La Grange entrepreneur firing up new business at Ceramic Art Cafe

Fond recollections led Lauren Engels to buy an established business in downtown La Grange in the hopes of making it bigger and better.

“Good memories,” Engels said. “I wanted to keep the business alive.”

Engels, 24, and her father, Matt Engels, are the new owners of Ceramic Art Café, 26 S. La Grange Road.

Lauren recalls having and attending birthday parties there as a child.

“I was super artistic when I was younger and felt I hadn’t done that for awhile. And I always enjoyed coming here,” she said.

Sue and Bill Martin had owned the business for more than 20 years, Matt said.

“I knew Sue and went to high school with her son. When Sue passed away in March (2023), I reached out to offer my condolences to Tim,” he said.

“A couple days later, he called and asked if we knew anybody who wanted to buy a business in La Grange,” Matt said.

“We kept saying no,” Lauren said.

Eventually, however, the price was too good for daughter and dad to ignore.

Owning the business is quite different from Lauren’s 9-to-5 job.

She works in structural design for Sargent & Lundy in downtown Chicago, designing power plants when she’s not working at Ceramic Art Café.

Lauren and her parents live in La Grange.

She graduated from Lyons Township High School in 2017. Four years later, she graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in environmental sustainability.

She played softball for Lyons Township High School and was on the club softball team at Illinois, playing in the World Series in Georgia three times. She was a catcher for the Illinois team that finished second in the nation to Clemson in 2021.

Matt works from home for an insurance company.

They have made some changes to the business, replacing a couch that had been there since Day 1 and painting interior walls white instead of the former yellow.

The business concept remains the same: Have fun being artistic.

People are charged a $10 fee and they also buy the ceramic item they want to paint. Prices range from $6 to $50.

“There’s a price point for the little kids for a birthday party or teenagers who walk in. We’ve had LT students walk in and paint a $10 coffee mug for their moms,” Matt said.

After people paint an item, it dries for a day.

Matt or Lauren then cover it with glaze and place it in a kiln, which gives each item a shiny finish.

Reservations are suggested for big parties. Walk-ins are welcome.

“Some people sit here for hours. There’s no time limit,” Matt said.

Lauren has enjoyed watching the artists’ creativity.

“If the kids want to paint a purple penguin, who am I to say no?” Lauren said. “We get them situated. Tell them three coats (of paint) will give them the best color.”

They had a soft opening in August and have seen business picking up ever since.

“It’s getting better. When it’s colder out, more people want to be inside,” Lauren said.

“We’re the ones who pray for lousy weekend weather,” Matt said. “Nobody wants to be indoors when its 70 degrees out.”

They have reached out to local schools.

“Not just the La Grange schools, but the Brookfield schools, La Grange Park, Western Springs. Maybe even the Westchester schools,” Matt said.

Often, high school students who were there as youngsters return to renew old memories, Lauren said.

“We had a party of nine 17-year-old boys. It was awesome, awesome,” Matt said.

Lauren said “the best party ever” was a group of special needs young adults.

Ten painters stopped in the day after Christmas, Matt said.

Painters have dozens of colors from which to choose. They can wear smocks and the paint easily washes off tables, clothing and people, Lauren said.

Business hours are 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

“The closing hour is the last available walk-in,” Lauren said. “I want to be open six days a week. We want to get a BYOB license for parties, too.”

She hopes to hire people who would allow the business to be open more often.

To make an appointment, call 708-579-3033 or email ceramicartcafelg@gmail.com. The website is www.ceramicartcafe.com.

Lauren is learning fast that business ownership can present surprises.

During the Dec. 27 interview, a village official stopped in, clipboard in hand.

“Your ‘open’ sign flashes,” he said. “Can you make it not flash?”

Lauren said she would.

Ah, the joys of owning a business.