Top Pottery stores in Washington, United States

Love this place! The staff is very attentive and it's a very fun vibe inside. There's a ton of different pottery pieces and a wide selection of paint. We've come many times. You won't be disappointed!

Service was inadequate. We reserved our spot a month in advanced and we were seated in a bar space in the glaring sun. We tried to sit at another open table for the same party size but we were told that another party specifically reserved that table. But there are no options on the website to pick a specific table in the studio. The employee working had zero awareness.

It was hard to paint with the sun glaring in our faces, so we rushed our session. The bar space was tight as well. At least invest in some blinds.

I love this place! Our friends just turned us onto All Fired Up and now we're hooked. I love that the pottery options change often and that you can bring your own beverages, including alcohol. The staff are always kind and helpful. This is a fun spot for kids and adults alike.

I’ve been here multiple times with my boyfriend and occasionally additional friends. I always have a good time unwinding and getting creative here. Prices are super reasonable - you can come back and finish your pieces for no charge (although I usually end up starting a new piece right after lol). The staff is also very nice and helpful. This is a great date spot or place to hang with friends. Also love that it’s BYOB. Only wish is that they would stay open just a little later sometimes or be open on Mondays :)

We stopped in on Thursday, May 2, 2024, for an evening of inspirational painting. I was unaware that this place even existed and I am over in the Cleveland Park / Connecticut Avenue area all of the time. This place is not very big so it is easy to miss. Details about the establishment.

• This place is small and doesn't hold many people. For the party size we had (11 people) we filled the rear of the establishment. There were other public people there as well painting at separate tables.

• Rachel was super nice, friendly, has a great personality, customer service skills were A+, and even the new lady who really didn't want to be mentioned was cool too. She helped me when I was picking my colors because a certain shade of black that I wanted was quite low so she got a fresh bottle.

• Instructions for what to do were clearly printed and laid out on the table. I love that.

• The paint colors were organized so well. They're numbered and on the wall to display the shades of colors were tiles with paint samples. SN: I cannot tell you how happy this makes me. I love efficiency.

• The display wall of the items you can choose from is fantastic! I spent at least 10 minutes browsing items and had a hard time selecting just a single item to start with. Everything from ceramic typewriters, honeybees, mermaids, beer / coffee mugs, skulls and a bit more. There is a good selection of items to choose from.

• Prices vary on different items. Bring a minimum of $100 dollars to spend especially if you're taking a parent taking a child and both of you paint an item.

• I would suggest getting here early in order to spend time browsing, choosing colors, and painting. Time moves quickly when you're having a phenomenal time with friends.

• The good thing is that if you do not finish your project, then you can take it home, and bring it back on another day to complete. However, if you leave your unfinished project there it will be sent to the kiln. Your project will be baked as the unfinished product that it is. Sorry but those are the rules. I have nothing bad to say about the rules.

• Overall we all enjoyed ourselves including my daughter.

Rating for All Fired Up 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars. Highly Recommend.

all fired up is a great way to break the daily monotony, get creative and tap into what it feels like to have all the time in the world as a kid again. loved my experience here and the booking process couldn’t have been simpler. maybe they were still figuring out some kinks with the booking system in previous reviews, but all i had to do was select an available time and show up once it was confirmed. customer service is straight forward and kind, and the space is very intimate. can’t wait to see my piece all fired up 🎨

Beautiful store and Makeda is an amazing artist that knows her craft. I love it here. Her art makes for great gifts.

I had a fantastic time working with Makeda for a Black History Month program where we hosted several Black-owned businesses to be vendors at our university . She was incredibly communicative and professional but most importantly for us, she was kind and so interactive with our students. They not only had the opportunity to purchase from her selection of beautifully made ceramic pieces, but get to know her and learn about her experience as an entrepreneur.

I look forward to working with her again in the future and would not hesitate to recommend her for your events.

My family and I did a pottery class with Makeda at Sio Ceramics and would highly recommend it! Makeda was fun, kind, and a great teacher to a group new to pottery. We loved our time with Makeda and definitely would go back!

I’m from San Diego, CA and received my earrings within a week of ordering. I ordered the small dark Purple Heart earrings. The earring can be worn casually or dressed up. Thank you Makeda!

I attended a workshop at Sio Ceramics and had an awesome experience. Makeda has created a beautiful space at Sio Ceramics and I highly recommend.

