Beginner Classes!

Standing inside her new, spacious pottery studio, Pots & Whatnots, Sandra Dickman knew she was on to something three years prior while trying to pursue a creative hobby.

The newly arrived Dallas resident discovered an outlet after playing with a pottery wheel, but also found it hard to find nearby classes.

“They were always full and the ones I was taking were an hour away,” Dickman said, adding the nearest were in Portland or Albany-Corvallis areas. “I thought if I was willing to drive an hour away and their classes are always full, why wouldn’t people be willing to drive to Dallas?”

The first step was purchasing a pottery wheel and kiln and experiment within her garage. Gaining confidence, she began giving lessons to family and friends.

“I can do this. I can actually teach people to do this.,” Dickman thought. “They were like, ‘Yeah, it’s super fun. When can I come over and do it again?’”

Getting burnt out at her current job, Dickman found playing on the wheel had become cathartic, even meditative for her. Having dreamt awhile of starting her own business, maybe a bookstore or plant store, she discussed it with her husband, Blake. Lending his full support, she decided not to procrastinate any longer.

“We decided we could either be 80 and thinking we should have tried that, or we did try it and see if it worked or didn’t. So decided to jump in,” Sandra said.

Initially fearing the 1,700-square foot location they found at 137 Court St., in Dallas, was too spacious for a pottery workshop, they soon found it filling with the necessities. Blake hand-constructed the large, central worktable. He teamed with their daughter’s fiancé to assemble the shelves. Sandra and her daughter built the worktables that held the pottery wheels.

“The whole family was helping out on this,” Sandra said.

They officially opened Jan. 5, offering two options – a one-night class where students are given three chances to craft one bowl worth keeping, and a 5-week class where students return to make between 8-10 items, from bowls to mugs. She also offers pre-made items that participants may choose to skip the creation phase and go right into glazing and decorating themselves.

“Many people haven’t done any pottery since middle school or high school,” Sandra said. “It’s a lot of fun. Even if (you) don’t make anything, come in and get your hands dirty.”

Her classes were soon filled (10 maximum), also inspired by Dickman’s invitation for private parties.

“A lot of people are like, ‘Oh, I’ve always wanted to try this.’ And I say, well get in here,” Sandra said.

Rickreall resident Kathy Scott said she saw Pots & Whatnots advertisement on social media. She brought her husband and six friends for a perfect alternative birthday party.

“I saw it on Facebook and always wanted to try this,” Kathy said.

Her husband James took immediately to the pottery wheel, producing a bowl in his first try that impressed Blake, who helps teach the classes to newcomers.

“That’s better than my first attempt,” Blake admitted, pointing to James’s finished creation.

Regardless how well each participant’s finished bowl turned out, laughter throughout the evening pointing toward a good time being had by all. Just what Sandra Dickman was hoping for. And, unsurprisingly, she’s enjoying the heck out of teaching the classes.

“I love it. I wasn’t sure working with kids on wheels, since I hadn’t really done that before. I’d done it with my own kids, but not with other people’s kids and so many at once. It’s a lot of fun,” Sandra said. “They’re so enthusiastic and positive energy. So, it’s just really good. And they’re impressed with themselves when they make something.”