Glazed Over Owner to Expand to Galloway

Glazed Over Pottery and Mosaics has been the place to go to create your own pottery in Ocean City for nine years.

Owner Jennifer Boyce describes the atmosphere as one in which a person can come in and focus on creating art in a tranquil environment.

“People feel comfortable to just come in and express themselves,” she said. “It’s a calm experience. Families come in, and they’ll be completely quiet because they’re getting all into it.”

In three weeks, Boyce is bringing that atmosphere to her hometown, Galloway Township.

Boyce, a former school teacher and librarian in Atlantic City, is opening her second location in Risley Square, behind the Dunkin Donuts, across the street from the municipal complex. She aims to open her new store the weekend of May 25-26.

“You paint your own pottery, design your own glass fusion and there’s workshops for kids,” Boyce said. “I’m bringing the same concept to Galloway. It’s a family-friendly community.”

Galloway caught Boyce’s eye not only because she is originally from the township, but because of the spike in population and the development taking place within the township.

She said she wanted to open up shop in a town that has centrally-located business, and she feels Galloway has that along Jimmie Leeds Road.

“The Pitney Road-Jimmie Leeds area is a great concept for one-stop shopping to me,” Boyce said. “The way they designed the town was nice to me. “

Boyce, who is from Long Island, moved to New Jersey in 1992. She spent her first two years in the state living in Galloway.

“I remember it as a nice community, and there are even more families there now,” Boyce said. “Italian Gourmet is there now; that wasn’t there when I was there before, and I like what I’m seeing with Tilton Fitness. There’s a lot of energy in that area right now.”

Boyce is eager to become part of the Galloway community once again and offer a service few people think about.  She said her studio will charge a flat fee.

“Other studios charge by the hour so you feel like you have to rush to get it done,” Boyce said. “We don’t want to create a time limit. Our staff is fully trained, and there are lots of books, so they can brainstorm with people.

“We do a lot of custom work. People come in and make art with baby feet. We offer classes on special technique. You can make vases and buckles. We do a workshop on doing your own mosaic garden, and we’ll provide the flower. We don’t want you to make a vase and not be able to use it. We want you to be able to walk away and be able to put something on your porch.”

They even offer, “Glaze on the Go,” meaning if someone can’t make it in to their store, they will go to that person.

“If Smithville has a project it wants to do, we’ll go there,” Boyce said. “We’ll do fundraisers, PTA events, anything.”

The store is open seasonally in Ocean City, but would be open year-round in Galloway.

“We would mainly be open 10 a.m.-6 p.m., but we would have a few nights we were open later,” Boyce said. “We would maybe have a college night. That’s something I’m researching right now.”

The store in Galloway would not be identical to the store in Ocean City, which is 2300 square feet, and has a cottage look. She said the store in Galloway will look more like a real studio, with real brick interior.

“It’s going to have a loft-style feel,” Boyce said. “There will be elements that make you feel like you’re in a real studio.”

She said she’s seeing a lot of business in Ocean City currently, with more people going to Ocean City than leaving the state to go to a place like Disney World. She said that because of its strong sense of community, she expects the same thing in Galloway.

“I look forward to being in Galloway,” Boyce said. “I look forward to being a part of the Galloway community.”