My Story pt 1

Peppertown Pottery is a family-rooted studio shaped by hand-built tools, self-made clay, and a love of the craft passed down across generations. This is the story of how it began and how it continues.

Peppertown Pottery began as a hobby. My grandmother, Euple Riley, was 52 when she took two semesters of pottery classes at the local college, simply to learn something new. What started as an interest gradually became a serious commitment to the craft and, eventually, a working studio. Her husband, Titus Riley, supported that work from the beginning, bringing his mechanical skill and practical knowledge into the studio.

From the beginning, the operation was built by hand. Titus Riley constructed nearly all of the equipment himself—the pottery wheel, pug mill, kilns, and even a kick wheel. Rather than purchasing ready-made systems, they relied on mechanical skill and practical problem-solving. They also made their own clay, purchasing raw clay for ten cents a ton and processing it themselves. Understanding the material from its most basic form was part of the work.

The first Peppertown Pottery studio was a converted chicken house. It was not designed as a commercial space, but it served its purpose. The focus was never on appearance; it was on learning the process, producing good work, and doing it consistently.

“Their studio became my classroom.”

This is where I got my start. From the age of 12, I spent my summers and free time in the studio with my grandparents, Euple and Titus Riley. I learned the craft through repetition and observation—wedging clay, loading kilns, cleaning tools, and paying attention to form, balance, and finish. Their studio became my classroom, where I learned to respect the material and the slow, disciplined nature of the work. After graduating high school, I began working for them, moving from assisting to producing, and learning what it takes to sustain a working pottery studio day after day.

In 1999, I started my own pottery business, carrying forward what I learned in that space. What began as a hobby with Euple and Titus Riley was passed down to another generation, shaped by years of practice and attention to detail. If my grandmother had never taken a pottery class, I would never have been introduced to clay. Over time, pottery became more than a skill—it became a passion rooted in process, material, and form. Peppertown Pottery carries forward a love of clay, a practiced patience, and an understanding of beauty shaped and handed down across generations.