I purchased a pair of ceramic earrings. They arrived quickly in the mail, and the artist included a second pair of earrings and a ring as a surprise treat. All of the pieces are well made and stunning. She also provided care instructions so everything stays looking its best.

really great place for all ages.

a couple caveats, they require spots booked online in advance but the website does not work well.
either it lets you choose a date but not a time or nothing at all.
very frustrating!
then when you finally get a booking, you get texts
at 2am (pictured) reminding you about your booking!!!
who in their right mind decided that was a good idea?

they refuse to take bookings over the phone

that being said, when you get a booking, it’s a great place.
there are lots of different colors, patterns and clays figures to choose from.
the paint does not look like it is anything special at first but once it’s baked, it really looks amazing.
they have birthday party options and it’s a great place to take kids who are interested in art to explore their creativity.

parking is a bit difficult but patience is key, a spot will open up eventually.
we usually park on the side streets and walk 5 mins.

Not only is the quality of the art itself fantastic but the artist is accommodating and communicative when it comes to ordering products online. The jewelry she makes is stunning and I get so many compliments when I wear it!

My friend and I were looking forward to taking the “try it” class at Eastern Market Pottery and had hoped to sign up for 6 sessions after. Due to a family emergency, we had to cancel our “try it” class (within the requested refund period) and with complete intention to rebook again at a more opportune time. Since Oct 13th, I have had to call and email this business at least 2 dozen times to beg for a refund that is still not processed.

Either let people know that they won’t receive a refund after a cancellation or hire more staff to handle basic customer service. Horrible experience.

Customer service is lacking. Trying to coordinate specific dates with management while communication is sporadic and frustrating. One loses their interest in exploring new opportunities as a result.

Their pottery is gorgeous. Saw their plates at Maydan and was blown away. Visited them at the Brookland Arts Walk (which is great) and saw more of their stuff, which was all so special.

Absolutely loved this place and I will definitely revisit again and bring my friends and family to experience this beautiful place 💕

The best potter in DC

Very good little bookstore with amazing prices! Great staff! Loved it!

Beautiful, one of a kind pieces of art!!!! I love the uniqueness and the quality every time!

Such a cozy bookshop with an excellent selection and very knowledgeable staff. Fun to sit and read there too :)

This spot is awesome! Went here looking for a small bowl, and found what I was looking for! The pottery is actually pretty inexpensive/reasonable, and the woman working there was so nice and sweet!

amazing place! i wish i could buy everything there!

I would love to try Hinckley Pottery, though after reaching out multiple times via their contact emails and phone and not receiving any replies after 8 days, I can't get hold of any staff here. Most of their classes are sold out online with no indication of when they might become available again, and rather than open their website day after day in hopes that something becomes available, Hinckley really needs to have a way to get in touch with them. If you are going to provide contact emails but either not monitor those inboxes or choose not to respond, that is simply bad good customer service.

I held a college alumni event here and wow, was the experience fantastic.
It was so easy to work with Liz, Rachel and Gvantsa.
We rented out the studio from 6-8:30 for our event In which 15 people attended. For the event, we picked 2 large pottery pieces for our attendees to paint.
We were able to order catering and alcohol to All Fired Up and then set the food and drink out in the front of the studio.
Then, at 6:30, we took our seats in the tables at back and Liz guided us through the process of painting our pottery. Rachel put on a fun Spotify playlist and we set to work painting our pottery.
It was great to see peoples artistic talent coming out. The pieces will be ready in two weeks.
I highly recommend All Fired Up for a group event, birthday or even a date (it’s BYOB!)

Gorgeous pottery!

My favorite bookstore! The staff was so helpful and hospitable. Their selection of books/pottery/goods is unmatched. Wish I could give it six stars!

Great local bookstore! Stop in and grab something interesting.

I love Hinckley pottery! I took 15 weeks of classes with Sam and she was amazing. I made about 30 pieces of pottery during my time there and I can't wait to start classes again in the Fall. They had great COVID protocols, were incredible friendly and so so knowledgeable.

Really nice little selection of retail pieces in the front. Great for a gift and you can dodge the eastern market weekend crowd

Market Pottery is a small pottery shop in the basement of historic Eastern Market. The retail shop is open on weekends only, but worth scheduling around for quality, local pottery. They sell dish ware, vases and other hand made products. Prices are much cheaper than you'd expect.

Pre-pandemic they hosted pottery making classes.

I bought two pairs of the small flower earrings, one for myself and a matching pair for my mom - they are so cute! They came quickly and efficiently. I’m someone who isn’t big on jewelry, but whenever I wear these out, I get a ton of compliments. You can tell they were made by someone who is passionate about their work, and even though I bought two, each are unique in their own way. Would highly recommend!

