S1, E12: Shaping Gatlinburg's Great
Smoky Arts & Crafts Community
With Mike Fowler
Episode 12 of For the Love of Gatlinburg takes us into the heart of Gatlinburg's prestigious Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community. Mike Fowler, a local potter and artisan, is enriching Gatlinburg's art scene through his journey and contributions to the community. After falling in love with the area during his honeymoon in 2003, Fowler made the decision to move to Gatlinburg in 2006, inspired by the vibrant crafts community and local artisans. He now owns and operates Fowler Clay Works, which he opened in March 2015 and is approaching its 10-year anniversary. The pottery business has gained significant popularity, ranking high on TripAdvisor for things to do in Gatlinburg, and offers interactive experiences where visitors can create their own pottery. Fowler's work is characterized by a brighter color palette and whimsical designs, setting it apart in the local arts scene. Beyond his business, Fowler is actively involved in community leadership, serving on the Gatlinburg Convention and Visitor Bureau board and advocating for the arts and crafts community. His journey exemplifies the enriching impact of passionate artisans on Gatlinburg's cultural landscape, contributing to the area's appeal as a destination for both tourists and art enthusiasts.
[0:00] Speaker A (Tom): Welcome to for the Love of Gatlinburg, the podcast where we celebrate the charm, the history and the vibrant community of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I'm your host, Tom Goodwin, and I hope you'll join me each week as I bring you stories that connect the past with the present as we explore. Explore the people that make Gatlinburg a beloved destination and where every story is a piece of our mountain heritage. On today's episode, we're excited to have Mike Fowler, a local potter and artisan from the Gatlinburg arts and crafts community. Mike's first time to Gatlinburg was his honeymoon over 20 years ago, but today he lives here and he commits so much to this community. I'm excited for you to hear his story as we dive into the heart of Gatlinburg. Well, welcome Mike Fowler, to the podcast of Fowler Clay Works in the arts and crafts community. We're excited to have you here. You've been in Gatlinburg for 21 years. It's flown by. [1:05] Speaker B (Mike): Flown by. [1:06] Speaker A: So tell us, how did you discover Gatlinburg and how did you come to land here? [1:11] Speaker B: And we'll get to, you know, we physically have lived here 18 years. Our first experience here in Gatlinburg was in 20 or 2003, as you said. 21 years ago, my wife and I honeymooned here. [1:25] Speaker A: Wow. [1:26] Speaker B: Yeah, we came here on the recommendation of a friend. [1:29] Speaker A: And where did you get married? [1:30] Speaker B: We got married in Florida, but then spent our honeymoon here in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. [1:34] Speaker A: And where did you stay for your honeymoon? [1:36] Speaker B: So we stayed out towards Pittman Center 321 there a little bit. We stayed at a Christian village there called Wayfloy. [1:45] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. [1:46] Speaker B: And we stayed there on property. [1:48] Speaker A: At the retreat center. [1:49] Speaker B: Yeah, at the retreat center. [1:50] Speaker A: And they have a nice romantic honeymoon. [1:52] Speaker B: And we did. We stayed in their little honeymoon cabin. [1:54] Speaker A: It's awes of. [1:55] Speaker B: We stay. We spent a lot of time exploring the property there, which are. I mean, on that property itself is a lot of Gatlinburg history. A lot of those buildings were moved from different places and set out there. But, you know, just like every other visitor, we got out and explored the town and, you know, and it was great. We had a wonderful time. It. What can I say? I mean, we loved it so much. We came back a few months to see it in the wintertime. You know, we came back a few months later and seen it in the winter. Wintertime. [2:24] Speaker A: And you're the repeat legacy guest. [2:26] Speaker B: We are. [2:27] Speaker A: And then you decided to Move here? [2:28] Speaker B: Yeah, we did well on our honeymoon, you know, of course, I started doing pottery in the mid-90s. I started working for some potters in Central Florida and began my journey with that there and moved to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where I met my wife and got married. And of course, like I said, we came up here, but one of the days that we were here, you know, the friend that recommended us come to Gatlinburg gave us a bunch of information, said, you know, do these different things. Well, one of them was on the art, Great Smokey arts and crafts community. So we picked a rainy day and went and explored the arts and crafts community. And at that time, you know, I think I was young potter. And of course, the people I worked for, all we. They were very versed in. In the craft and. And the different types of the different artisans that did. Did it. And people. We always looked at mountain potters and, you know, we knew that Appalachia was an area of craft, you know, so it was cool to come see it finally, and especially this part. But anyways, we were driving in and I came around the corner and I'll never forget it. I come around the one corner, it's right before the Morning Mist village, and you look down there and there's a kiln out by the road, big gas kiln. Turns out it's Jim Cofelt of First Impression Pottery. I didn't know that at the time, but I do now. But I was like, wow, look at that, Cheryl. You know, a whole community of artisans. You know, this is. This is great. [3:56] Speaker A: You felt at home. [3:58] Speaker B: I was blown away because where I come from in