered into the store and he and Newt struck up a conversation.
As a business that takes pride in its personal relationships with customers, the pandemic hit Osage Clayworks especially hard. They were forced to close for a long period of time, which was especially lonely for a family-run business. After staying closed for almost a year, they opened by appointment only in November and December for Christmas shopping. Amy said their Etsy shop and selling online was what kept them afloat. Thankfully, March has led to the store opening back up full-time. Amy and Newt are happy and grateful.
“We love making pots and love to have people stop to visit us. This last year has been very lonely. We are glad to be open again,” Amy said. Newt and Amy’s daughter, Jessa, and son-in-law, Donald, are also getting their hands in clay and now work the business part-time. Excitedly, Amy says they have expressed interest in taking on even more in the future.
Eager to serve their customers, Amy encourages everyone to pay them a visit in person or online at their Etsy shop. Amy says, “We can figure something out. We work with people to be sure they get what they need.” Osage Clayworks is worth the drive, back to a simpler time – a treasure waiting to be explored.
Shop online at etsy.com/shop/osageclayworks!
870.553.2513
16501 Arkansas 103
Osage, Arkansas
