If you're going to buy me anything, make it art.
Specifically pottery. I can't get enough of the stuff.
After almost 10 whole years hosting craft markets (aka getting first dibs on the good stuff) you would think I'd have enough pottery by now but, as it turns out, there's just no such thing.
One of my very favourite local potters is Julie Poliquin of HOLLOW clayworks.
Photo credit: Sarah Evans of Shoebox Pics
Julie and her partner in pottery Cynthia have been part of Cheerfully Made Markets since the early days.
They both pot (is that how you say it?) out of the Almonte Potters Guild and are a big part of the craft community here.
Left to right: Leanne (from Gold + Ginger), Julie and Cynthia (HOLLOW clayworks) at Etsy Made in Canada: Ottawa 2018.
I carry Julie's pottery here in the shop and it's been a real joy watching her work evolve over the past several years.
What started as a post-work pottery class, quickly morphed into something so much greater. (Julie participates in a ton of shows each year, and sells her work to a variety of shops.)
Julie still works full time, but many of her evenings and weekends are spent growing her little side hustle and getting better and better.
I wish I had some images of her early work to share with you.
I loved it too of course...I mean, it was still pottery...but since those early days she has refined her craft to the point where I can hardly keep her product on the shelves.
Photo credit: Sarah Evans of Shoebox Pics
Pottery isn't the easiest thing to wholesale to stores.
In fact, it may well be the most difficult thing I can think of, what with how labour intensive, time consuming and unpredictable the medium is.
But Julie manages it by creating smaller, more accessible, easier to produce (easy for me to say) items like ceramic ornaments, tiny ring bowls and mini plant hangers to compliment her larger items and allow stockists to carry (and sell) more of her work.
Photo credit: Sarah Evans of Shoebox Pics
Photo credit: Sarah Evans of Shoebox Pics
She's also just a really nice person (which is like THE most important thing) and is super open to new ideas and suggestions...a characteristic not always typical of creatives.
When we renovated our kitchen this past fall, I had an idea (that I admittedly stole from my dear friend Kristen) to include one of Julie's bowls as our bar sink.
My contractor rolled his eyes at the idea, but Julie? She was game. And in the end, our contractor said it was one of his favourite elements from the whole project.
Mine to.
You can find Julie's pottery here on our shelves (and often at our shows) alongside hundreds of other wonderful Canadian makers.
I hope you'll come visit them here someday soon.
xo Em
