Meet Curtis Rindels | Owner & Operator of Wheelhouse Pottery Studio

We had the good fortune of connecting with Curtis Rindels and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Curtis, what principle do you value most?
“Forever a student.” This is a mantra I’ve always kind of said to myself, which is somewhat ironic because I didn’t go to college. (But going to school and learning are two different things.) I love learning by doing. I worked in restaurants under incredible mentors, mastering the skills needed to become a sous chef at the Flagstaff house for a number of years. I worked in a pottery studio and learned from the great people around me how to teach classes. I started making and selling pottery out of my garage and learned on my own the most efficient way to operate a studio. It’s important to be open and curious, and also push yourself to be better. Even when you think you know something, there is always more to learn. It’s a good way to live.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Wheelhouse is a community pottery studio located in the Prospect neighborhood in Longmont. We offer classes, memberships, and date nights. The studio is equipped with electric wheels, a slab roller, and a variety of stoneware clay and glazes. All clay is fired to cone 10 in a 10 cubic ft gas reduction kiln. I started Wheelhouse in the fall of 2021 with one goal in mind: to bring people together through clay. Before opening Wheelhouse, I worked at the Boulder Pottery Lab for four years, teaching classes and assisting in the day-to-day operations of the studio. I left the Lab to focus on making and selling my own work. After a year working for myself, COVID hit and sales were down. I used the extra time on my hands to take a business class and write the business plan for the studio. I missed working alongside likeminded artists and wanted to bring a pottery studio to the Longmont community. With help from my wife, Gracie, we opened Wheelhouse right around the time the world was opening back up after COVID. I think timing and location had a lot to do with our immediate success – people were desperate to be around other people after months of isolation and also needed a creative outlet. We did have some challenges in the beginning – you’ll remember at that time there were manufacturing and shipping delays. Our wheels were stuck in a shipping container somewhere on the east coast for weeks. But they eventually came. Our kiln was custom built by (Jim Cooper of CooperWorks kilns in Denver) to fit into our space. We had to learn how to fire a gas kiln indoors and it took several firings to get it dialed in. We learned a lot in the first few months and adapted our business based on what was in demand. We started out with 5 classes per week and 10 members. Now we offer 3 classes per week and have 45 members. We’ve been consistently selling out our classes and our membership is full, with a waitlist, so we recently decided to take a big leap and move to a bigger studio space across the street. The space is in rough shape but we saw the potential. We’re building it out now which has come with its own unique challenges – totally different from when we opened the studio originally. Now it’s more about working with our architect, engineer, and contractor and dealing with things that come up in construction. Luckily my wife works full time in commercial property management, so she is taking the lead on running the build out while I handle the day-to-day operations of the existing studio and business. We plan to open in the new studio space in mid-June this year. Once we’re in there, we’ll offer more classes and expand our membership program. We’re really excited about being able to serve a larger population and provide more opportunity for our employees.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If someone was coming to Longmont to visit, I would start the day with a coffee and hearty breakfast at Cavegirl Coffeehouse. Then I would take a bike ride along the LoBo trail to Boulder and back. On the way back, stop at Avery Brewing for a crisp IPA out on the patio. Then I’d take a quick nap to recharge before going to a pottery date night at Wheelhouse. After that, I’d grab dinner and drinks at West Side Tavern. Their cocktails are top notch and everything on their menu is excellent – especially steak frites and the grilled cheese with homemade tomato soup.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to Aaron Winston, the Artistic Director at Studio Arts Boulder, who took a chance on me. He hired me at the Boulder Pottery Lab back in 2015. I worked there for 4 years and learned so much and met great people who still support me to this day. It set me on the path I’m on now.

Website: https://www.wheelhouseclay.com

Instagram: @wheelhouse_clay