Oak Leaf Pottery

Ramblings

Well, it has been a year...

New Work, RamblingsDaniel GrossComment

So... hello there. Fancy meeting you here considering I have left this thing vacant for the past year. A LOT has happened and to be honest, I can't really go into detail. (Mostly, I have forgotten the majority of it all.) We are indeed a whole year older and my son, Levi, is also now two. With that, some changes have been made to Oak Leaf Pottery. I have phased out many shows and have picked up more wholesale and custom orders. My time has become quite limited with a little boy to look after. It took a lot of soul searching and praying over that decision, but I think (and hope) that overall our family is happy with the change. Another big change is our shop page. My lovely husband, Dan, has been updating that slowly and you should expect to see even more on there in the near future. One great thing that we were able to do is offer free local pick-up for those of you living in the area, or for those passing through. So make sure that you choose that when you place an order!

I am excited about some new partnerships that have developed with my wholesale part of the business. Give 'em a little looksie and stick with me for photos of their finished products on my Instagram and Facebook pages. 

My new partners in crime are:

Cooper River Roasters  Charleston, SC

Trout Lily Deli & Market  Asheville, NC

It's The Little Things  Spartanburg, SC

Archaic Pine  Rapid City, SD

I am very excited to be working with these businesses and couldn't be more thankful for their support! I have also picked up several dinnerware set orders, as well as a wedding registry! How amazing is it to be a part of a family's most intimate conversations and experiences, right?! I love making work for families to use in their homes. There is something really special about that. Thank you to those people who have been using my work in their homes or who are getting ready to- Congratulations and a huge shout out to my very first wedding registry couple, Salley and Randy

Well, I know that wasn't much, but Dan and Levi should be back from the park fairly soon so that is my cue to log off of here. I can't promise to post all that often, but I do hope to do it a bit more than once a year... yikes.

With love, Allison

Well, the kiln is too hot... so I guess I will make a blog post.

RamblingsAllison GrossComment

It is far too hot to work in the studio today.  The kiln is cooling down, but unfortunately it is still too hot for my liking. So here is a much needed and very procrastinated blog post. Some things that are happening here- wholesale orders, working on the online shop, trying to slow down a bit and appreciate life a little, The Big Crafty, and time with our little family. It is a lot to fit into a day. A week. A month even. I blink and an entire month has passed by. My little baby is almost a year old. I am behind on custom orders. I don't spend enough quality time with my husband. I desperately need to work on our unruly yard. I wish that I could work on some of these ideas rolling around in my head for new pots. Yikes.

Should I even be sitting here on our couch wasting work time?

If this sounds too incredibly familiar... hello. I would love to meet you! (And ask if you have figured out this thing called life and small business yet.) Some days I really think that I am alone in my thoughts, but I do realize that there are others out there somewhere! Today is just one of those days where I stop and think "Oh man. Am I doing this right?".

This post is mostly just a thoughts post. Sometimes I really need it, though it doesn't happen often.

Thanks for listening. And, as always, thank you for your unwavering support of Oak Leaf Pottery and our little family. Now, back to life.

See y'all this weekend at The Big Crafty (hopefully with a fun new display! I need to go sand a table now...).

A Baby Named Levi and Some Other Updates...

RamblingsAllison Gross2 Comments

As most of you already know, I had a little boy name Levi on August 9.  This would explain my great hiatus from throwing, making, creating, posting, selling.... etc. Hopefully I will be back in the studio very soon! I will have limited time there, so I will probably not be working on many custom orders, but mostly wholesale and show work.

 

Now... on to a Baby Named Levi...

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This is by far one of the hardest things that I have ever done.  I am speaking for both my husband and I when I say that. When you read this, many of you will think, " Well duh, didn't she know that going into it?". I did know that it would not be easy, but when people tell you that you will never be prepared, they are so very right. I will spare you the gory details of his birth, but let me just say that it was very scary and I feel so blessed that Levi and I were both ok afterward. I did end up getting induced and had him without the aid of any pain meds (not so sure that I can do that again... but hey, I did it once...). Once he was born we realized that he was not getting any nourishment from me and had to supplement with formula for a couple of days.  We went to lactation specialists and ultimately ended up working with an occupational therapist.  We now see our OT every week to work on Levi's mouth, his muscles, and his ability to just eat.  He has made huge strides and now will even latch on! Honestly, we had given up on that idea, but it may be a possibility with the help of these wonderful people that have been placed in our lives. We are still working up to breastfeeding and are mainly feeding him using this handy "special needs bottle" made by Medela. Levi is gaining weight and seems to be staying awake longer which tells us that he is in fact making improvements! Yay! Other than the eating issue, Levi is a very healthy, happy, adorable little dude. If you follow me on Instagram, I apologize for the abundance of baby photos and lack of pots!

 

Next, Some Other Updates...

Farm Fresh Fair 2016 is right around the corner and we will be there among some other amazing makers! The Farm at Rabon Creek is such a neat place to go, especially for this event! Who doesn't like a farm with donkeys and chickens as well as handmade goods all around?? Am I right? (Secretly, I really want to live on this farm!) But anyway, Farm Fresh Fair is September 17 10am-5pm and September 18 11am-4pm. If you would like any extra info on the event, you can find it here. Come by and say "hello" at our booth under the covered stall area! This will be Levi's first big appearance as the Oak Leaf Pottery baby and he would love to meet everyone!