Florida is a lot of artisans. There's a lot of craftsmen down there. There's a lot of craftsmen in the nation, a lot of artists, but it's a different world. You know, they a lot of times work out of their studios, travel and do a lot of different festivals, art shows, things like that. So they're a little more hidden away. You know, this is on public display, I mean, and you drive through it. I didn't know a lot about the history of it at that time, but it was. It was just. It was mind blowing. So anyways, we met a potter there, and Robert A. Lewan, as a matter of fact, and got, you know, just talking. His shop was very small at the time. And we were talking and, you know, of course, potters only ask certain questions. So he was like, you know, so you do potter, huh? I was like, yeah, we're up here on my honeymoon and and my. And at. As soon as I said that, his wife looked up Connie from painting a little brush with a little stuff looked at my wife said, you married a potter? Said, oh, honey, we got to talk. So anyways, you know, we left and we just blown away and we came back, like I started to say a few minutes ago. We came back in the wintertime to see what that experience was like. And of course we stopped in and said hello and I asked a few questions and anyways, we kept in contact and I asked what it was like for work up here, and he said, well, you know, I don't really hire anybody, but you know, they're in Pigeon Forge as a pottery. They'll hire people sometimes. But it stuck on the back of our head. We left and didn't think much about it. And I guess almost. Almost a year and a half went by and we came back up and I was getting further along with my stuff and. And we came up and I brought some mugs that I had done and. And I figured, let's go by and see that potter. Let me give him a mug, you know, he was pretty nice to us on our honeymoon. And I did. We stopped by and things were going well and. And as we were getting ready to leave, he said, hey, would you ever think about moving to the mountains? I'm like, I don't know. We kind of got a lot going on down there. And he said, well, just think about it. And I remember leaving. We. We left and we were driving and on the way back we were dropping. We were heading from 26 back to 95, you know, 40 to 26, 95. And we were dropping down the last big mountain there and Smoky Mountain rain was on. [6:27] Speaker A: It was a sign. [6:28] Speaker B: And we just kind of looked at each other and said, let's go for it. [6:31] Speaker A: Wow. [6:32] Speaker B: So put things together. And then we finally moved here in 06. [6:36] Speaker A: That's right. [6:36] Speaker B: Three years later. [6:37] Speaker A: And what did you do when you landed here? [6:41] Speaker B: What did I do? Well, I mean, we immediately went to work and we found out a month after of being here and we've been married a few years that time and no sign of a child. We got here and 30 days later my wife said, we got to talk. Found out our little girl is on the way. [6:59] Speaker A: Oh, great. [7:01] Speaker B: So, you know, we were, you know, so we moved to the mountain. Brand new area, especially for me. I grew up in Florida. This was new to me, you know, found out what BlackBerry winter was, you know, and how we moved up here and we moved in the Beginning of May. And when we left, we didn't know how it was going to go. So we just came up with a car full of clothes and our cat. And they had provided a little apartment until we got on our feet. And she, my wife was like, what do we bring? I said, well, just bring shorts and T shirts already. May, you know. And we got up here and two weeks later, Blberry winter hit. That was coldest I ever been in my life. [7:39] Speaker A: I sometimes have snow in me. [7:40] Speaker B: I didn't realize that was a real eye opening experience. [7:44] Speaker A: It doesn't last too long. [7:46] Speaker B: No, no. But you know, like, so we got to work, acclimated and then I, you know, I met. Started meeting some local people. And there was a gentleman that worked there by the name of Tom Wharton. Real great fellow. And Tom hiked me around the mountain. Tom grew up playing in the mountains, you know. So he took me around, showed me things in Greenbrier. Most people don't even know it's there, you know, and shared the story. I got to hear about the different families especially related around the craft community. You know, his mom was one of the weavers. You know, when the pie fast put together the weavers and you know, exchange for cash, you know, all that stuff. And so I got to hear a lot of those stories. Kind of where I started getting. Okay, you know, the brain started tripping here and started falling a little more and more in love with it. [8:33] Speaker A: That's really amazing. And now you are totally entrenched in the arts and crafts community and in Gatlinburg and you become a real voice and an advocate, you know, for the arts and crafts community and the greater Gatlinburg community. You talk about the seven mile loop. Yeah, the arts and crafts. Explain. Eight miles. Okay, so it's even gotten bigger. [8:54] Speaker B: I don't know if I didn't say that right. [8:55] Speaker A: Eight miles. Thank you for that correction. So tell us about the history of the arts and crafts community. [9:00] Speaker B: Well, you know, so, you know, I hit Appalachia or just early, you know, America, we all made stuff at one time. I mean, it was just key. It's so, you know, and of course, you know, the pioneer spirit, people being up here, you know, the early, early times, you know, people would come out of the Sugarland Valley. You know, Chris Compton's talked about one of the photos the arts and crafts community uses. That's a picture of his, one of his distant relatives bringing in stuff that we're bringing into the different