After almost 11 months of opening up the ceiling and replacing walls and floor to expose and enhance the beauty of the building they bought last March, Alison Evans and her husband, Chris Fritz, have opened Ae Home, a ceramics showplace and studio at 93 Townsend Avenue in Boothbay Harbor.

Evans and Fritz have been there, along with electricians, plumbers and builders, throughout the process of adding all new wiring, new sprinkler system, electrical panels, plumbing, insulation, walls, windows, ceiling and flooring.

It was a long, costly process.

“We needed to stop spending money,” Evans said. “But I think when you look at the value of the building, and how much money we spent, we're still on the winning side of it.”

Evans said the design of the interior, which could be described as simply elegant, was a group effort.

“We looked at what we had to work with. We had to keep the posts, because they hold the building up.”

The posts were dark brown; now they're white, along with the rest of the interior, making for an open, airy, bright feeling.

The floor is wide pine boards, with the natural color adding a warm golden touch.

The big rustic cabinets against some of the walls, and acting as dividers between the showroom and Evans' working area at the back of the building, were in the space when Evans and Fritz bought it. They were all part of Wheeler's Pharmacy.

Evans is an artist who designs and sculpts ceramic dinnerware vessels inspired by natural shapes and colors from the gulf of Maine. Her plates, bowls, teapots, cups and platters, each piece individually hand molded and glazed, are works of art. But they are also practical, usable pieces that are lead-free and dishwasher and microwave safe.

Fritz and Evans also have a shop in Yarmouth, the Alison Evans Ceramics Studio, and their pottery is sold in retail stores throughout the United States and overseas.

The new shop in Boothbay Harbor has the large showroom at the front of the building, and an open working studio in the rear, where visitors can see the process of making and glazing the pieces.

A kiln room, for firing the pieces, is also in the works, with five kilns coming soon. Meanwhile Evans is working, shaping her artful forms, and letting them dry for a week before glazing and firing them.

The large open showroom is lovely as is, but is easily transformable.

“What's so beautiful about this space is that if I need more work space we can push things forward, and if we change our minds we can move them back. Everything is movable.”

Some of the tables used to showcase the ceramics were made by Evans, and some were donated.

“Some of these pieces came from a friend's home, and they went from looking like these huge pieces to looking small, because this space is so big,” she said.

Having spent most summers growing up in East Boothbay, where her parents have a summer home, Evans said she was “feeling the love” from townspeople and shop owners in town. One had just brought her a large orchid plant.

“I always knew I'd be supported by the people in this town because I've known everybody for so long, but I had no idea that people would be coming out of the woodwork to congratulate me. And it's amazing how many people have thanked me for saving this building,” she said. “I could have torn it down, and some were worried about that.”

Fritz said he looks forward to people seeing the ceramics process.

“People will be coming in and wanting to see how we make the items — what the process is to get the end result. They really like seeing that part of it, and I enjoy showing them.”

Eventually the couple plans to live on the second floor of the building, but for now they're just enjoying the elegant space of their showroom.

The business will be open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed weekends, during the winter months. The hours may vary, but you can call to check at 207-315-6221.