A new pottery studio in Cole Harbour, N.S., isn’t just somewhere to get creative, but also serves as Atlantic Canada’s first pottery supply store.
Lisa Batten opened Best Kind Mud Shop in December 2024.
“I got obsessed with pottery during the pandemic like many people and I wanted to start something that would help the community reignite because a lot of us really lost community during the pandemic,” says Batten.
Batten says her goal when she opened the Mud Shop was to create a safe and inclusive space for people of all skill levels to explore ceramics.
“We are seeing a lot of people come in just to hangout which is exactly what I wanted. People are building friends in classes, and they are just finding a space to just come and play and be free again. It’s just absolutely amazing seeing this built and that’s why pottery is so special,” she says.
The studio offers three-hour long classes tailored to beginners, however experts are welcome as well.
“Right now, we offer morning classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We have a new Wednesday class that’s 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and they all start in April. And then we also have two evening classes on Monday and Tuesdays. Those are sold out, but they’ll begin again next round so that’s something to keep and eye on.”
Keith MacIsaac has taken seven weeks of classes at Best Kind Mud Shop. He says his family has always been big into pottery.
“I’m stoked that I can learn and also have the space where I can practice, which is a barrier that a lot of places have. You can do a course and then you’re stuck not having a space to continue the skills. So, I’m glad that it’s like, do eight weeks of training and then hopefully I’ll be a potter one day,” says MacIsaac.
Instructors teach right from the basics, with the first step being centering, which according to Batten is the most difficult part.
“First you centre, then you learn how to pull your walls, compress the bottoms, then you learn how to make your form. The first form a lot of people make is a cylinder,” says Batten.
The form then gets fired twice and the first firing is called a bisque firing which ultimately takes all the moisture out of the clay.
“And then people glaze it. We can do all combos here. This one here is only glazed at the top and we left the bottom natural,” says Batten.
For many it’s not about the end result but the process.
“My brain shuts off, like everything else doesn’t really matter. You start thinking about the piece, whether you’re making it for somebody or if you want it to become something. Sometimes I go in and I think I am going to make a cup and it comes out a bowl. That’s OK. It’s humbling,” says Charneill Jordan, store manager at Best Kind Mud Shop.
Batten hopes this is just the beginning, with aspirations to add more locations and make pottery accessible for all Maritimers.
“I’m from Newfoundland originally and they pay a lot for clay, so I want to be able to make it more accessible for them to get supplies and try pottery and stuff as well,” she says.
“My goal is to keep fostering this community, get more people in to show them how amazing pottery is and then continue to grow the business and make careers for potters. So, create lots of opportunities for artists whether its making glazes, tools, selling their wares, teaching classes, whatever it is.”
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