I am also excited to say that we will be participating in Crafty Feast again this year! Crafty Feast will be on December 11 from 12- 6pm at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia, SC. This is our second year participating and last year we had an absolute blast! I am super thrilled to be a part of this event!! There are so many wonderful makers who participate, as well as amazing coordinators. This is not an event that you should miss! Find the information for the event here.

 

Thank you to everyone who reads my incredibly random posts and who puts up with my lack of punctuation skills. (eh-hem... thank you, Dan, for pointing that out on several occasions...) We really appreciate all of your love and support!!

All of the Things...

RamblingsAllison GrossComment

Well this whole posting once a month plan has not panned out for me unfortunately... but I am here now- two thumbs up!

Wholesales:

First I wanted to give a big shout out to my last two wholesale customers- Congress Street Coffee LLC in York, South Carolina and Embellish Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina! It was so wonderful to work with both of these local small business owners... especially right before my due date.  They were so kind and considerate, as well as patient!

Some of the Squat mugs that can be found online for sale through Congress Street Coffee's website.Photography by Katie Taylor Photography (website)Photo taken from Congress Street Coffee LLC

Some of the Squat mugs that can be found online for sale through Congress Street Coffee's website.

Photography by Katie Taylor Photography (website)

Photo taken from Congress Street Coffee LLC

 

Congress Street Coffee LLC is a new coffee business in historic York, South Carolina.  Though they do not yet have a physical location for their shop, they have big plans ahead of them!  The owner, Jonathan, has written on their "About page" on Facebook:

"Congress Street Coffee LLC isn't a place (yet!) but we do have a passion for coffee and sharing the pleasure of artisan-roasted coffee with our friends."

Dan and I met Jonathan and his wife at York Summerfest last summer.  The event itself wasn't very successful -- it was mostly geared toward food, music and rides --but out of it came a great partnership with Congress Street Coffee LLC!  God works in funny ways sometimes.  This was definitely one of those times. A year later, after the not-so-successful Summerfest event, I was contacted by Jonathan who had held onto my business card... for an entire year! He reminded me of the coffee shop and asked if I would be willing to chat about his ideas for some mugs- how crazy, right!?  We were able to order a fantastic stamp from Tin Oiseau - a local stamp maker and small business in Greenville, South Carolina, and then I started making!  His website has since gone live and you can order not only the mugs, but also 12 oz bags of their whole bean coffees.  Check them out here to place an order, and give them a follow on Instagram and Facebook!

Embellish Asheville is located in the historic Sinclair Building off of Broadway St., right in the middle of bustling downtown Asheville, North Carolina. This indie, unique shop features local makers and products- jewelry, pottery, bags, and other fun little finds! We were so lucky to have met the owner, Barb, at the Made South event in Taylors, South Carolina back in May. She was so friendly and fun to work with! We loved that her focus is locally made goods and her little shop just looked amazing the first time we drove by to scope it out. :) Her window display is so well curated and her entire store breathes "support local". From the warm, inviting displays to the friendly shop manager, she has it going on! If you are a local or a visitor, you need to check them out at 59 Broadway St., or you can find them online here! You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram!

Without all of the amazing people that we have met through shows and just by word of mouth, I wouldn't be able to continue with pottery.  I am truly thankful for all of those connections and feel very blessed to work with all of you!!

 

Studio Update:

My hard- working husband working on our path out to the shed... which is no longer.

My hard- working husband working on our path out to the shed... which is no longer.

One 1926 shed down.... a new one to go!

One 1926 shed down.... a new one to go!

So the other big update is the home studio.  This has been a much slower process than originally intended, but we are getting there! Our house was built in 1926 by a local jeweler, Rufus D. Lewis. The shed our back (in my estimate) was built around the same time- Dan actually found a piece of wood with Rufus's name and "Spartanburg, S.C." written on it while he and his parents were tearing down shed walls. When we first moved into the house I had grand plans to rework the shed and make it my home studio. Unfortunately, 90 year-old wooden sheds in ant infested South Carolina do not hold up all that well when there isn't a poured foundation... So with much sadness and reluctance, we decided to tear it down and start new. Dan's parents were so kind to come over many times to tear down and haul away our decrepit shed. We were so thankful for their help... what a huge job! Now, my parents will be helping with the pad/ foundation of the newer, much larger studio.  We do have a building picked out and our electrician all lined up, but it will still be some time before actually being able to throw my first pot at home. This really is incredibly important for Oak Leaf Pottery to continue growing and functioning as a small business.  With a little one at home, it will be harder to travel to the co-op to work at all hours. As we work towards our goal of having a home studio, Dan and I will come up with a plan of some kind for a work schedule for me. It will work out! I have much more confidence after speaking with other potters and artisans/ makers who have gone through the same thing.

