Penticton pottery studio celebrates one year of business and many new potters

Photo: Instagram @speckledrow

A locally owned and operated pottery studio that has brought hundreds of new and experienced artists into its Penticton shop is celebrating its first birthday on Saturday.

Founded in 2022, Speckled Row is one of Penticton’s largest pottery studios.

The studio, which is located in the historic Cannery Trade Centre, offers a wide range of workshops and classes for adults, children and teens.

Not only does the studio teach all skill levels on the art of pottery, but they also offer studio memberships for aspiring potters and hobbyists looking to spark their creativity through clay.

“The studio has seen exceptional growth in its first year of business,” Carla O’Bee, owner of Speckled Row, said in a press release.

“Our main purpose is to create a welcoming space for both newcomers and experienced potters to practice pottery. We think pottery is best practiced together and we can only learn, grow and evolve when we come together. We pride ourselves on our clay community and on having a space free of judgment and full of creative energy."

Over 600 pottery students have come through the studio doors, through over 60 classes and workshops including 5-week pottery wheel classes, summer clay camps, private team-building nights and single session hand building workshops.

“We have a wide range of students here at the studio. From ages 4 to 84, you are never too young or too old to get your hands full of clay,” O’Bee added.

“We see lots of local Pentictonites, but we have also had students from Kelowna, Summerland, Cawston, Keremeos and even Princeton.”

Speckled Row also collaborated with other local businesses during their community-based workshops. Their most recent collaboration, Cactus, Clay and Kegs brought together Speckled Row, Tin Whistle Brewing and Sahara Garden Art.

“This was one of our favourite workshops. Participants hand-built a plant pot with us, returned two weeks later and planted cacti in their pot with Sahara Garden Art. All while drinking delicious local brew at Tin Whistle Brewing,” O’Bee said.

In celebration of its one-year anniversary, Speckled Row will be offering tours of its space, doing live pottery wheel throwing, providing refreshments and giving away a gift basket full of handmade pottery.

They will also be giving away a $300 gift certificate that can be used towards any of their in-studio classes. Everyone is welcome to attend and the studio will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Photo: Instagram @speckledrow