stores and trade for dry goods. Go back out so they bring in baskets and, you know, little wood items, little brooms, you know. So I kind of started this thing. So they would come in, trade some goods and then that merchant would have some things that would sell to the early, you know, the beginning days when, when tourists started coming to the area. And then of course, you know, as the city developed and more and more came along, there was more shops set up downtown. And you know, we still hear people remember when the shops were, you know, that older generation when we would come many years ago and the craftsmen were. [10:06] Speaker A: Downtown, you know, and they've relocated a lot of those original structures as well. [10:10] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And some of them reside in the art, you know. You know, the Cliff Dweller Gallery that resides in the, the Cliff Dweller used. [10:18] Speaker A: To be right by Old Smokey Candy Kitchen and the Methodist church. [10:21] Speaker B: Yeah. [10:22] Speaker A: And I think that moved sometime in the 90s. [10:24] Speaker B: Yeah, it was moved by, I believe, Jim Gray, I want to say, another artist. [10:30] Speaker A: Another artist, yes. [10:32] Speaker B: Yeah. But anyways, this is, is so as the town developed and grew that, you know, the rents became more expensive and a lot of the craftsmen that were operating shops downtown lived out in the Glades areas as most people know it. You know, as the story goes, you know, they were you people. Everybody around here is very, you know, our visitors become our friends. So they were inviting them to their churches, Sunday dinners and oh, wait a minute, you know, open studio up maybe, you know, so is that, you know, that migration and moving the, the shops out into our area began and, and you look at what we have today. [11:10] Speaker A: You know, how many shops are there currently? [11:14] Speaker B: I know as, as an organization has 80 plus members. Members. We probably got around 90, 100 shops all together out there. [11:21] Speaker A: And everything's made locally. [11:23] Speaker B: You know, there is different types of shops out there, but there's, there's plenty of, there's still active shops still making the products they sell or representing products that are made regionally. [11:34] Speaker A: So your store, your shop, your craft shop, it's more than a store because you, you educate and you give people hands on experience, which is phenomenal. We'd love to be able to let our guests know that they can go. Yeah, make their own. [11:49] Speaker B: Plenty of your guests actually do come. [11:51] Speaker A: I'm glad to hear that you do exclusively create our mugs, our branded mugs that are, that are stunning, they're beautiful. You do that for a lot of other businesses in town? [12:00] Speaker B: Quite a few. [12:01] Speaker A: We love to get those not made in China mugs. And how can we do that when we live in the Arts and crafts community. But if you weren't a potter, what would you be? [12:11] Speaker B: Oh, my. Wow. That's one of those loaded questions. Okay, I'm gonna get you back. What would I be? You know, you. You. You Remember in the 2000s, there was shows on TV, custom bike building, you know, motorcycles, choppers, things like, you know. Yes, I would watch those, and Monster Garage was one of them. The. The show with Orange county choppers. But I wouldn't watch them so much. What Admit. Just watch them working with metal. So I thought it was pretty cool. You heat metal up, twist it and, you know, cut angles on it, weld it back together, and build really dynamic structures out of them. [12:55] Speaker A: Well, who knows? [12:56] Speaker B: Yeah, who knows? You know, and, you know, we talked on earlier setting up for this, you know, audio engineering. You know, I love recording music. You know, if. If I could work with a rock and roll band, I would give. [13:07] Speaker A: That's awesome. So as guests and visitors and tourists come into your shop, what do they experience there? [13:16] Speaker B: What do they experience? Well, we strive on a very welcoming environment. I mean, from the minute you come in, you know, one thing we always do, we. We just, you know, especially Ms. Brenda. I should have brought Brenda with me. You know, she's been around forever. She's worked downtown since she was out of high school, so she could really. [13:37] Speaker A: Tell you how it's changed a few stories. [13:39] Speaker B: You know, she's worked retail, so, you know, that smile, that welcoming hello. How are you guys doing? You finding your way around okay? You know, because so many times we all want to know where everybody comes from, you know, but so many times they're hit with that right off the bat, just start calling conversation. But, you know, I remember when me. And this is something to myself. I remember when Cheryl and I first came here. You know, we live here for a while. Yeah, we know how to get around. And you do. And, you know, the light numbers all make sense. Turn here at light numbers. So, you know, as a visitor, you're driving down the road, you know, first off the scenery, you know, or you're. Oh, God, where do I turn? How about here? Is it here? Is it here? You know, so you're kind of stressed out, you know, always remembering that experience and then kind of maybe explain the systems a little better to them, you know, and then they. Oh, okay, I got it. You know, and then we break in and find out, you know, but, you know, that welcoming experience, and then not only that, you know, they can come in right there where they're being welcomed behind Brenda or myself or whoever's working that day. They see the pots being worked on. You know, the first thing they see is the color of the glaze being applied to the pots. You know, that's right. 