My name is Melinda Stender and I'm the owner of Clay Paper Ink. This place started as a dream about 17 years ago.

I grew up in Las Vegas, went to school here, earned my Bachelor's in Art at UNLV, and became an art teacher with CCSD. Then I did my Master's in Art Education at UNLV and moved through grade levels, teaching art at seven different schools. I loved each one, and I loved teaching each grade level at that time in my life.

Most recently, I taught Ceramics at Green Valley High School. It was the best. But I wished that more people could have a space to do art. I taught a few students who didn't appreciate the opportunity they had — and didn't understand how lucky they were to have it.

So I decided to take some time off from teaching and I opened Clay Paper Ink in June 2025. Now we've been open over a year and we keep meeting new people who love that they can come and make art. You can learn new skills. You can experiment with new materials. All at a reasonable price point.