Why We're Clearing the Shelves (And Starting Over)

The Custer Feldspar mine in South Dakota closed in late 2023.

At first, it wasn't a crisis. Our suppliers had stocked up. We had reserves. But by early 2025, I started hearing whispers that those stockpiles were running dry fast.

So I started testing replacements.

Here's the thing about glaze chemistry: nothing is a one-to-one substitution. You can't just swap out one ingredient for another and expect the same result. Change one thing, and you have to rebalance everything else.

I found a supplier who'd sourced a custom blend from India - chemically matched to the original feldspar. Great. Tested it. Adjusted the formula. Got it dialed in. Felt good about it.

Then EPK disappeared.

EPK is a kaolin clay we use in almost every glaze. The mine in Florida had equipment issues (or so the rumors went - nobody really knows). One day it was in stock. Then it wasn't. Then it came back. Then it vanished again.

The first replacement I found massively changed the compatibility of our glaze and clay body which was awful. Glaze shivered off the surface and crackled in an awful and actually dangerous way. I kept searching and testing. The replacement I eventually settled on is similar, but the particle size is finer and it has some slightly different chemical composition. Which means it behaves differently when you apply the glaze. And it fires differently. So all those adjustments I'd made for the feldspar substitution? I had to start over.

For most of this year, we've been holding our breath every time we loaded a kiln. We fire one to three kilns a day, and every single time we opened one 24 hours later, there was this collective bracing. Would it look right? Would it match what customers expected?

Even when the pottery came out perfectly fine - beautiful, even - if the surface was slightly off from what we'd promised, we'd remake it. The stress of that rigid expectation wore us all down.

But here's what happened through all that testing and failing and reformulating: I ended up with something better.

The new glazes have more depth. A little crystalline action happening under the surface that catches light differently. More consistency batch to batch. When you put the old formulation next to the new one, I can see the difference - even if you can't.

And that's why we're doing this sale.

We've got between one and fifteen pieces left of most forms. Some are already sold out completely. This is the perfect moment to wipe the slate clean and start fresh in January with the new formulations.

But it's more than just switching recipes. This whole process made me realize something: I'm tired of made-to-order. I'm tired of splitting my focus. I'm tired of bracing myself every time a kiln opens.

Starting in 2026, I'm following my muse instead.

I'll batch our signature line - make 200 mugs in one sitting instead of spreading them out over a month. I'll have dedicated time each month to play with new ideas that usually just rattle around in my head. I'll celebrate the beautiful inconsistencies instead of remaking perfectly good pottery because it didn't match expectations exactly.

This sale clears the way for that shift. Fresh formulations. Fresh approach. Fresh energy.

So if you've been eyeing something - if there's a piece that's been sitting in your cart or living in your head - grab it now. After December 31st, these exact glazes won't exist anymore.

And honestly? I'm excited about what comes next.