100 sales counters. Well, then you come around in the other room and at the right time, you catch me in there working on the wheel if you want. You've watched me. Yeah, yeah. So, you know, I mean, that's pretty, you know, for somebody that's never said which most people, you know, there's some that have seen it, but a lot of people today have not seen something like that. And being that up and close and personal and then just I'm able to work and talk and carry on a car, it blows people's mind. You know, I'm sitting there talking and then out came 10 mugs and they didn't. I didn't even blink an eye. [15:19] Speaker A: Well, people think of efficiency and manufacturing and just buying things at a big box store and they come into an artist place, they're going to experience what I love that you see. [15:27] Speaker B: And the children, you know, I mean, just seeing their, you know, just wow. [15:32] Speaker A: Wide eyed. [15:33] Speaker B: Yeah, wide eyed. And they put their phone down. [15:36] Speaker A: Wow. [15:37] Speaker B: They're not using, you know, they're not looking at their phone. You know, it's real. It's not. [15:41] Speaker A: That's. That. That would be something we could use as a marketing ploy. Yeah, get away from your phone. Take a break from your phone and enjoy Gatlinburg. [15:47] Speaker B: And then the other part of our, you know, shop is we, we enable the visitor to, to see what it's like to be a potter for a minute. You know, we got two different things they do. They can come in the room and make a mug with me, you know, or we. Now my, one of my team members, Karen, who's my creative person, is one that adds. You'll see a lot of pots in our shop that have flowers on them or trees or things like that. Karen's the one that adds those touches and X she's just come up through the ranks. So I couldn't be more impressed with somebody on their skill set. But anyhow, her decorating abilities are there. So we'll take them in. And actually the customer then gets a mug I made, you know, to work on. And then Karen want, we do a line of face stuff. You know, we put cute faces, creepy faces, you know, and add it to the piece. But they can make their own face mug. So she walks them through that process. So we, we allow the visitor to see what it's like to be a craftsman for two hours or make a souvenir, you know, how cool is that? You come to the Gatlinburg, you made it, you made it. You know, and then we finish it and ship it home to them. [16:57] Speaker A: That's. That is awesome. I think it's a bit of a microcosm of what we really want all of our guests to experience when they come here. It's not to observe, but to immerse themselves in the community. And it is enveloped with a welcoming spirit. And like you said, it's the people, it's the welcoming, it's identifying that this person might have trouble finding their way around. They're new to the area, but I love that. One of the common themes that we hear with different guests on the podcast is the hospitality and is being key. It's more than the. The experience, or it is the experience. It's more than the product. Yeah, but you get that mug and it reminds you. It reminds you of the experience there, and it brings back those feelings, which is awesome. [17:42] Speaker B: You know, and I'm not the only shop that does it too. You know, they can spend a day on the 8 mile loop, you know, and we have a. Create your. Create your own program, you know, so they can go dip candles. There's another way. They can do fused glass. There's another guy. You can do some flint napping. [17:59] Speaker A: Flint napping? [18:00] Speaker B: Yeah. So you take a small rock and then it's like traditional way of making arrowheads. [18:05] Speaker A: Wow. [18:05] Speaker B: Things like that. There's several. There's a couple different painters out there. So now you can do some oil painting, some watercolor painting. So, you know, you're not going to become a master artisan with any of us in no time, but you get an experience. Like, I don't know, we've all, you know, the one thing that separates our art community, I think then I'll. And there's many arts communities in the country, and the one that separates, I think us is our ability. Gatlinburg is the home. You know, we. We cater. And you guys know this. We cater to working America. You know, that truck driver, that factory. [18:43] Speaker A: Worker that have saved up for their vacation. They only have so many days a year and take vacation. [18:49] Speaker B: You know, your family has sweat equity in this. We've all got sweat equ. So we understand that. And I think we connect to those people in. In our. Our community connects us. I mean, these are people that would never even think about this. Or like you even hit on right there. You Know, they. They planned out their class with me, with their kids. So this, I mean, this is two hours that this family's never forget. But our, our community, our people have that ability to connect with that type person. And I think. I think the positive impact that we put on in the nation is just unreal. You know, it's. We do it like no other. And I'm so proud to be a part of it. [19:26] Speaker A: And you've not only been a part of it, but you've really been a leader in representing the community. [19:31] Speaker B: It's so strange, Tom, to be a leader. [19:33] Speaker A: You're servant. You're a servant. [19:34] Speaker B: Yeah, but, but it, but, you know, so if you knew me in my 20s. No, I'm not a bad guy. [19:40] Speaker A: High school reunion. Hey, my Fowler board of directors for the G Chamber of Commerce. [19:46] Speaker B: I want to bag it. But I mean, I was your typical kid, you know, I wanted to. To have fun and you know, I spent, you know, surfing and you name it, little public service and being on