By MANDY THOMAS

ajt008@latech.edu

 

It all started with a dream. Opening her own art studio was just a casual topic of conversation she shared with friends and roommates.

Soon the ideas and what-ifs sparked excitement for the 24-year-old graduate student of theatre promotion.

For Hannah May Roark, graduating college and being a newlywed  ignited apprehensions of facing the real world. Then the idea of owning a business brought on fears of its own. 

But with the support of her husband, encouraging excitement from her former roommate, and hours of searching downtown for the perfect location, the dream of owning an art studio quickly became a reality.

Roark is the owner of The Ransack Studio, located at 111 E. Mississippi Ave. in Historic Downtown Ruston.

 “I think this will be the first month the store will actually pay for itself,” Roark said.

The Ransack sells a collection of pottery, antiques, natural perfumes and portrait paintings mostly made by Roark and former roommate Ella Sharpton, a senior graphic design major.

“Hannah and I have been friends a really long time,” Sharpton said. “We always talked about opening a store and then one day, we just did it.”

Sharpton said she helped pick the space and then worthy hard work was used to clean and paint the store to be ready for opening.

These days, Sharpton said time at the shop is spent with friends listening to music and making art.

In a small room to the side of the store, Roark can often be found throwing pots, which she said has become her latest passion thanks to an old kiln her mother bought 20 years ago and never used.

Roark said around June, her brother found a wheel on e-Bay that came with a handy pottery how-to DVD.

“I just fell in love with [pottery making] and decided to fill the whole shop with pottery instead of paintings,” Roark said.

Always ruining things with crayons and paint, Roark said she grew up constantly creating art while being influenced and inspired from her mother who is a painter.

Roark said her grandfather was so excited about the opening of the studio that he gave her $2,000.

Even though Roark said she is terrible with math, she said the financial aspect of running a business is not as scary as it seems.

Roark said the rent is only $350 a month, which is cheap for a commercial space, and she also works on the side painting portraits.

Roark’s husband will graduate from the theatre department in May and the two plan to move away in order to pursue his career in acting.

Although Roark said the store is just an experiment, she would like to see it continue when she leaves.

“I would say to anyone wanting to start their own business to go for it,” Roark said.

“Once you’ve done it, it’s not scary. My dad used to always say to me when you face your fears, the death of the fear is certain.”