1 of 3
Photos by Alyx Chandler.
From noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, Civil Stoneware owner and longtime potter Katherine Tucker works with local artisans to hand-make pottery inside her studio in the Civil Rights District.
2 of 3
Photos by Alyx Chandler.
A tablesetting anchored with Civil Stoneware dinnerware.
3 of 3
Photos by Alyx Chandler.
A potter for Civil Stoneware works clay on Jan. 24.
At its core, Civil Stoneware originated from Katherine Tucker’s love for clay.
Located in the Civil Rights District at 1710 2nd Avenue N., Civil Stoneware operates as a handcrafted pottery studio and quality goods retailer — a place where Tucker puts her tools of the trade to use.
“The value here is the human hands,” Tucker said. “I think gifts, pieces [of pottery] made by hand mean more. [Civil Stoneware] won’t ever get to the place where that changes.”
In-store, Tucker presents pieces on one-of-a-kind tablescapes in her storefront window, displaying Civil Stoneware products like spoons, salt and pepper sets, serving dishes, cortado cups, dry good scoops, orb plates, light fixture pendants, bottle openers, bowls and more.
With the help of a circulation of eight local artisan employees, each piece of pottery is carefully thrown on wheels or made by hand. The pieces are then sold individually or wholesale at trade shows.
Since Civil Stoneware’s opening in March 2017, Tucker said they have attended several houseware shows — in cities such as Chicago, New York and Atlanta — in addition to being able to sell their products in bulk orders online. In both realms, she said, their products have been popular.
“Plus, the neighborhood and studio is great for people to just pop in,” Tucker said.
Tucker, who said she used to “eat, sleep, breathe” pottery throughout college, majored in ceramics and now has 17 years of experience throwing pottery. After working at a naturalist grocery store right out of college, she gained experience in photography and learned about product design.
She now works as a prop stylist for a number of production companies, ad agencies and publications. In this aspect, having her own space to create the perfect prop has become an almost necessity.
“The clay body has ultimately opened doors for me,” she said.
Each clay recipe is unique, Tucker said, with different properties and responses to various firing atmospheres and molding techniques. Although the number of alternatives was initially daunting, it broadened her horizons in being able to hand-make new designs and discover exactly what she is looking for certain props.
“There’s also a lot of history here, a lot of the forms are very simple and remind me of Japanese pottery,” she said.
Civil Stoneware has an open-door policy during its work hours from noon until 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. People wander in and sometimes buy pieces, Tucker said, or watch the employees hand crafting pottery.
In starting the company, Tucker discovered a passion of hers to be product design. In the first year of business, she said Civil Stoneware developed more than 50 different styles of pieces. After the design is finished, she said that she and her employees recreate at least 30 replications of each piece. This way, the stock stays padded, and they can be ready for a big order.
For Valentine’s Day, Civil Stoneware held its first class in which couples or friends could come in and be guided through the process of using the wheel for an hour, then hand-throwing clay for an hour. The class was geared toward people who wanted a one-time night of making something with their hands. Tucker plans to continue to offer a few other classes over the course of the year.
A few Birmingham shops also sell Civil Stoneware products, including Avondale’s Winslet and Rhys, as well as Details in English Village.
Find more information at civilstoneware.com or on Facebook @CivilStoneware.
