Mike Fowler's story with Gatlinburg started, fittingly, with a honeymoon. In 2003, Mike and his wife Cheryl spent their first days as a married couple at a retreat property near Pittman Center, and on the recommendation of a friend, spent a rainy day exploring the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community. Mike — already working as a potter in Central Florida at the time — was floored to find an entire working community of artisans on public display, rather than tucked away in private studios and travelling festival circuits like he was used to. A chance conversation with potter Robert Alewine and his wife Connie ("You married a potter? Honey, we gotta talk") planted a seed that grew over several return visits, culminating in a fateful drive home from one trip — a Smoky Mountain rain playing on the radio as the couple crossed the last mountain — when they simply looked at each other and decided to go for it.
Mike and Cheryl moved to Gatlinburg in 2006, worked under Robert Alewine for about a decade, and in March 2015 opened Fowler Clay Works — now approaching its 10th anniversary — in a shop at The Wood Whittler, a space he took over from longtime friend Chris Compton. Mike distinguished his work with a brighter, more whimsical color palette than the earthier tones common among mountain potters, and built out an interactive studio experience where visitors can throw their own pottery or decorate a custom face mug alongside his team. After the 2016 wildfires disrupted repeat visitation, a pivot toward new digital marketing helped Fowler Clay Works climb to a top-five ranking on TripAdvisor for things to do in Gatlinburg.
The conversation also traces Mike's unexpected path into community leadership — from a self-described "kid who wanted to have fun" to a seat on the Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau board, representing the Arts & Crafts Community's interests alongside leaders from attractions like Ober Mountain and Gatlinburg SkyPark.
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Mike Fowler is a potter and the owner of Fowler Clay Works, located along the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community's eight-mile loop in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Mike first visited the area on his honeymoon in 2003, relocated to Gatlinburg in 2006, and opened Fowler Clay Works in March 2015. He serves on the Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau board as the Arts & Crafts Community's designated representative, and has raised his daughter in Gatlinburg, where she currently attends Gatlinburg-Pittman High School.
- A honeymoon that turned into a whole new life. Mike and his wife Cheryl first discovered the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community on their 2003 honeymoon; a chance meeting with potter Robert Alewine — and an offhand invitation to "think about moving to the mountains" — eventually led them to relocate to Gatlinburg in 2006.
- A decade of apprenticeship before striking out on his own. Mike worked under Robert Alewine for about 11 years before opening Fowler Clay Works in March 2015, deliberately choosing a brighter, more whimsical color palette to distinguish his work from the community's typically earthier tones.
- An interactive studio, not just a shop. Visitors at Fowler Clay Works can throw their own mug on the wheel or decorate a custom "face mug" alongside team member Karen, then have the finished piece shipped home — turning a store visit into a hands-on souvenir experience.
- The 2016 wildfires forced a pivot to new visitors. After losing significant repeat business following the fires, Mike leaned into Facebook marketing to attract first-time guests — a shift that helped Fowler Clay Works climb to a top-five ranking on TripAdvisor for things to do in Gatlinburg.
- An outsider's seat at the table. Despite calling himself an unlikely candidate for leadership, Mike now holds the Arts & Crafts Community's designated seat on the Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau board, sitting alongside representatives from attractions like Ober Mountain and Gatlinburg SkyPark.
- The Arts & Crafts Community has grown to roughly 90–100 shops along an eight-mile loop, with roots tracing back to early Sugarlands residents trading handmade goods — baskets, brooms, woodwork — for dry goods at downtown merchants.
- A childhood lesson in Gatlinburg's friendliness. Mike recalls his young daughter waving at strangers on a Florida beach, confused when they didn't wave back — a habit she'd picked up from a hometown where everyone acknowledges everyone.
- June is Mike's favorite month — school's out, the rivers are just warming up enough for tubing and snorkeling in Greenbrier, and fireflies start lighting up the mountains.
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