Editor’s note: Made in Tarrant is an occasional Q&A series on small businesses started in Tarrant County. Submit your business here.

Garret Pendergrass Pottery

Who? Garret Pendergrass is the founder of Garret Pendergrass Pottery.

When? Garret Pendergrass Pottery started in 2013. Keith Thomson of Firehouse Pottery allowed him to rent space in the back of his building to get up and running. 

Where? 1307 Hurley Ave. Fort Worth, Texas 76008.

What? Offers small group courses, private lessons, open studio for independent work and firing pottery for at-home studio potters lacking a kiln. 

Contact: 

817.705.4685 – Deanna, my assistant for scheduling.

info@garretpendergrasspottery.com

www.garretpendergrasspottery.com

IG: @garretpendergrasspottery

FB: garretpendergrasspottery

Garret Pendergrass is the founder of Garret Pendergrass Pottery. He shared his business story with the Fort Worth Report’s Sandra Sadek. 

Sadek: How did you get into this field?

Pendergrass: My college adviser reminded me I had one more art elective in order to graduate. I really wanted to take a sculpting class but the course was canceled and all that was left was ceramics. I really didn’t want to take the class since I had an opinion it was for old ladies painting flowers on teapots. To say the least, I was hooked! Right after I graduated, I bought a wheel and was lucky enough that the professor allowed me to audit the advanced courses for three more semesters. Since I wasn’t formally enrolled in a ceramics program, he gave me space in a janitorial closet to learn and hone my skills. I’ve been in clay ever since!

Sadek: What has been the most challenging part of starting your own business?

Pendergrass: Getting over the fear and “what if’s” was definitely the biggest hurdle. As I got started in it, many people started to ask “what is my real job?” It was a blow to the ego for sure. No one, except my wife, thought being a potter and instructor outside academia would be successful. 

Sadek: What advice would you give to those looking to start their own business?

Pendergrass: Prepping and learning about your industry is big, but not everything. The most important advice to start your own business is to be stubborn about succeeding and give grace to yourself when you fail. I did many things wrong or quickly realized areas that needed improvement. I used those moments to evolve my business practices, instead of beating myself up. 

Sadek: Anything else you’d like to share?

Pendergrass: My instructors and I love teaching various pottery techniques to all levels. If you want to learn a new skill or find a way to balance your mind, I would love to see you in the studio. We offer small group courses, private lessons, open studio for independent work and firing pottery for at-home studio potters lacking a kiln. We have some very exciting news as well. In 2023 we will introduce raku firing for students and the public in Fort Worth! Raku is a fun, fast, creative way to fire pottery that creates some great, unique surface effects. 

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Made in Tarrant: Potter’s unexpected college ceramics class leads to business start

by Sandra Sadek, Fort Worth Report
January 14, 2023

<h1>Made in Tarrant: Potter’s unexpected college ceramics class leads to business start</h1> <p class="byline">by Sandra Sadek, Fort Worth Report <br />January 14, 2023</p> <p><em>Editor’s note: Made in Tarrant is an occasional Q&amp;A series on small businesses started in Tarrant County. Submit your business </em><a href="https://fortworthreport.org/made-in-tarrant-submission/"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p><strong>Garret Pendergrass Pottery</strong></p> <p><strong>Who? </strong>Garret Pendergrass is the founder of Garret Pendergrass Pottery.</p> <p><strong>When? </strong>Garret Pendergrass Pottery started in 2013. Keith Thomson of Firehouse Pottery allowed him to rent space in the back of his building to get up and running. </p> <p><strong>Where? </strong>1307 Hurley Ave. Fort Worth, Texas 76008.</p> <p><strong>What? </strong>Offers small group courses, private lessons, open studio for independent work and firing pottery for at-home studio potters lacking a kiln. </p> <p><strong>Contact</strong>: </p> <p>817.705.4685 – Deanna, my assistant for scheduling.</p> <p>info@garretpendergrasspottery.com</p> <p><a href="http://www.garretpendergrasspottery.com">www.garretpendergrasspottery.com</a></p> <p>IG: @garretpendergrasspottery</p> <p>FB: garretpendergrasspottery</p> <p><em>Garret Pendergrass is the founder of Garret Pendergrass Pottery. He shared his business story with the Fort Worth Report’s Sandra Sadek. </em></p> <p><strong>Sadek: </strong>How did you get into this field?</p> <p><strong>Pendergrass</strong>: My college adviser reminded me I had one more art elective in order to graduate. I really wanted to take a sculpting class but the course was canceled and all that was left was ceramics. I really didn’t want to take the class since I had an opinion it was for old ladies painting flowers on teapots. To say the least, I was hooked! Right after I graduated, I bought a wheel and was lucky enough that the professor allowed me to audit the advanced courses for three more semesters. Since I wasn’t formally enrolled in a ceramics program, he gave me space in a janitorial closet to learn and hone my skills. I’ve been in clay ever since!</p> <p><strong>Sadek</strong>: What has been the most challenging part of starting your own business?</p> <p><strong>Pendergrass</strong>: Getting over the fear and “what if’s” was definitely the biggest hurdle. As I got started in it, many people started to ask “what is my real job?” It was a blow to the ego for sure. No one, except my wife, thought being a potter and instructor outside academia would be successful. </p> <p><strong>Sadek</strong>: What advice would you give to those looking to start their own business?</p> <p><strong>Pendergrass</strong>: Prepping and learning about your industry is big, but not everything. The most important advice to start your own business is to be stubborn about succeeding and give grace to yourself when you fail. I did many things wrong or quickly realized areas that needed improvement. I used those moments to evolve my business practices, instead of beating myself up. </p> <p><strong>Sadek</strong>: Anything else you’d like to share?</p> <p><strong>Pendergrass: </strong>My instructors and I love teaching various pottery techniques to all levels. If you want to learn a new skill or find a way to balance your mind, I would love to see you in the studio. We offer small group courses, private lessons, open studio for independent work and firing pottery for at-home studio potters lacking a kiln. We have some very exciting news as well. In 2023 we will introduce <a href="https://www.soulceramics.com/pages/raku-firing">raku firing</a> for students and the public in Fort Worth! Raku is a fun, fast, creative way to fire pottery that creates some great, unique surface effects. </p> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://fortworthreport.org/2023/01/14/made-in-tarrant-potters-unexpected-college-ceramics-class-leads-to-business-start/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://fortworthreport.org">Fort Worth Report</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-favicon.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://fortworthreport.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=63974&amp;ga3=UA-194640723-1" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p> Copy to Clipboard

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