a board of directors was the last thing I ever thought, you know, business ownership was far from it at that time too, you know, but, you know, things progress for a reason, you know. But you know, after living here and, and being a potter and so when I got up here and actually started working, I guess I pottery for about 11 years and worked there or for Robert Elmont until 2015 or 14, I just. There was a piece of me that knew I was ready. I didn't know how I was going to do it. And you just keep that there was something and I loved working there, don't get me wrong. And our relationship's still good to this day, you know, but I wanted to create my own world. [20:41] Speaker A: Want to have your stamp on the bottom? [20:42] Speaker B: Yeah, you know. You know, and I had a lot of liberties working there. I mean, I signed my own work. His family was great to me, but it was just. It was. I wanted to be the captain my own ship. There was just that drive and that burn, you know. And an opportunity came up and where I currently rent at the Wood Whitlers I had met Chris Compton who become a dear friend of ours. But anyways, Chris ran wood wheeler since I think the 80s. His dad started it in the late 40s. But I got to know him and. And a shop opened up and I stopped in. It was rot Thanksgiving weekend. And we had talked once before but wasn't ready. Came back around and we talked and he's. Well, that shop on the end there just. I said, I know that's why I came by and stopped in. He said, well it's a good thing he stopped in. He's like, because I, I'm leaving for Florida tomorrow. So we cut a deal and I decided to go for it. And that was 2015, that was 20 into 2014. I actually rented the shop, made the deal and we opened in March 2, 2015. So which actually coming up will be our 10 year anniversary. [21:56] Speaker A: Well, congratulations. [21:57] Speaker B: Yeah, thank you. But you know, so right after we open, you know, and that was scary, man. And I'm going out into a community, you know, it's got several potters in it already established there for a long time, you know. And I kind of knew, I kind of felt the market and I didn't want to do exact. I, I'm not the kind of guy that's just going to go out and do exactly what one of my mentors did. You know, that's just not right. You know, I want. And again I wanted to be the captain of my own ships, you know. So I knew from analyze I know I needed to look different and I leaned in on a color palette that was a little brighter than when a lot of people use a lot of matte colors and you know, more very earthy. So I went with a little bit of a brighter palette and then we put some little whimsical creative, creative twist into it and you know, the public loved it. I mean first month out we, we were a success, you know. [22:46] Speaker A: Great. [22:47] Speaker B: And that summer, let's see that summer one of my, one of my good customers become friend of mine brought their grandkid in and said, you know, hey, could you do something fun with my grandkid? And they had a great time and then you know, the wheels were turning. So there was an old shop I ran back another I added on more rent in the first year and anyways I set it up and, and bought a few wheels and started teaching there and it really just took off. But you know, coming into it and then 2016, we all know what hit there right as things started building, you. [23:26] Speaker A: Know, right in November. Yeah, November. [23:28] Speaker B: So oh, what do we do? And you know as well as I know we lost a lot of our repeat business. Whether it was due to the cabins or the chalets or stuff not being there that they were used to renting or just thinking the whole town burnt down and yes cancel their plans. So you know, is the powers that be the ran the town. You know, Mark Adams, who I believe you talked to earlier, knew we needed to go after new Visitors and started new ad strategies and coming up with. Trying to attract new guests and. And at that time, Facebook was booming, you know, and that was really the big go to. So I put all my bat, you know, use my customers with that interactive experience and what they were going back. You know, I. And I kept getting all more and more and more like phone calls and I didn't really realize what was going on, you know, and TripAdvisor was hitting pretty hard that time and all of a sudden the phone just wouldn't stop raining. [24:24] Speaker A: Wow. [24:24] Speaker B: And somebody called me up, it was an old. A friend of mine. And he said, do you realize you're number like three or four on TripAdvisor? Things to do right now in the whole town of Gatlinburg. And I said, no. I said no clue. [24:36] Speaker A: Stumbled into that one. [24:37] Speaker B: Yeah. [24:39] Speaker A: This episode of for the Love of Gatlinburg is sponsored by Mountain Laurel Chalets, the family owned company of choice for your cabin rentals in the smoky Mountains. Since 1972, Mountain Laurel Chalets has served thousands of visitors to the Smokies with excellent accommodations. They love treating you like family and they look forward to hosting your next trip to Gatlinburg. [25:04] Speaker B: But that kind of was that milestone, I guess, is there. What. I'm sorry, what was that question we were all this led into. [25:10] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, it was, it was the. The uniqueness of being a potter in the community. And then as we talked initially about what a guest experience when they come into the store and I think you were going towards the studio that you opened in the back. [25:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [25:23] Speaker A: Where people can really experience the hands on. [25:25] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, you know, and all that blew up, but I. It just, all of it came together so fast and you know, that experience is really key, you know, like I got to really bring these people in and get them going, you know, and it just dawned on me, you know, the more I do that, the more. More enriched of experience these people get. [25:46] Speaker A: So you created a community within a community. So for your followers on social media and your repeat guests for a very new company, you're just. You're an artist and now you're running a business. [25:58] Speaker B: Yeah. [25:58] Speaker A: You're learning as you go along and I'm sure making mistakes and seeing successes. [26:04] Speaker B: Yeah, seeing successes. But, you know. Oh yeah. That's where we were talking about what got me involved with leadership and community. