Today we’d like to introduce you to Ki Cho and Yuli A.
Echo Ceramics is a family owned and operated ceramic studio teaching students in the Los Angeles area since 1999. Ki Cho is the founder of Echo Ceramics. He was studying architecture, when he discovered his love for ceramics. He changed his major and has been exploring ceramic art ever since, eventually developing his own method of teaching, which Echo Ceramics is known for.
He teaches intermediate classes and is a driving force behind Echo Ceramics community. His excellent input has helped hundreds of potters and sculptors reach their goals in creating works of art and in simply mastering the techniques of playing with clay.
Ki’s wife, Yuli, has studied business management in college and is proud to be a CFO of Echo Ceramics since 2003. She is an accomplished potter as well, and teaches beginning classes. She’s well versed in loading kilns, mixing glazes and running the studio.
Echo Ceramics is truly a family affair, growing from a tiny studio with just a few members and students in 2001 to a large bustling community which it is today, with several instructors and hundreds of students and members, creating, making friends and connecting to their inner power all under the roof of our studio.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Owning a small business is never a smooth road. There are many things that can go wrong that you have no control over. Like the economy! When the whole recession of 2007-9 happened, majority of our students simply disappeared. I understand, if you just lost your job and got no money to pay for food, taking a pottery class would be the last thing on your mind. I would do the same! That situation got us really worried. We had to pay our studio rent and then our teachers first, with often nothing left to pay for our own living expenses.
This lasted for about a year and a half. As hard as it was, we never considered closing the doors and doing something else. We always knew it will turn out for the better, better for everyone and better for us. Our loyal members who have been with us for many years prior pulled us through. We survived! Now that really taught us to save for the rainy day. Lesson learned.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Echo Ceramics story. Tell us more about the business.
Echo Ceramics is a ceramic studio teaching students in the Los Angeles area. We take pride in quality of our instruction and even developed our own Echo method of throwing, where everybody will make a pot on their first day! As we go along teaching students and helping members, we develop products that help us and everyone else at the studio to be a better artist. Thus, we designed and now manufacture and sell all over the world our own Claypron, split and overlapped apron for ceramic artists. We make and sell our beautiful cone 10 glazes.
The quality that we are most proud of as a company is the people that come to us. It’s amazing to have such passionate, friendly, down to earth students and members. We’re excited to share their discovery of passion and happiness by creating simple objects out of clay in today’s technology driven world.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We don’t think luck had anything to do with the success of our business. Only hard work, determination, treating our employees and students with integrity and compassion, friendliness and support.
Pricing:
- $165 four week beginning class
- $185 monthly membership
- $29.99 Claypron
Contact Info:
- Address: 4875 W. Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016 - Website: www.echoceramics.com
- Phone: 310-989-4295
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: echoceramics
- Facebook: echoceramics
- Twitter: echoceramics
- Yelp: echoceramics
Image Credit:
Echo Ceramics
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