Creative family-fun pottery business celebrates one year under new ownership.

A crafty, family-oriented business is celebrating one year under new ownership this month. Piddlin’ Pottery, which has been in the Tyler area for approximately two decades, is now owned by Diana Barham.

Barham said her own experience with the business is what led her to purchase Piddlin’ Pottery.

“While we weren’t the ones who originally opened this business, we wanted to own it because we loved coming here as customers and we feel that it is truly a great service to have available in our community,” she said.

Piddlin’ Pottery provides a fun, creative environment and all the supplies to create your own piece of art. The inventory of bisque ceramics, pieces that have already been fired once, provides a wide variety of subjects and sizes to choose from. Each person picks a piece that fits their style and budget, and then paints it to make it into something completely unique. The piece is then glazed with a clear glaze and then fired again causing the colors of the paint to truly come through.

“We offer the occasional hand building class for clay work where people can create their piece from the very beginning and we are constantly looking for ways to bring more fired art options to our studio,” Barham said. “You don’t have to be ‘crafty’ or have great artistic ability to create something original here either, it truly is a place where everyone and anyone can come and have fun.”

Barham said the first year has been an adventure.

“It has been wild, a year full of learning and fun. We made a few changes this year including rearranging the front room, adding more inventory choices, and we even started casting some of our own pieces to offer some locally made options,” she said. “We have met so many wonderful people and there is no way we could have done it all without the support of our amazing clients, who have truly become friends as well,” Barham added. “We are super excited for the next year to come and hope to be able to provide even more ways to get creative.”

The unique business allows a place for individuals to go and focus on their pieces, a fun date activity for couples, and a place where families can bring multiple generations to create lasting memories for years to come.

“There really aren’t many places in Tyler like ours where you can come and have the freedom to talk and interact while doing something creative together,” Barham said. ‘It’s a creative outlet for so many in an encouraging environment where every time you come you can do something new.”

Barham said no matter your age, at Piddlin’ Pottery everyone is an artist.

Piddlin’ Pottery is located at 322 East Southeast Loop 323, Suite 132 next to Tuesday Morning behind Cotton Patch. The business can be reached at 903-939-9111. Current hours of operation are Thursday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Hours will soon be extended for the summer months.

For more information, visit the Piddlin’ Pottery Facebook page.