Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mollie Jenkins. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Mollie , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

MJP began while I was in college at Auburn University seeking a BFA with a concentration in Ceramics after noticing I had quite an interest in wheel throwing. With an ever-growing collection of pots in my closet, I continued to focus on furthering my skills by seeking out a few art shows and becoming a member at the local city pottery studio. While home in Columbus, GA for the summer, I began selling my pottery at the downtown Farmers Market on Saturday’s alongside my cousin who was selling fresh grown vegetables.Upon graduating from Auburn, I moved to Nashville and rented a small studio work space from a makers co-op, Fort Houston. During that time, I continued to participate in art shows around both Nashville and Columbus in an effort to grow my brand. After a couple of years in Nashville, I moved back home to Columbus and set up shop in a 1,400 square foot studio space which seemed dauntingly large for my seemingly small operation.As our client base continued to expand, I slowly began hiring employees and purchased a second kiln to help expedite production. Within about 4 years, we had fully outgrown this little space and I purchased a much larger studio right up the road.

In June of 2021, we moved into our current 5,000 square foot studio to allow continued growth in various aspects of the business.

In hindsight, I continued to take each natural step as it was presented to me. Whether it be growing into a new studio space that was larger than the last, hiring employees to help with various tasks, or purchasing more equipment in order to keep up with current production demands.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My love for ceramics stems from a class I took during my Senior Year at Brookstone School in Columbus, GA. From that moment on, I found it nearly impossible to look past the reoccurring thought of “when will I get to throw again?”. I spent time away from throwing while attending my freshman year in Charleston, SC but the following summer, I quickly enrolled in a pottery class at our local city pottery studio in Columbus.

At that point in time, I chose to transfer to Auburn University and pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in Ceramics. I knew I would be able to throw on the wheel, have access to a studio and focus on improving my knowledge and develop new skills while there, which was very important to me.

Once completing my studio art degree, I purchased a used wheel (which I set up in my parents’ basement for a few months until I moved) to take with me to Nashville. I then settled into a tiny studio space with my wheel, my kiln, two shelves and a table. MJP started with Dinnerware as the primary items for sale; we have since expanded into Lamps, Dog Bowls, backsplash Tile, as well as a clay project line for kids called Muddies. I have grown this business from making just a few pieces a week to making up to several hundred pieces each week and recently moved into a 5,000 square foot studio in Columbus, GA. We now have several employees to help with the remainder of the processes, such as glazing, shipping, correspondence with customers, and lamp assembly- just to name a few. Even during covid, we continued to reach new customers each week through word of mouth as well as social media. I am very proud of the growth MJP has experienced in the last few years.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

We have continued to benefit from the use of social media; I am continuously amazed with the spread of information on platforms such as instagram. In addition to social media, word of mouth has been a huge help in growing Mollie Jenkins Pottery into what it is today. We have been fortunate to work with a handful of restaurants and are extremely grateful for these opportunities as it allows consumers to enjoy our dinnerware as well as provide wide-spread brand exposure for MJP.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

When starting out, I was torn between using Etsy or creating my own website to sell straight to consumers. While I do think platforms such at Etsy are immensely valuable by driving new customers to smaller brands, I enjoyed the thought of building a brand from scratch. By attending craft shows several times a year, I was able to spread the word in person and decided to create our website and began selling my wares straight to consumers.

Contact Info:

• Website: molliejenkinspottery.com
• Instagram: @molliejenkinspottery
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MollieJenkinsPottery/
• Other: @muddiesbox