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So about that time, you know, so then 17, you know, so. And I started getting involved the, the people on the board of directors for the arts and crafts community. Community got me. And then. And I started going to the meetings and started learning more. You know, I'm not. Again, I was not that guy that thought I would like this stuff, you know, but the more I started learning about it, the more I liked it, the more I'm. Okay. [26:35] Speaker A: And you started off by being an ambassador. [26:37] Speaker B: Well, yeah. So then while I'm. I'm sitting in the. In the boardroom or on their board, they had a. An association here in Gatlinburg, if you're an association, gets a designated director seat on our Gatlinburg Convention and Visitor Bureau board. So our course. We have a designated director appointed by our board to sit on that board. And that person at that time, Ms. Dottie Pickett, was coming off, and so the board thought it'd be good to put me in there. [27:09] Speaker A: And you thought, why not? [27:10] Speaker B: Yeah, I thought, why not? You know, so I. I have learned over the years, when opportunity arises, you sometimes jump on it, even if it. It's not exactly the thing you thought you might have. Yeah, you just go for it, you know, because you never know where it might lead, you know, and it got in on that board, so that. That kind of. And then once I got in there, you know, and it was foreign. I go in a room. I'm not used to this kind of stuff, you know, and. And. And I didn't. I'm sitting in a room with people. I mean, I'm sitting in a room with. You know, I know a lot of our guests don't realize it, but I'm sitting in there. Kent Anders, you know, his family's owned Obergatlinburg, you know, for years. And to me, I'm like, oh, wow, look who I'm sitting with. [27:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [27:51] Speaker B: And countless others, you know, from sky park, you know, from. From old Smoky Kitchen, you know, I mean, you name it, they're in there. Wow. I'm sitting here with. [28:03] Speaker A: And how great that the arts and crafts community has a voice. Oh, yeah, it has a seat. [28:07] Speaker B: And the wedding association has one. I mean, it's. [28:09] Speaker A: So Overnight rentals has Overnight Rentals Lodging Association. [28:13] Speaker B: Yeah. So, you know, you're sitting in there, and then I realized, wow, you know, it's. Everybody's working together again. Oh, this is interesting, you know, and this conversation. Go. I don't really know what they're talking about, but I'm using my phone, Google, you know, okay, what does this mean? What does that mean? I start catching off, you know, and then. But, you know, but, you know, seeing that inside and like all of it working together because we were trying to figure out how. How to get new people here because we lost a lot, you know. And so then I'm taking that information here. This guy from Florida, who's not a native, you know, is bringing it back to this board here, mountain people. [28:50] Speaker A: And they're listening because you do represent this. You, you came here as a tourist first. That's what drew you here. And so you have that third party perspective, but you're not a local that's become so familiar to you. You see it with fresh eyes and you can offer some input to that. You think about seeing things with fresh eyes. Wanted to ask you. So many people come to Gatlinburg for the first time still. [29:13] Speaker B: Right. [29:14] Speaker A: We were talking about the. The demographics of the Southeast being transformed by a lot of major cities. [29:20] Speaker B: Yeah. [29:20] Speaker A: Moving to the Southeast and saying, oh, where can we drive for the weekend? Let's go to Gatlinburg. Never been there before. So you probably see those people coming to your store all the time. What do you hope that they experience in Gatlinburg on their first visit? [29:34] Speaker B: Hope they experience in Galler. Man, that's. That's a, That's a loaded question, you know. Well, I mean, I hope, of course, number one, I hope everybody check, you know, takes some sort of time and visits the Smoky Mountain National Park. You know, you got to take some of that. And I mean, look at it. [29:51] Speaker A: It's gorgeous. [29:52] Speaker B: I mean, look at it. You know, we're lucky. You know, I quit. I was just. I was just back in Florida and quaid it with a friend, you know, back on the beach. And I said, it's like living on the beach. And every day of the ocean is different. These mountains are the same way every day. If you take it in, there's something different about them. Even if it's in the middle of July, there's something about that day. It's different than the day before. You look at the way the stream's flowing, the way the ni. You name it. But anyways, what I. I hope for number one, that they take some little slice of the part. And the park is so much to offer. I mean, you could go and take the hardest hike of your life. You could take the simplest little walk. You could