I can hardly claim to be objective as I have been going to classes at Hinckley Pottery for over 20 years. But my experiences there have been wonderful. The environment is comfortable, lots of space, well lit, materials etc easy to access. I began so long ago that I cannot promise that my memory of learning to throw pots at Hinckley is totally accurate but I think the instructors are pleasant, expert, and gentle, so I differ with some of the negative comments made here. The other students are all ages, from their 20s to their 80s like me. You very much go at your own pace. Just don't expect to throw an elegant porcelain teapot in a week or if your skills are only average like mine in a year. Porcelain is hard, but stoneware, which is what most people use, including the top Japanese potters, is easier for a beginner.

I went to the Try it program back in November and it was fun in the class but the experience after that class was terrible. Jeff, the assistant there, was very helpful and friendly. For those who decided to finish our works, we were told our works would be done within two weeks before the holidays, and I remember people saying it’s a good idea for holiday gifts. However, I have not heard back from them until I called them after the holidays. Gave them a few emails early January and decided to call them to learn that our works were not complete.

Whoever picked up the call was not friendly and told me “You must have heard wrong. It is probably two months instead of two weeks.” Had I known that, I would never have paid to finish the work. Throughout the whole quarter of waiting, they never gave me any update on the progress, either via email or phone as they promised to. I had to call every time to confirm the work was not done until end of February.

Most frustrating of all, they finished the work that I never intended to finish. At the time of the class, they asked us to describe as clearly as possible on the work we intended to finish, which I did by describing the size and height and shape, but it turned out they finished my boyfriend’s work and put my name on it. At this time I am so tired of even arguing with them.
It was an awful decision I made and I totally regretted it.

My wife and I took part in the Valentine's Day class and loved it! All three of the teachers there were knowledgeable, patient, and fun. They provided wine, cheese, and snacks and gave us plenty of guidance on how to work with clay. We had never done this before but felt like we got a lot of information out of a two hour class. Highly recommended!

One of the best bookstores in town. They also have a huge Palestinian pottery collection which makes for a great gifts. They have a vast collection of books on Palestine and the Middle East. The staff is Very nice and helpful.

Walked in and asked for a very specific topic (feminism and the Arab spring, especially with regards to Syria and the civil war). The employee went straight to the shelf and was able to show me 4-5 books that matched my topic. Some of the books were pricey, but I searched on Amazon for the book I ended up purchasing for $22 and found it for $70! If you’re looking for scholarly books on the Middle East (and even textbooks!), this is the place for you!

Great pottery classes and pottery for sale.

Fantastic studio/store. Beautiful and functional pieces for sale. Highly recommend you stop by for a look.

Wow. I am a newbie and have had a very different experience than two negative reviews here. Perhaps it depends on the teacher, though I've had three due to makeups.

My teacher has had amazing patience with my learning curve and am important sense of humor. I'm in my second series and love it so much I will continue indefinitely.

I've found the fellow potters extremely helpful and supportive. It takes a village to learn how to throw and glaze a pot.

Another student and I have used our phone to tape instructions.

I love the new bright open studio space.

They have try it sessions if you don't want to buy a full series. But I think it takes a full series to get truly throwing.

Amazing artists doing some really solid and useful pottery. And they have classes and workshops and are all around amazing people.

Fantastic!

I took a class at Hinckley Pottery over the summer and I had a wonderful experience. I learned so much during my time and my teacher was welcoming, helpful, enthusiastic and inspiring. Her demonstrations were extremely helpful and I loved the atmosphere and shop as well. I will be back!

I LOVE Hinckley Pottery Studio. Classes are sold in groups of 10 sessions and I just completed my first session (and am continuing indefinitely!). I came to Hinckley as a complete newbie. All the classes have different teachers, and I have mostly worked with Karen on Mondays. She is absolutely lovely and took the time to sit down and teach me everything I need to know at the wheel. Throughout my classes, any time I have a question, Karen and other students are always there to help and advise. Overall I have had only positive experiences here! It isn't cheap, but the price includes all materials and firing of pots which is important to keep in mind. I look forward to my time at Hinckley all week!

This pottery studio and showroom is in the basement of the historic Eastern Market. You may either come to shop for some of the beautiful pottery made by the on-site potters, or sign up to take classes. Classes are Monday - Thursday night from 7 - 10 PM with some open studio time on Saturdays from 1 - 5 PM. New students will be taught how to throw pottery, while more experienced potters use this as an open studio in which to create whatever they want. All clay and glazes are included in the cost of the class, as is a set of pottery tools. Each weeknight has a different instructor, with a total of 8 - 12 students per class. It is a great community.

Enter by going down the stone stairs outside the south end of the market.