Some stories about entrepreneurship start with a business plan. John Alexander's starts with a ball of clay and an eleven-year-old kid who walked into the Art Studio of Southeast Texas and never really left.

Alexander learned his craft in Beaumont. At the community art center on Ninth Street, he discovered what clay could become in a patient set of hands. He was eleven. He has been building that skill ever since.

Today he runs J. Alexander Pottery at 1089 Magnolia Avenue, a working studio and gallery where he produces functional and non-functional stoneware pottery and sculpture, every piece handcrafted and fired in his own kiln. And now he is doing something that completes the circle in the best possible way. He just opened hands-on pottery classes for all ages.

Beginners can take a six-week course covering the fundamentals of wheel throwing, from centering and pulling a cylinder to making bowls and trimming techniques. The course runs $225 per student. For those who want to experience it once before committing, individual sessions are available for $75 plus a $25 firing fee for pieces made during the class.

Kids classes are available too.

"A place where people can slow down, learn a new skill and create something unique with their own hands," is how Alexander describes the studio experience.

That is The Proof. Not a pitch deck. Not a loan application. A child who found something that mattered, stayed with it for years, built something real from it, and is now making sure other people in this community can find what he found.

The Art Studio of Southeast Texas invested in an eleven-year-old. That investment is still paying dividends on Magnolia Avenue.

To sign up for classes or inquire about the studio, call or text 409-363-1422, message J. Alexander Pottery Co. on Facebook, or email jalexanderpotterycompany@gmail.com.

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