Other than a clever pun, it’s hard to decide what to call All Fired Up. To potential patrons, it seems to be a store, art studio and alternative Friday night destination rolled into one. Teddy Wright, All Fired Up’s creator and owner, has a quick solution.
“I would call it a paint-your-own-pottery studio,” she says.

All Fired Up’s environment is hard not to love. Vividly colored handprints cover the right-hand wall, evidence of the children who have enjoyed a birthday party here. Shelves upon shelves line other walls, stacked from floor to ceiling with both finished and unfinished pottery. Every imaginable creation is on display, from a mug bigger than a person’s head to a clever plate with ridges designed to keep tacos upright.

The tabletops are tiled, each square bearing a unique design, and the accompanying chairs are all hand-painted – some with plaint splatters or brush strokes, others with handprints or words. One chair back declares the sitter “Queen of Everything.”

Here, art is made literally upon art.

Everything in the studio possesses a touch of whimsy, from the writing on the wall marking the “Paint Station” and “Brushes, Sponges & Stuff,” to the sun- and heart-shaped clocks behind the counter. Even the “Stay out” painted on the kiln room door is softened by a curly script and bold purple background.

The first All Fired Up opened in 1997 in Overland Park, Kan. Five years later, Wright opened another location in the Northland area of Kansas City, Mo., and after selling the Overland Park location in 2003, it is here she concentrates her energy.

“One store’s just plenty for me,” she said with a laugh.

Wright’s foray into the art world is a surprising detour from her previous work in the financial industry, but the path she chose agrees with her.

“Most people leave the corporate world because they want to work for themselves and enjoy what they do,” Wright explains. “I wanted to be in an environment that I loved and had fun with but yet could still make a living.”

Wright’s studio was designed with a shrewd eye as to the needs of her clientele, and she takes All Fired Up’s role seriously.

“Art is very important in all aspects of life,” she said. “I think too many people just take themselves too seriously and get critical of themselves. In art, there’s no right or wrong – it’s really what you enjoy.”

All Fired Up offers a variety of ways to enjoy art, including group and special event nights. The first Monday night of every month is Ladies’ Night.

“It’s a good excuse to get together,” Wright said.

Every Friday night from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. is Friends and Family Night, during which the supply fee is half price for everyone. All Fired Up also hosts corporate events and birthday parties, providing attendees with unique party favors. During the summer, it offers workshops and classes.
Joella Longenecker of Parkville, Mo., brings her daughter, Erika, to All Fired Up for the summer kids’ camp and also hosted Erika’s eighth birthday there.

“I come at least once a month for Ladies’ Night,” Longenecker said of her own visits. “We have a great time.”

Longenecker added that she appreciates the way Wright runs her business with her patrons in mind.

“She really tries to buy things for the customers,” she explained.

Beth Wade has only been to All Fired Up three times, but she has already developed an affinity for the place. Wade doesn’t actually live in Kansas City, but her husband is stationed in the area, and she visits the studio when she is in town.

Wade has been china painting for a few years and says there is nowhere like All Fired Up near her home where she can continue with her hobby. After looking in the phone book and then online, Wade discovered Wright’s business.

“It’s a break from the everyday,” she said of the studio’s appeal.

Wright echoes Wade’s thoughts about the haven-like atmosphere of her studio.

“I think it’s even more important for the adults than for the kids,” she said. “It’s cheap therapy for adults.”

Wright recently added another therapeutic treatment to All Fired Up’s offerings. On Glass Fusion Night one can learn how to create a multitude of objects, from jewelry and wind chimes to plates and votive holders, purely out of glass. During the session, one cuts, designs and assembles a glasswork and All Fired Up places it in the kiln, fusing all the glass elements together.

No experience is necessary for those looking to create their own art at All Fired Up, even for the special sessions like Glass Fusion. Wright herself had no previous art background before opening the studio. While on vacation in San Francisco, she took part in a paint-your-own-pottery art session.

Six months later, she opened All Fired Up. A decade later, it is clear that people have responded positively to a setting where even the creatively inept can produce their own objet d’art.