A Look Inside Ruby Clay Company in Downtown Tulsa

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it here before, but I have a pretty decent pottery collection, thanks to my Nana’s past involvement with the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC. Each year, they host(ed?) a pottery festival, drawing fabulous local potters all in one place. The first year, she bought me several mugs. Later, I had the opportunity to go myself and pick out a few special pieces. One of my “claims to fame” (ha) is that I got to meet Alex Matisse, founder of East Fork pottery. Yes, he is the great-grandson of renowned artist Henri Matisse. (Being based in Asheville, East Fork was hit pretty badly by Hurricane Helene. So, through the end of the year, 5% of all their sales will go toward “local grassroots organizations” helping with rebuilding efforts.)

Over a decade ago, I took some pottery classes at 3rd Street Clayworks, which was fantastic! I loved making my own (often misshapen) clay mugs and being surprised by how the final product turned out. (If you haven’t done pottery, the glaze you put on before firing looks a lot different than the finished product!)

Ruby Clay Co.

All that to say, if you enjoy pottery as much as I do, don’t miss out on Ruby Clay Company. They have a wonderful gift shop area featuring the work of local potters, as well as work made in-house. And you can order custom pottery on their website as well.

Production and Custom Pottery

While they don’t have an in-house pottery wheel, they have a large variety of pre-fired pottery items that can be glazed to your specifications. These include home decor items, plates, bowls, mugs, etc. They frequently have special collections, and seasonal items as well. For example, here’s their Halloween shop, if you need a special, spooky gift by the end of the month! rubyclaycompany.com/collections/complete-fall-halloween-collection

I got to tour the production room, where they have five kilns, several glazing stations and a TON of packing peanuts!

An example of some of the many made-to-order offerings

Shop Local Pottery

The Tulsa area is home to several talented potters! Here is some of the work currently for sale at Ruby Clay Company. And you can see a list of their represented potters at rubyclaycompany.com/collections/artist

At least some of this pottery is by Muddy Paws.

Panther Pots by Joseph Clayton

These candles smelled so good, too! By Made from Muck

Pottery Supplies

If you’re a potter yourself, Ruby Clay Co. also has a huge selection of pottery supplies. This includes glazes, tools, etc. And you can take advantage of their firing services if you are making/glazing pottery at home but don’t have a kiln. If you do have a kiln, Ruby Clay Co. also offers kiln maintenance and repair services, which would be good to know! If you don’t make pottery at home (yet) and don’t have a kiln, you could get a Handbuilding and Glazing kit and get started! So basically, they’re your one-stop-shop for pottery supplies, support and gifts.

I spoke with co-owner Jessica Walker, and she said that a lot of local schools get supplies from Ruby Clay Co. And they’ve even had at least one class come by for a field trip!

Events

Follow @rubyclaycompany on Instagram or check out their website (rubyclaycompany.com/collections/classes) for details on upcoming community classes. As of writing, I don’t know that there are any on the schedule, but Jessica said there should be a couple around the holidays.

They also have private birthday party options, which you can find at rubyclaycompany.com/pages/birthday-parties

Getting There

Ruby Clay Company is located across the street from the back of Home Depot in downtown Tulsa. (409 E. 8th St., Suite B)

I got a bit lost trying to follow the Google Maps directions. They were trying to direct me to the small alley that leads to the back parking lot, rather than the roadside parking off of 8th St. Which was fine, it just meant I drove around the block a couple times trying to figure out what was going on! And then ended up entering through the production door instead of the front door.

Home depot is across the street to my right. So you can park on either the left or right side of this street here.

Anyway, I was glad I finally made it, as I’d been meaning to stop by for several months! Again, if you love pottery and are looking for some unique gifts this holiday season, swing by to see what they’ve got, or visit the website to see all the custom options.