Crafting an Extraordinary Business
Photo courtesy of Macone Studio
Michael Macone is an understated, quiet, Midwestern kind of guy. He tells you about his business in a matter-of-fact way, which totally belies its size, success, and sheer excitement.
Michael always wanted to be an artist. In high school, he had visions of becoming a fine painter producing outsized oil paintings. Then one day in high school, he was introduced to clay, with a cool teacher working with a few students to make sculptures, slab work, and even raku. He got hooked on clay, even though he still spent time drawing and painting.
The breakthrough came when he learned to transfer his artwork to his clay tiles. Using an inspirational message or a fun saying to accompany his designs, the tiles became very popular and are still at the heart of the business he named Spooner Creek. For five years or more, he primarily sold these at art fairs, particularly the Renaissance Fair, which was seven weeks long and provided excellent revenue. He then decided to venture into the wholesale world. He took his tiles to wholesale markets where once again, they proved to be extremely popular, and are now sold to galleries and shops in all 50 states. Michael’s attention to detail is evident in his trade show booths, where the tiles are meticulously organized and displayed so retailers can easily envision and create an exciting display for their own stores.
Meanwhile back at home in Wisconsin, things were also growing. On the family front, that included four children, and on the business side it meant a real production studio. Ultimately — and this is the testimony to Michael’s business skill — it would all eventually become an enormous, fun “compound” as Michael calls it today.
In addition to the production studio and office, today’s campus includes a gallery where Michael sells his own work and that of talented craftspeople from across the country. There’s also a gift shop, which has treats for children like toys and puzzles. Just for fun, there is a paint-your-own studio for budding ceramic artists. If you get hungry during your visit, why there’s even a restaurant! All summer, after dinner on Friday nights, hundreds of folks enjoy “jam-grass” string bands at the music venue, The Shed. Trip Advisor calls his place in Shell Lake “like nowhere else.” Michael’s compound is truly the Macone World of art, food, and fun for everyone! You can see it all at thepottersshed.com.
Naturally, over time the studio’s product offerings have evolved as well. While the tiles are still the backbone of the business, now Michael’s two sons and son-in-law have become involved and are creating and developing their own voices. A new line of functional ware, Macone Clay, has added vases, picture frames, mugs, and even bird houses and bird feeders. This work is stoneware, thrown, extruded and slab, and then painted with bright glazes.
Michael recently started producing lamps, which have a wood base, ceramic column, and handmade shade. Using a large format printer, Michael is printing his own artwork designs on heavy, textured, archival paper and then wrapping that paper around a metal frame, making one-of-a-kind lighting unlike any others. The lamps are putting his work clearly into the home design category.
What’s next for Michael Macone? He isn’t sure, but he’s very satisfied to have his family involved in his business and ready to one day take over its management. At that point, he muses, maybe he will be ready to paint those extra-large oil paintings that are still in his head!
