Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Claudia Thomas. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Claudia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

I believe it all started with me making a scrapbook for a friend that just had a baby. My sister was visiting from Brazil and is a professional photographer, so she took pictures of Maya (baby) and I decided to make the book. Well, I bought so many supplies and had so much fun, that… next thing I knew, my husband Ron, gave me a Cricut machine. Things only escalated from there. I guess the creative juices were out and they were not going back in. I was just using the Cricut for fun and at our ice cream shop in Punta Gorda, Florida. One day, we saw someone we knew selling fused glasses pieces (I always loved glass) and a little after, we took a class and started to learn the new trade. At the time, we were starting a minimalism journey, so making the pieces only didn’t make sense, so we opened a glass studio and started doing D.I.Y. workshops which are very fulfilling and didn’t leave me with a lot of products on my hands.
Forward a few years, we visited Kanab, Utah fell in love with it, went back to Florida, by destiny someone asked to buy our ice cream shop and we moved to Kanab..
Our house was much larger than what used to have in Florida, so we turned almost half of it into an art studio with different medias, remember, I am a great Gemini and I LOVE so many different things. From paper to paint to laser to glass, we had them all. Unfortunately we had just arrived in a new city and Covid hit. So, D.I.Y. workshops weren’t possible and not much else either.
We ended up turning half of the studio into an Airbnb Suite and started to make small laser items for an Etsy store. Making too many of one type of item (ornaments) wasn’t really very fulfilling, even though making my customers happy, it was (is). My Etsy store has been on vacation for a long time now. I don’t want to shut it off because I do have great reviews, but I don’t want to sell lots of the similar item.
About a month and a half ago, we took the plunge and lease a commercial space in downtown Kanab and gave our “old” art studio a new home, plus we use the studio as a point of sale for Ron’s Fresh Baked goods. He makes the absolutely BEST banana bread ever and some cookies.
The vibe of the studio is awesome, it’s definitely a happy place and the cool thing is that everyone feels it.

That is a very long answer ;)

Claudia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Well, I may have answered part of this question on my first one, but here is more about me. ;) I am Brazilian from Rio de Janeiro. In high school I had the dream of moving to the U.S. to study as an interexchange student, but my mom said no (which she is very good at, and because of her, I am great at it!). When I was 23 years old, I had a small manufactured clothing store and a friend of mine visited me saying she was going to Los Angeles to study film. I immediately said, I was going to. That was back in 1988. Life happened, etc, etc… forward to 2008 in Florida to the routes of my creativity not wanting to be kept bottled up anymore. You know the story from my first answer.
It is important for me to say, that I do not consider myself an “artist”, but I am trying to learn to accept the term. All I know and care is that I love colors, and pretty things. I don’t make or have any intention to make big pieces, I just want to enjoy the process and have fun.
Back to the question…
At our studio, Kanab Create, we offer a few different D.I.Y. workshops: fluid art, art without judgment, vision board, and fused glass. We also have guest instructors and sell pieces that we make, as well as Ron’s banana breads and cookies.
I don’t think we necessarily solve any problems, but I do believe that the art process (professionally or not) can be very therapeutic.
Because of the many different pieces equipment we own, we have the ability to offer different medias in one place. We can make a custom shirt, or a personalized wood sign, very easily.
Our studio is a judgment free innovation zone and a fun flexible space. We are open to new ideas as long as they are fun! ;)
“Why make a mess at your house, when we have a great space with many tools to celebrate your special occasion!” Come celebrate with us! I love parties!!!

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

I am also a Realtor work more with a referrals as we moved to Kanab to semi retire, which… is really not working out for us. Since the studio is brand new at this location and we know well that it takes years for a business to become profitable, having a real estate license will definitely complement our income. The studio is actually a great way for me to get leads as tourists stop by all the time. Sometimes I play with them, I can sell them an art workshop, banana bread, or… a house! ;)

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

We are still building our reputation here, but in all of our previous business, the most important thing in our minds is customer service. Not the customer service where we say yes to everything and the customer is always right, but one where we genuinely care for our customers. Sometimes our needs or ideas are different and I personally don’t believe on yes for everything (here comes my mother ;)), but if both sides care and respect each other, together we can achieve great things. We really care. I know it sounds gooey or “fake”, but it is true!

Contact Info:

• Website: kanabcreate.com
• Instagram: kanabcreate and rons_fresh_baked
• Facebook: Kanab Create and Ron’s Fresh Baked

Image Credits
StacyCoxPhotography.com : the studio, banana bread, Ron and I.