never get out of your car and enjoy it too. [30:34] Speaker A: You know, the motor trail. [30:36] Speaker B: The motor trail. I mean, Cades Cove Drive across the Church Cherokee and back. I mean, you name it. Foothills Parkway in Townsend. [30:43] Speaker A: Yeah. [30:44] Speaker B: You don't have to get out of Your car and enjoy the beauty of it, you know, So, I mean, these are treasures that, that, you know, I definitely hope every visitor takes a little piece of that with them. You know, a lot of kids see that. So many of it. You know, we get to see it all the time. There's so many kids never even seen a little chipmunk on the side of the road. Let them see that chipmunk. [31:03] Speaker A: You know, the other to mention a bear. [31:05] Speaker B: Yeah. Or a bear. Not too hard to see anymore. [31:08] Speaker A: Yes, that's right. [31:10] Speaker B: They're around. But I love it, man. Bear encounters are cool, you know, as long as it's. It's. As long as it's done right. And you know, of course, you know, the bears are doing well. We all know that. Yep. The other part, you know, taking anywhere you look around this town, whether it's in the arts and crafts community, which I. Yeah, please come out, you know, and take a, you know, some time and spend with us. But also too do a little bit of homework, you know, ski Mountain Road. How much history is up here? [31:42] Speaker A: Yes. [31:43] Speaker B: You know, how much history is down at the different attractions. You know, look at Sky Park. How long has it been running, you know, over Mountain? [31:51] Speaker A: For 50 years. Over. Over 50. [31:52] Speaker B: Yeah. Ober Mountain, there's another one, you know, so, you know, walk down the streets, you know, that's. This town has so much to offer. Great dining experiences, you know, you cannot run out of food here, huh? [32:08] Speaker A: That's absolutely true. So you mentioned earlier, it's the people, it's the welcoming spirit. I think that's one thing that as you find working with the chamber on the board, interacting with a lot of different industries in this community which are all engaged in hospitality. Our bread and butter is the people and it's the employees that engage in a human way and have that interaction with other people and meet them at a level that I don't think you're going to experience in a lot of other attraction, tourist destinations. [32:36] Speaker B: You don't even. Back where I come from, you know, we moved here from New Smyrna Beach, Florida, and we still, we saw family there, so we still vacation, you know, and my daughter grew up here, so my daughters used to, you know, see somebody at the store, you know, you look them in the eye. Hello, how are you? You know, we're just. She's been around the shop. We talk to everybody. That's just what we do. But I remember when we. Every year when she was younger especially we would rent a little because you can drive on our beach there. So we would rent a little golf cart and drive up and down the beach. And my daughter's just friendly as can be. And. And I remember she's real little and 7ish, 8ish, maybe. And she was waving at people as we're driving by and they wouldn't even acknowledge. Acknowledge her. [33:20] Speaker A: Hey, honey, you're not in Gatlinburg. And I. [33:23] Speaker B: She's like, dad, what's wrong? They're not even. And I said, it's okay. I said, listen, I said, you're not used to this, but it's not like home, honey. I said, you know, there we all talk one another, but a lot of. [33:35] Speaker A: Places is not like that for the last 18 years. [33:39] Speaker B: Yeah, sure. [33:40] Speaker A: Raise your family here. [33:41] Speaker B: Raise my family. My daughter is a high school senior. [33:43] Speaker A: GP this year at gp. Congratulations. A great school. [33:49] Speaker B: Incredible school. Do you know they gave five, over $5 million in scholarships to last year's or were obtained. $5 million. [33:57] Speaker A: It's an amazing school. [33:58] Speaker B: Amazing. [33:58] Speaker A: Such a small percentage or a large percentage of them are students are National Merit Scholars. Yes, they are helped and assisted and guidance counselors. [34:08] Speaker B: All they do is find them scholarships, you know. Yes, we are. We are so lucky, you know, but yeah, gp. Yeah. [34:17] Speaker A: Yeah. My wife graduated from GP and a lot of fun stories and a lot of people mention GP and PI Beta Phi elementary and just so much of the small community, because I think our tourists don't realize that people live here full time. That you know people. Your daughter grew up here. And I know one question she'll have, if she ever moves away or whenever she, she goes, we say, where are you from? She'll say, gatlinburg. And they're like, I didn't know anyone was from Gatlinburg. But what a blessing for her and to have been, to have been raised here to experience that. You think about Gatlinburg. What is your favorite month of the year? [34:53] Speaker B: You know, I'm going. I'm going to throw out there. I really love June. [34:59] Speaker A: June. [34:59] Speaker B: I really love June. You know, it's. It's, it's at that point, it's more, I guess, a little bit more about me. You know, it's not so much the business is doing good. And of course, you know, we all love fall and stuff like that, but June, we've come out of winter, we've come out of spring. You know, spring's gorgeous, you know, and we get to June, kids out of school, you know, the river's starting to warm up a little bit. It's still cold. Takes your breath when the first hit you take. You know, we can do the river tubing. Me, me and Ava love. Blow up an inner tube and head down the river. Especially in Greenbrier. Yeah, a lot of fun. [35:36] Speaker A: You can find some rope swings along the Greenbrier river too. [35:40] Speaker