The Slap Shop brings bold creativity to downtown Roanoke.
Gabrielle King
Inside The Slap Shop
Will Bower
Gabrielle King works on a pottery piece.
Gabrielle King first fell in love with pottery and the arts at a young age. But it wasn’t until her last semester of college that she realized her future wouldn’t feel complete unless she could create every day and continue doing what she loved.
That realization sparked what would become The Slap Shop—a bright, cozy, and creative space decorated with florals, sleek accents, and disco balls.
It officially opened its doors on April 8, 2025, inside Downtown Roanoke’s “Crafteria,” quickly becoming a welcoming space within the community.
True to its name, a slang for something “great” or “awesome,” The Slap Shop offers classes and products that truly “slap.”
With a wide range of classes and products, King hopes to continue offering high quality learning experiences such as wheel throwing and hand building pottery class as well as small business consulting and selling functional and decorative works of art including mugs, bowls, cups, plates, etc.
Will Bower
Gabrielle King with some of her handmade pottery.
One upcoming series of workshops will be offered at Crystal Spring Grocery in Roanoke, which houses a large space, allowing King to work with many people at once. These workshops will guide attendees through making incense trays, salt and pepper shakers, and wall hangers. King also recently launched a new soy candle collection in collaboration with local brand Sun and Spruce.
When asked about her influences as an artist and entrepreneur, she shouted out the Small Business Development Center of Roanoke and how much they have assisted her in the launching of her business.
“They are so reliable and wonderful that without them I wouldn’t be here,” she shares. While her journey has had its ups and downs, King embraces imperfection, reminding others that “even the most broken things can be beautiful,” emphasizing the importance of resilience and creativity in both life, and business.
Gabrielle King
Gabrielle King’s favorite piece she’s created — an elephant ear platter that cracked during firing — was put back together with gold.
Looking ahead, King has big dreams for The Slap Shop. She hopes to expand into a larger retail space, invest in more pottery wheels, and maybe even upgrade to a bigger kiln. Her studio—especially time spent with her pottery wheel “Willy”—is her happy place, and she’s excited to keep growing.
After waking up one day and realizing it was time for change, King began her small business journey which has blossomed into the career of her dreams. Her advice to aspiring creatives? “Just go for it, there will never be a right time, you decide what you do with this little life and only you can know if you have the grit to do it.”
Find The Slap Shop at 16 Church Ave., Suite 102, Roanoke, VA 24011 or online: