A neighborhood pottery studio · Bernal Heights, San Francisco
Made slow.
Fired hot.
Wheel classes, open studio time, and a shelf of finished work by your neighbors — all in a onetime laundromat on Cortland Ave.
The studio
A laundromat, twelve wheels, and three kilns.
Ember & Clay opened in 2019, when Mara Okafor and Sam Reyes signed the lease on a defunct laundromat and spent a summer hauling out washers and wiring in kilns. The bones suited pottery: concrete floors, deep sinks, big windows on the street.
Today the studio runs twelve wheels, a slab roller, and three kilns named Bertha, Ronnie, and The Baby. Most evenings there's a class at the wheels and members glazing at the back bench. Mondays we close, load the kilns, and fire.
Nothing here is precious. Clay forgives more than most materials — so does this room. Come in muddy.
Classes & offerings
Start at the wheel.
Wheel One
$340 · 6 weeks
Your first six weeks on the wheel — from wedging a lump to trimming a bowl you'd actually give someone. Clay, tools, glazes, and both firings included.
Handbuilding
$240 · 4 weeks
No wheel, no hurry. Pinch, coil, and slab your way to plates, planters, and one ambitious project of your choosing. Good for restless hands.
Try the Wheel
$85 · one evening
Two hours, plenty of mud, zero expectations. Make a couple of pieces; we glaze and fire your favorite, ready to pick up in two weeks.
The shelf
Out of the kiln this week.
Everything here was made in this room and priced by the person who made it. The shelf changes after every firing. Sold at the studio — come hold it first; we don't ship.
Wide mug
$38
Oat Speckle
Nesting bowls, set of 3
$96
Celadon Pool
Evening carafe
$58
Tenmoku
Breakfast plates, pair
$64
Ash Drift
Tall vessel
$72
Shino Blush
Seconds shelf
from $12
Mixed glazes
Hours & where
On Cortland, past the bookshop.
412 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110. The 24-Divisadero stops half a block away; street parking is Bernal parking, so give yourself ten minutes. Walk-ins are always welcome to browse the shelf.
Plan a visit →- Mon
- Closed — kiln day
- Tue–Fri
- 12:00–9:00 pm
- Sat
- 10:00 am–6:00 pm
- Sun
- 10:00 am–4:00 pm
Sign up or say hello
Get your hands in it.
Tell us what you're curious about and we'll write back within a day — usually faster, unless we're loading a kiln. No mailing-list tricks; you'll only hear from a person.
Prefer email? hello@emberandclay.studio