By Laurel Decker — Photos by Susan Ayer
This column is a look at brave souls who have taken a leap of faith to open their own businesses in and around Ann Arbor. Business owners who are following their dreams and thriving despite the odds.
Curiouser Clay
13223 McKinley Road, Chelsea, MI 48118
(734) 272-8615
curiouserclay@gmail.com
curiouserclay.com
“I wonder if it would make more sense to come to a workshop to see what we do? You can even make a bowl if you like!” This enthusiastic invitation to join Eli Zemper’s next Curiouser Clay mobile workshop sounded like a fun alternative to my typical column interview.
“I would love to!” I answered, before remembering that I didn’t exactly excel in my college pottery class over 20 years ago. Setting my ceramics insecurities aside, I did some online research to up my odds of making a killer bowl. Okay, so maybe I needed to manage my expectations and shoot for a functional bowl that wouldn’t leak. I tried to stay confident, knowing I was learning from Zemper who has 26 years of experience as a high school teacher.
Zemper made the decision to become an entrepreneur while the Covid-19 pandemic was still looming, and that brave move is already paying off. Curiouser Clay’s reputation has been growing since their first pop up workshop in March of 2022. Since then, they have stayed busy holding workshops and “makin’ parties” in which Zemper and her husband, Drew Zemper, show up to private parties, businesses, and homes throughout the region.
On a snowy Saturday afternoon, I drove to Hudson Mills Metropark Activity Center for the Curiouser Clay bowl workshop. The tables were packed with attendees who came with friends and family members, so I found the last open seat by a dad and his son and daughter. In front of each of us was a flat circle of clay and clay trimming tools. Everything we needed was ready to go. Well, almost everything. Maybe the experienced artists knew what to do with those art supplies, but I needed instructions on what to do next.
As soon as Zemper stood in front of the room, it was evident that she was a natural teacher. She began by going over some history behind pottery, and I found it interesting to learn that pottery that was uncovered in anthropological digs still had the maker’s fingerprint on them. She emphasizes that even though we can run to a store and buy a bowl, making it ourselves is a personal expression that lasts through what we create. She then gave us clear instructions and a boost of encouraging words before we felt the clay in our hands.
It was a good thing Zemper answered my questions before the workshop, because once I started smoothing out the clay I was focused. So was everyone else. There was some chatter, and idea sharing, but most of us were in a therapeutic zone, and that’s just where Zemper wanted us. She told me: “Community mental health. That's where it's at. I think it's our joy and obligation to take care of one another. Providing creative opportunities for people to connect to themselves and others is my contribution—that's what brings me joy and delight.” Here are some of the other reasons and ways she persisted through the challenges of business ownership during the pandemic.
Laurel Decker: What are some unexpected benefits that came from opening during the pandemic? Why do you think it's unique to the pandemic?
Eli Zemper: I think the pandemic created an acute awareness of how important it is to attend to your mental health. I also think that people are craving ways to connect to one another again. Because we collectively have gone through so much the last three years, I think people have really welcomed all the new small businesses that are cropping up that emphasize doing creative things with others (look at all the cookie decorating, sushi making, paint like Bob Ross kinds of classes people are offering!) I think without the stark contrast of what living isolated from community looks like, people might not be as welcoming or motivated to try these new class offerings.
Laurel Decker: How have you, your staff, and your clientele dealt with the various mandates related to Covid 19?
Eli Zemper: This one is tricky. When we first started hosting workshops last March, we followed what the CDC was recommending. As the year progressed and the temperatures warmed, we were outside, so more people felt inclined to let everyone choose their comfort level with masking or not. As norms are changing, more people are vaccinated and boosted, it seems like people are masking or not masking to their preference and there are less clear guidelines that everyone is following.
Laurel Decker: What is the most useful personal skill or trait that you and your staff implement to keep the business going?
Eli Zemper: The most useful personal skill is empathy. Everyone wants to feel seen and valued. We ensure that people feel comfortable and taken care of during our workshops and in our social media celebrations of their work. There is often a sense of pride or a surprise at their accomplishments at our workshops. Sometimes people use the workshop as a way to process things, like grief. We've had people make projects to memorialize loved ones who are no longer here. All of this clay work is valid—whether it's a night out with friends or a birthday or wedding shower, or a container to put your grief, making something with your hands helps us all integrate what life is dealing us.
Laurel Decker: Is there a memorable moment, good or bad, associated with having a business during such an uncertain time that you could share?
Eli Zemper: I think in August, when I first paid my house mortgage with our earnings, I felt so proud of this baby business! I have imagined this whole process like "birthing" a new thing into the world, and I'm so proud of this little baby for trying to stand on its own feet. Like little people, it requires SO. MUCH. WORK—and attending to, and love, and patience. But I am proud of how it is growing!
Laurel Decker: Did you take any time away from operating as a business? Depending on that answer, was there a fundamental reason you took the break or that you didn't shut down business?
Read related article: Leaps of Faith: Carosello Pasta
Eli Zemper: This is the business iteration that finally made it to the opening stage. We have been planning a slew of businesses for the last decade, everything from a roller derby gym to a brewery, to a recreational bike company, to a distillery. There has been no break (whew) since the planning stages, so that has been challenging to attend to while raising our (now) 6-year-old twins and our 11-year-old. Finding balance continues to be challenging.
As we neared the end of the workshop, I, and many of the attendees, had the same instinct to help The Zempers clean up the tables. Pottery making is a messy process! But they insisted that they had a system, and that when we finished, we could simply put our brushes and tools down and enjoy the rest of our Saturday. I said my goodbyes to my table mates, and new friends, and headed to my car to grab my cross-country skis. There was some fresh snow outside, and we were conveniently in a metropark.
In a few days I’ll go to Hudson Mills to pick up my soup bowl. I’m really excited to see what it looks like after the firing process. And I’m happy to report that even with my lack of ceramic skills, in a way I did make a “killer bowl” after all. I chose the skull & bones press-on rice paper artwork provided by Zemper and, using a clever idea I saw online, painted on the words “cereal killer.” I can’t wait for my breakfast cereal-loving friend to open it on his birthday.
For more information, upcoming workshops, or to book a private gathering with Curiouser Clay, visit curiouserclay.com or you can give Zemper a call at (734) 272-8615.
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