Today we’d like to introduce you to MaryMar Keenan.
Hi MaryMar, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I moved to San Francisco shortly after graduating from college in 1996. Eager to explore the world of ceramics I immediately joined a cooperative clay studio and began meeting people that had a similar love of clay. With an unstoppable entrepreneurial spirit, I was determined to create a career from my passion. After 3 prior attempts at clay-centered businesses and almost 20 years of working in clay, I finally landed on my thoughtfully designed small production tableware business known as MMclay.
At the time my studio was situated behind a coffee shop in the popular San Francisco neighborhood of Hayes Valley. It was then that I was given the opportunity to rebrand myself, design and produce the pottery for an upcoming restaurant of Stuart Brioza, a Michelin Star awarded chef. The Progress restaurant was being built from the ground up and as a result, I was given two years to single-handedly produce over 2000 pieces of pottery. With two small children at home, it was just enough time for me to deliver the wares only a few days before the doors opened. With that, The Progress Collection was born and that opportunity catapulted my career into what it is today.
What began in a small studio situated behind a coffee shop in a popular Hayes Valley neighborhood has grown into a niche but thriving handmade small-production pottery business producing six lines of custom tableware and a lighting collection for numerous homes and restaurants worldwide.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I can’t really imagine that any small business owner would tell you that building their business has been a smooth road, particularly one of a handmade artful business located in San Francisco. On the contrary, this business is a result of a little blood, massive amounts of sweat and plenty of tears. However, it is also a business built with plenty of passion behind it and certainly creativity, ingenuity and resilience.
My pottery became in high demand rather quickly and its popularity was exciting. Figuring out how to grow with that popularity was challenging. Ceramics is already a high-risk business just in the nature of the craft itself. Cracks and warps in the clay, runny glazes and the ever-present kiln issues are a short list of those challenges. That coupled with the expense of equipment and payroll in a very small studio with employees fighting for space to work and yes, there were some struggles.
In 2018 I finally found a new space and with the help of a successful Kickstarter campaign I built out my dream studio complete with skylights, a brand-new kiln and a showroom. We finally moved into it in the Fall of 2019. From the handmade ceramic pendant lights to the tiles lining the stairs, I had designed and built something that seemed like a fantasy several years before.
As we positioned ourself for the growth of MMclay, including opportunities for Team Building workshops, community involvement and bigger hospitality accounts, we rolled into the Spring of 2020…and then well…COVID. I made the very difficult decision of laying off my team of twelve and went to work operating my studio with barely any help. I was doing my best to fulfill orders and came up with creative (successful) solutions to sell the pottery that was already on the shelves. Clearly, we lost all of our restaurant accounts but our customers/fans proved to be incredibly supportive. I never stopped working during the pandemic. In fact, I worked harder than ever and finally re-hired most of my staff back a few months later. I was more than determined to make it successfully out of the difficult months that the pandemic brought to us.
As the summer months of 2020 passed and we headed into the Fall we were producing, making and shipping as fast as we could. Then one night in September we had a studio fire (not from the kilns) and my beautiful new space was beyond damaged. I was beside myself with disbelief and grief. As we waded through the charred rubble and puddles of water that were left behind, one of my employees asked if they were going to be laid off again. Without hesitation, I went to problem-solving and within a few days, we were moving our equipment into a temporary studio to continue production. Very long story short, I was able to get the space re-built and operating again in only four months and I was able to keep my staff working in the meantime. Presently, almost 2 years later we are still thriving and I am again looking for another space. This time it’s not because of a fire but because we continue to grow. Growth brings its own set of struggles, but at this point I feel like I’m ready for anything.
The response to my tableware is overwhelming. People understand it and feel the connection to it more than ever. It is an incredible feeling and an absolute honor to make it for them. As human beings we have a ritual of eating and drinking every day, whether we want to recognize it as such or not, it is there. Nourishing ourselves with good food is vital and doing that with a vessel that connects us to that idea is important.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
With an enormous passion to keep art alive in one of the nation’s most expensive cities, my team and I produce over 1500 pieces of pottery a month for restaurants and homes internationally. That number continues to grow and we seem to be getting new customers and fans daily, which I am thrilled about.
Since the start of MMclay in 2016, I’ve developed several collections of tableware that are now used by numerous award-winning restaurants throughout the world. Beyond chefs and restaurateurs, I often work alongside top designers outfitting numerous kitchens and my work is sold in select online and brick-and-mortar retailers. MMclay also offers a wide range of custom design services, event rentals and wedding registries.
This is a niche business as we use a variety of techniques within the production process setting us apart from many production studios. Each piece is handled several times by many hands. While most pieces within the lines are slab-built and formed using slump molds, others are pressed. Many forms are thrown on the wheel, hand carved or fabricated by actually pinching the clay. Textures on the outside are applied using either a serrated rib, a small wooden tool or an array of handmade texture tools. The edges and bottoms of each piece are waxed and glazes are hand brushed. After the final firing, each piece is sanded by hand and washed before being pulled for packing. It’s a labor-intensive process that requires a great deal of talent, precision, detail and care.
MMclay wares are made to be utilized and enjoyed. As a potter, I am inspired by the quiet conversations between maker, user, food and vessel particularly while they are in use. In my mind, the piece isn’t finished until it is in the hands of the person using it.
San Francisco has a long history as a meeting place for minds, a nexus for a trade where arts and culture flourish alongside the foggy Victorians. I am thrilled to have been able to build and sustain a successful business from the ground up producing unique, made-to-order pieces in a city as dynamic as this. MMclay customers engage with objects that have been intentionally created, and MMclay aims to show the world the beauty in the slow process of making sustainable goods by hand. People are often surprised by their reaction when handling our work- there is something truly special about it.
MMclay works hard to be able to provide this grounding connection to everyone, to encourage people to engage with the rituals of daily life. Today’s world is filled with unsustainable mass-produced goods that contribute to unfair global labor practices and a worsening climate crisis. We invite people to imagine a world that is possible, where all goods are carefully and lovingly made, where all parts of the supply chain are sustainable, and where all labor is fairly valued. We seek to demonstrate that not only is this world possible, but it is also beautiful- our pieces are a tangible reminder of the elegance and care that dedication, compassion, and a love of craft can create.
MMclay’s mission as a small woman-owned handmade business has always been to bring art to the table: to share our love for the ceramic art form with the world and to integrate community and intention into our customers’ daily lives.
How do you think about happiness?
What a terrifically loaded question. I’m generally a very happy person and I am so grateful for the life that I have. There is so much that makes me happy that I’ve decided to make a list, not necessarily in order:
– Gathering with friends for a meal or simply sitting at a restaurant bar and enjoying a great meal while talking and connecting to the people around me.
– Hiking through Northern California with my dog both through the gorgeous woods or on the dramatic coastline.
– RV trips around the country with my husband, my 2 kids and my dog.
-Girls Night
– Live music and Music Festivals
– Dancing in the kitchen
– Working late by myself in my studio
– Clay
– Connecting with my customers and telling them the story of MMclay
– Watching my kids perform or play sports
– Pedicures
– Summertime
– The Bay Area
– South Carolina thunderstorms
– Chocolate and Peanut Butter
– Throwing parties and events
– Untying knots (peculiar, but very true)
– Cooking
– Sitting at the dinner table with my family
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mmclay.com
- Instagram: @mmclay_ceramics
- Facebook: mmclay ceramics
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/
biz/mmclay-production-studio- and-showroom-san-francisco
Image Credits
Edgar Castrejon, Kiera Condrey