So...with that being said, I will be taking a short break during the month of August.  I will start back up in September with Farm Fresh Fair in Fountain Inn, South Carolina.  The arrival of our son will take over the majority of my time, so I will not be making for a little bit. We are at 38 weeks today, so any day now our little bug will be here! Thank you to everyone who has made this journey an amazing one! :)

 

"Praise the Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

His love endures forever."

Psalm 106:1

 

Well so much for a monthly post...

RamblingsAllison GrossComment

  Here I am again on a not so nice day full oh freezing rain and cold weather (once spring and summer roll around, how will I ever post anything!?). I have decided not to venture into the studio after all, so I thought "oh! I need to make a blog post for this month!". Well.... after looking at my previous post, I realized that I didn't make one for last month either... oh man.  New Year's resolution: post once a month.  I do apologize.

  Anyway, so here I am, mint tea in hand, fake fire a-blazin', cozy with my pups, and smelling my neighbor's fire place.  I honestly love these kind of days.  They remind me of my childhood in Maryland.  From what I can remember, we used to get a ton of snow and ice in the winters and I always looked forward to being home with my family.  We had a wood stove as a kid and that's how we heated our house.  It was pretty cool especially when everyone lost power and we could still cook and get warm!  Our neighbors came over a few times to get all cozy.  Now I just like to pretend that the smell of wood burning is coming from our fire place and not the neighbors hehe. 

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  Even though I am enjoying this little cozy room, I will need to venture out at some point with the pups (for some reason they enjoy the cold stuff out there).  I also have a ton of planning to do for Oak Leaf- things that have been put off for a bit now.  Keep updated with us because we are planning some big things!  I may be able to actually go to my studio on days like this in the near future (hint: it will be much closer to our house), I am planning on revamping the Etsy shop- thank you for being so patient!, and I will be prepping for this year's festival season.  Today is the day to get some of these things done, I hope!

  Oh! Some other exciting news for Oak Leaf and our family... we are expecting our first little studio helper!! Due August 2016.  So very excited about this- and also a bit nervous on how the summer will play out, but not to worry!  We've got this. :) This will change some ways that we will be taking and processing orders, but that will be announced later on. Yay!

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  Anywho.... enjoy your day and stay snuggled up!!!  Look out for a post next month (I can do this)!

 

Rainy days are good days to blog.

RamblingsAllison GrossComment

Well, hello there.  I keep trying to figure out what the very best post would be to have as my first blog post.  However, in brainstorming I end up just pushing the "first amazing blog post" farther and farther away.... and now here we are months after starting the website.  SO... I have decided now is a great time.  It is rainy out.  My festival in Columbia, SC has been postponed until October 25.  Apparently we are in a state of emergency- for what I'm not sure.  I have done all I can at the studio for right now. 

I am sitting in a coffee shop, drinking a latte and listening to someone singing on their radio in Italian?  It's a language that I can not understand anyway.  I like that I can sit here and watch rain droplets drip down onto the tables outside and I can hear the cars whiz by on the rain-soaked streets.  Two older gentlemen sit next to me talking business I think... trying not to eavesdrop as it sounds a little bit boring.

Rambling, I know.  I am pretty good at that.  Just ask my husband.  I don't know how I arrive at the thoughts that I end up having, but they are kind of fun to write down. 

Ok... back to Oak Leaf Pottery.  So it has been quite the journey thus far.  This morning I was sitting on our front porch with our dogs before I went into the studio and thought about how far Dan and I have come.  But really, Oak Leaf Pottery has also really come very far in a very short amount of time.  It honestly is a little bit scary thinking about these things.  Dan and I have both made the decision for me to start my small business, but we are still figuring things out and probably will be for-ev-er (imagine The Sandlot kid here saying that). 

I went very quickly from teaching for almost 3 years to moving states, then working in an amazing little bakery part-time and working in the studio part-time to working as a potter full-time.  Trying to at least.  Enter you.  The Reader.  The Oak Leaf Supporter and Fan.  Y'all are awesome.  I can't really put it any other way.  Without those people that I have met at festivals, pop-ups, and online, I would not be trying to be a potter full-time right now.  So, thank you.

As of late, I have been to a different festival (or two) every single weekend, I have had my very first wholesale order (yay!), so many custom orders, and now I am in talks with some shops about carrying my work (fingers crossed and praying on that one).  It has been a whirlwind and I hope to stay in it!  Not only have you, the Reader/ Fan/ Supporter, been here through it all, my husband has, too.  I don't think that I would have ever a.) had the confidence to pursue pottery as a career and b.) been able to organize myself.  (Again... random thought patterns and rambling... imagine my brain trying to run a business without help.) He is my rock and although I do give him a hard time about how to handle the mugs or bins or how to wrap items or hey- don't touch that or how to hang the sign..... he is incredible.  I don't know that he knows how much I truly appreciate everything that he does behind the scenes.  But!  I suppose he will once he reads this post. ha.  

Ok. Enough rainy day rambles.  I have to get to a little birthday shindig.  I hope that everyone affected by the "state of emergency" stays safe and those who aren't experiencing all of this rain.... well enjoy the beginning of Fall!  It is bound to be a wonderful one! 

Thank you.  Enjoy a nice mug of coffee today. :)

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