Pottery Mason opens on Rehoboth Avenue
Pottery Mason opened on Rehoboth Avenue in early May, offering introductory workshops and on-site-made pottery pieces.
Owner Audrey Mason sells her handcrafted mugs, vases, bowls and other household creations in the front of the store. These pieces pair nicely with the soaps, wooden spoons, oil paintings, dish towels and woodwork she supplies from other small-business makers.
Toward the back of the store is the studio, where customers strolling in can find Mason at her personal wheel throwing clay – or forming clay into shapes on a potter’s wheel.
“I love throwing,” Mason said. “If I could just throw all day, I would throw all day. And it has been really fun to be able to throw while I have people coming in and out because I can talk to them about it.”
Surrounding her in the studio are four other wheels customers can try their hand at by signing up for a one-time beginner wheel-throwing workshop. During the two-hour session, Mason will provide groups of up to four customers with a demonstration before each person receives his or her own wheel, a few balls of clay, a bucket of water and some tools. After the customers make a few pieces, they choose a glaze. Mason will then finish the pottery in the kiln, making the pieces food-, microwave- and dishwasher-safe and ready for shipping or pickup in a few weeks.
Mason began her pottery journey in 2017 after using a coupon for a beginner class with her now-wife, Lindsay. Mason instantly knew pottery was for her.
“Once I got out of that class and off the pottery wheel, I was like, ‘This is what I’m doing for the rest of my life,’” Mason said.
After taking the class, Mason started going to a community studio after work and watching YouTube videos from skilled potters to perfect her craft. During this time, she worked in advertising and writing for healthcare marketing in San Francisco after graduating from Ole Miss in 2013 with a degree in international relations.
Mason decided to spend more of her time with her new passion, especially after moving to Rehoboth Beach in 2018, when she set up a makeshift pottery studio in her garage. She had been using the Rehoboth Art League to finish her pieces in the kiln, but no longer had access when COVID hit in 2020. In response, Mason expanded her garage studio with new shelves and her own kiln, but she still had dreams of kickstarting her own business.
Now, as a full-time potter, her focus is to make and teach others about sleek, elegant, ocean-inspired pottery pieces that people can use daily.
“I try to make work that people can use and love in their everyday lives that still has that handmade feeling while being a bit more elegant,” Mason said.
