After nearly a year away, Painted Turtle is back in Mount Pleasant, but getting there was anything but easy.⁠ ⁠ The pottery studio was forced to close after the Sept. 15, 2025, downtown fire damaged the business. Owner Isabelle Steffke said rebuilding meant starting over, finding a new location and even considering leaving Mount Pleasant, a place where she had built a community around her business.⁠ ⁠ Now, customers and community members are finally walking through the doors again, bringing back the connections that made the business more than just a pottery studio.⁠ ⁠ “But to have people come back, that really meant everything,” Steffke said. “It just makes you kind of tear up a little bit. It’s nice that people care.”⁠ ⁠ ✍️ Makayla Herrick⁠ 📸 Jasmine Brookins⁠ ⁠ #lifeatcentral #mountpleasant #studentjournalism