HAPPENING NOW: Annual show and sale at Brace Point Pottery, in ‘downtown Arbor Heights’

What has long been the home of Brace Point Pottery is actually “downtown Arbor Heights,” as Loren Lukens explained when we visited his studio/shop last night, the first night of its annual holiday show and sale, which is continuing right now (until 6 pm) and again 10-6 tomorrow. Downtown, because the commercial buildings there at and near 4208 SW 100th used to include a market and a drugstore, he explains. But for almost 20 years, he and wife Beth Kirchhoff have made art and music there.

Looking for light on this gray day? The brightly lit studio/storefront shows some of the creations:

Brace Point Pottery is hosting four other artists in the space for this weekend’s special occasion:

It’s part of the Seattle Sampling studio tour this weekend, which has four other West Seattle stops – see the full tour map here.

Alan December 6, 2015 (10:41 am)

Back in the 1960’s, the building that Brace Point Pottery in was a drug store. The larger building, now West Seattle Church of Christ, was a grocery store.
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Across 100th, what is now Seattle Gospel Assembly, was originally a King County Fire Station. When Arbor Heights was annexed into Seattle, the station was apparently turned into a community meeting hall. My Boys Scout troop met there in the late 1960’s. I remember walking down to the grocery store and buying a big box of wood matches before going on campouts.

WSB December 6, 2015 (10:55 am)

Thanks, Alan! That’s along the lines of what Mr. Lukens told us – I wasn’t taking notes so wound up retelling it only vaguely. He mentioned that one of the buildings on his side of the street was a store and one was a drugstore; I missed which was which. I’m betting there are photos in the SMArchives somewhere but have been short on research time. His building alone has some great history – he pointed out where they attached a house, moved from another site, to be their residence adjacent to the studio/shop, which has a cool mural mostly covered up by equipment, storage, kilns, etc. on the east side – TR

Alvis December 6, 2015 (3:41 pm)

The 1960s grocery store was the larger (western) of the two buildings, and was called “Sig’s Thriftway” in its prime. The drug/variety store in the smaller building read “Arbor Heights Pharmacy” on its front door, though it was perhaps better known to locals as Johnny’s.

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