The Blog
Hello! We hope you and your loved ones are staying healthy and (relatively) happy during this weird, stressful time. Our business continues to be (more or less) closed due to the Governor's "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order. This has been an incredibly challenging time for us–we've seen 90% of our income disappear, but our fixed costs like rent and utilities continue on. We're doing our best to support our staff by keeping them on payroll as much as possible, but our business, and their jobs, were built around teaching you and your friends. Needless to say, this has been really...
Governor Inslee's "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order was extended and modified over the weekend, which means... we can run the Retail Pickup Window again! Just in time for Mother's Day: shop online from the comfort of your home/pajamas, and the head down to our Wallingford store to pick up your purchases (still in your pajamas, that's fine with us). We'll be available to hand your purchases out the door on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from 1pm to 5pm. We can't wait to start seeing (half of) your (masked) faces again!
Every year we eagerly await the Seattle Tilth Alliance plant sale. We pour over the lists of tomato plants, trying to figure out the perfect mix for this year's garden. And every year we get to the sale early, dressed in overalls and pulling the wagon, ready to grab those plants before they sell out. For us, it's the official kick-off weekend for warm-weather gardening in Seattle. So you can imagine our delight when we were invited to partner with them to have a booth at the 2020 plant sale! The annual sale takes place just two blocks from our Wallingford store and we...
We've got a definite morning routine. Sarah gets up first and makes the coffee, then disappears for an hour of alone time until the caffeine has fully taken hold. I get out of bed a little later and start my day with a few cups of coffee alongside eggs-on-greens and a slice of homemade sourdough. And then our daughter grumbles out of bed at Teenager O'Clock and eats her daily bread-dipped-in-oil-and-balsamic at the counter... she hates everything about coffee, but does enjoy the occasional sweet milk. And we find her stimulating enough just the way she is. Meanwhile, The US...
As you might expect, we've got a lot of handmade tools in our kitchen: two hand-forged knives, bowls and platters of all shapes and sizes, wooden scoops and spoons, more cutting boards than we really need, serving trays, bowls, plates, mugs, cups, the dining table.... These are all beautiful and well-loved, of course, but if there's one handmade item in the kitchen that has changed the way I cook, it's Sarah's mortar and pestle. I've used other mortar-and-pestles in my kitchen adventures, but they've all come up lacking. The marble one had no teeth. The mexican molcajete left grit in the food. The iron...
COVID-19 is on everyone's mind in the Seattle area. Here are some quick notes about how we are addressing this issue at Saltstone Ceramics. We are a "third place"–a social gathering place outside of home and work–and we take pride in the important role we fill in our wider community. The COVID-19 outbreak is challenging everyone to find balance when protecting their economic, cultural, social, and physical health. To that end, we appreciate the patience and support of everyone in our pottery community. It can be hard to be helpful and understanding in times of stress, anxiety, and uncertainty. We encourage you...
A new order from the Governor of Washington State has closed all non-essential retail businesses, including ours. Our retail pickup window will no longer be open to sell clay, pottery tools, or fine handmade ceramics. The continuing and expanding closures of small businesses like ours is devastating to us and our employees. Rebuilding the social, cultural, and economic fabric of our community is going to be a formidable challenge. But we think Gov. Inslee's choice is the right one: stay home, stay healthy. But while we're stuck at home, we're still hard at work! First and foremost: our online gallery is...
Today we're excited to announce a temporary pivot/cannonball into a great new project: Saltstone@Home! Saltstone@Home is a way for everyone to stay engaged in our pottery community and keep up their pottery practice while our classes are postponed. Here's how it works: You buy a bag of clay from us during one of our Retail Pickup Window hours. We'll also have tools for sale (including fabulous handmade pottery tools from Ruby Pear). You follow us on Instagram at our new account: @SaltstoneClasses We post tips, project ideas, encouragement, and advice from your favorite instructors every day. You make great pottery at...
Today we're announcing that we're temporarily closing public access to our beautiful retail gallery until further notice. This in response to guidance from public officials, and we think it is the best course of action to keep our staff and students safe and healthy. But our store is not closed entirely! You can continue to shop from the safe, stir-crazy confines of your living room. Almost everything we sell online is lovingly photographed and available for purchase on our website. Today we're also announcing a new flat $10 shipping rate for all purchases, large and small. Shop from home, and...
