Julie and Eric Furrer’s Rogue Valley Pottery Supply offers tools and raw materials
By James Sloan, Rogue Valley Times
To the delight of local potters and ceramic artists in Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley Pottery Supply opened its doors for the first time to the public June 18, bringing raw materials, tools and other goods to professional artisans and hobbyists alike.
The new store is owned and operated by longtime Rogue Valley residents Julie and Eric Furrer. It offers products under a variety of well-known pottery brands such as KemperTools, MudTools, Coyote Clay, Georgies Ceramic & Clay and more.
Rogue Valley Pottery Supply — 300 E. Hersey St., Suite 8, in Ashland — is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
The idea of opening a pottery business in the Rogue Valley has been “really well received,” Julie Furrer said.
A professional potter with five years of experience, Julie Furrer first considered opening her own pottery supply shop about a year ago after seeing how few there are in Southern Oregon. Many artisans have to drive as far as Eugene, Portland, even San Francisco to get their materials.
“What I want to create is an environment that’s easy to shop, easy to get what you need and has variety,” said Julie Furrer, a member of local pottery organization Clayfolk. “That’s something that we’ve all been really craving in this area.”
The couple aims to not only connect with longtime pottery peers, but offer clays and glazes to potters of all skill levels in the Rogue Valley and beyond.
“The healthier the pottery community is, the healthier our business will be, so it’s really about supporting the community,” Eric Furrer said.
They also hope to make Rogue Valley Pottery Supply the go-to supply hub for artisans from Klamath Falls to Brookings and parts of Northern California such as Yreka, Shasta and Redding, Julie Furrer said.
Inside the store are shelves full of supplies, a pottery-themed mural, with hues of rust, slate blue, gray and brown, depicting the transformation of clay from raw earth to pot, and a mug wall — an expression of the business’ community-centered approach.
“The fun thing I wanted to have is for potters to bring in their mugs, and just having the visual of seeing such a wide selection (of mugs),” Julie Furrer said. “They can come in and have a cup of coffee and tea while they shop with their own mug.”
“It’ll change over the years,” Eric Furrer said of the mug wall. “It’ll be fun to see how new potters come in and the new styles that show up.”
With Julie Furrer’s experience as a potter under the name Mizzle Ceramics, the store owner plans to utilize that familiarity to better aid customers.
“I’m coming from that perspective with a lot of ‘I know what you’re going to need and I’ve been there and I’m going to try to fill that,’” she said. “Because I’m coming from that perspective, I think potters can sense that.”
While the Furrers are focused on the short term with Rogue Valley Pottery Supply, the couple have many ideas for the store’s future.
“Being a really great educational resource would be my long-term goal, and going into the schools and providing classes for teachers who can take it back to their classrooms,” Julie Furrer said. “I’m excited to see the community develop and see that side of it.”
To keep track of Rogue Valley Pottery Supply, follow the business on Instagram and Facebook.
The pottery store’s website is roguevalleypotterysupply.com.
Reach reporter James Sloan at jsloan@rv-times.com. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.
