Red Bison Studios

There are still Main Streets in America where artists are rewarded for their amazing work.

Many of my readers know that I spent most of my boyhood in Sheridan, Wyoming. I am an advocate for that town and the way it retains an older version of America within its city limits. I love the incredible Main Street, where small enterprises can put out their flag and see if they have what it takes to make a living. Most who try actually make it because the people of Sheridan go out of their way to support the local businesses. The town has events on Thursday nights all through the summer and Christmas season, where they shut down the street for vehicle traffic and allow people to wander up and down as the shopkeepers hold their doors open late into the evening. It is a magical place that will always feel like home to me, no matter how many years I have lived away from it. Our family has been doing our real estate business there for more than 40 years, with only a few years of interruption in the 90s, so we have spent a lot of time in this amazing place. My mom and dad have a home there, and with only a few exceptions, we haven’t missed a rodeo in twenty years. In our writings here at On The Uptick, you will probably hear a lot about the great stores and creators in Sheridan. In the late 90s, I started taking all of my college friends there for a fishing trip each summer, so Scott has fallen in love with the town, too.

All of my friends and I joke that if the zombies ever come for us in the apocalypse, we know where to meet in the Bighorns. Sheridan is just that kind of place. Unassuming, but beautiful. Their Main Street is arguably the most vibrant one I know of in the West. There are fabulous restaurants (Scott will be sharing with you about Le Rêve later this week), great art galleries, old western stores, a coin shop, and fantastic coffee shops. The town's heartbeat comes from this incredible strip of shops and businesses, and even the newest visitors to Sheridan recognize it.

One of my favorite shops on the street is Red Bison Studio. The store owner is a master of clay, and he sells some of the most beautiful creations I have seen. The studio started in 2012 and has been selling its western-style mugs and clay creations to locals and tourists alike since. The artistry of the designs is truly marvelous. Intricate details and stunning artwork are the studio's hallmark.

A quick trip into the store and it’s apparent how the passions of Stephen Mullins, the owner, have made Red Bison a fixture on Main Street. Amazingly, Red Bison is a beautiful story about how the company grew from Stephen’s own hustle and the town of Sheridan’s investment in their local makers. In fact, Stephen didn’t open his storefront until 2018; instead, he got his start by selling his mugs and wares at the Third Thursdays markets the downtown association holds each month. It’s a great success story about how a small town, giving people a place and opportunity to show off their talents, can help someone create a life with their art and passions.

Everything in the store is made in Sheridan. All of the clay creations are thrown on the wheels in the back of the store and fired in the local kiln. “I feel fortunate to call Sheridan home and being able to have a store on Main Street has been great, I feel fortunate,” Stephen said of Red Bison Studio in an article by the downtown business association.

It’s what I love about Sheridan. The people who live and work there love their town, and they support the people who make their lives better. Red Bison is an incredibly artistic store, and the people of Sheridan love its work. I am sure, like all businesses, Red Bison has its challenges. But there’s a beauty in the community-supported business model that Sheridan still enjoys because of its smallness and isolation. People know they can succeed with a great product and a dedication to community-mindedness, and those who support the businesses do so because they know that if they don’t, the heart and soul of their community will be changed for the worse. Red Bison holds classes to learn the art of pottery and sees it as an integral part of that cherished community relationship. There’s a beautiful model in Sheridan for the rest of America. Something that was once there and has been covered over by corporate consolidation and the offshoring of jobs and manufacturing. Making things in your community creates a symbiotic relationship. Both people learn that they need one another.

A mug from Red Bison is more expensive than something from Amazon, but somehow, in this small town, people know they need to make sure the creativity and beauty coming from the Red Bison studio remain part of their ethos. That doesn’t mean Red Bison has it made or doesn’t compete with Amazon for cheap goods produced elsewhere, but it does mean they have a shot at doing something they love in a town that loves them back. That’s the America that people love. The one that enables someone to take a risk and see if what they have to offer is worthy of an exchange.

They do ship nationwide, and you can order online at their store. Red Bison’s trout mug is one of my most cherished possessions. The beauty of the mug unfortunately promotes my overconsumption of coffee each morning, but when I have the chance to sit by the fire in our house with a great cup in that mug, I am transported for a moment to my favorite town in the United States. Having something handmade and beautiful elevates nearly every experience, and a Red Bison mug is no exception.

If you want to learn more, visit their website

Red Bison Studio

Or if you are ever in the area, stop in and shop. It’s one of the highlights of this fantastic town in Northern Wyoming.