B: We like to snorkel. You know, being from the beach, a snorkel a lot and you know, snorkeling these rivers is actually pretty cool. [35:46] Speaker A: That water's so clear. [35:47] Speaker B: It's so clear and you wouldn't believe the. The fish in them. Besides the rainbow trout. Just the little native darters. And they're beautiful underwater. Should try it sometimes. [35:56] Speaker A: Okay. [35:56] Speaker B: Blow your mind, man. [35:57] Speaker A: I have waded through. Yeah. There are some deeper areas, but I've never snorkeled. [36:02] Speaker B: Yeah. And around the rocks, you know, like just a amount of smallmouth bass. You'll see. You wouldn't believe this. Things that are down there, that are there, you know, it's a. It's a different world. I found a little piece of old bone china that must have washed out of the mountains from when people lived there. But you know, June, you know, we do those and of course the fireflies start coming out all over. That's pretty cool. You know, it's almost like the mountains really come to life. Like, I mean, I know they're a lot here, but I mean it's just like they're breathing there. [36:30] Speaker A: Have you had experienced the synchronous fireflies? [36:33] Speaker B: Not exactly in Elkmont. But you know, as we all know, there's other spots that you. [36:38] Speaker A: We don't tell people where those spots are. [36:40] Speaker B: But you. [36:41] Speaker A: You have to get lottery tickets to see them in Elmont. But there are other places. [36:44] Speaker B: There are other places in which I. You know, unless you're used to the this area, I don't recommend trying to find it. You know. [36:49] Speaker A: Cuz we'll keep those secrets. Yeah, we'll keep those secrets for the 4000. [36:53] Speaker B: But we. We'll go find some of the. You know, and that's pretty cool, you know, and just there's so many. I just love it, man. Camping, you know, it's a great time. [37:03] Speaker A: Of camp and so you were one that fell in love with Gatlinburg. You fell in love with your wife here. You ex experienced that with your honeymoon, if you know. Of course. I hope you loved your wife before your honeymoon. But you. You officially made. [37:16] Speaker B: Yes, honey, I fell in love with you before the. [37:18] Speaker A: Honey, thanks for sharing that. I'm sorry, Sherry for that slip up, but there's a lot of sentimentality to the area. And then there are so many people. Fact, we have two employees that moved here. They were long time visitors and they loved it so much they moved here. And a lot of people think I'm just going to move here and my life's going to be perfect. It's going to be great. And it's still hard work. [37:42] Speaker B: It's so hard work. And I was. When you're here, you know, and just like even men, I slip away to a beach or something, of course I get that moment. I get living in the moment. Oh yeah, this would be great. Be doing this all the time. You know, we live in it. We live in a little slice of heaven and then we're lucky. But, you know, but it is. And I remind people this all the time, you know, it is a great place to live. But once you're here, life becomes real. You, you know, you have to pay the bills, you have to go to the grocery store, you have to navigate the normal things. Going to a doctor, your dentist, all. [38:16] Speaker A: You know, it's not as romantic as it pans out to be, but there is a sense of history. [38:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [38:23] Speaker A: And legacy and the story that shows up in unexpected places. [38:27] Speaker B: It unbelievable where it shows up. [38:29] Speaker A: Yeah. It surprises you. Well, this has been a surprise today to have you, Mike, on the podcast to hear your voice have a broader impact within the community of Gatlinburg for the arts and crafts community, but also to just hear how you fell in love with this community. And I want to thank you for all that you contribute through your local business, through your family, being here and also just for being a bright shining light in a place that really welcomes the nations, welcomes other people. [39:00] Speaker B: It's really cool to be, you know, that, that with everybody, you know, we all, we all take part in it. It's. And you know, it's not just one person here. It does it, it's everybody. It's me, the Tom, Good ones, the Chris Compton, Jan Peza, you know, you name them, you know. [39:19] Speaker A: So let's pitch it to. People have never been to Gatlinburg. We want you to come and experience followers. Clay works, Mountain Laurel chalets, the skylift, all these things. Come and experience the national park and hear and experience some of the stories that we have been able to share today. But thanks again, Mike, for joining us and we're excited about where you're placed and the influence and the opportunities you have to influence others. [39:42] Speaker B: Thank you, Tom. [39:45] Speaker A: Thank you for joining me on this episode. Of for the love.
Synopsis
Full Transcript
.png)
Mike Fowler, a local potter and artisan, is making a significant impact on Gatlinburg's art scene. After falling in love with the area during his honeymoon in 2003, he moved to Gatlinburg in 2006 and opened Fowler Clay Works in 2015. His pottery business, known for its bright colors and whimsical designs, has become a popular attraction, offering interactive experiences for visitors. Beyond his successful business, Fowler actively contributes to the community, serving on the Gatlinburg Convention and Visitor Bureau board and advocating for the local arts and crafts scene. His journey from tourist to influential artisan exemplifies the enriching impact passionate creators can have on Gatlinburg's cultural landscape, enhancing its appeal to both tourists and art enthusiasts.
Episode References: