Potters practice a most ancient art. Working with ceramics, they use inorganic, nonmetallic solids that are shaped into any object, heated in a kiln, and then cooled. Of course, potters cannot find all the necessary pottery supplies they need. To find pottery tools, such as pottery wheels for sale and small kilns, they need a pottery supply store. A pottery supply store means they can make the necessary changes they need in their pots. A pottery supply store can also ensure that they receive no unnecessary down time with their pottery.
A pottery supply store comes from a very old art. A pot is a bowl or vessel that can contain solids or liquids, made by either pinching clay, coiling clay, or adding flat clay slabs. The earliest bits of pottery were found at Cetalhayuk in present day Turkey, the oldest permanent village known. Starting as something utilitarian, pottery evolved into a graphic art. The Greeks made beautiful amphorae, while the Hopi and Zuni were famous for decorating their pots.
That said, these early potters did not have the luxury of a pottery supply store. A pottery supply store only came later with the introduction of industrialization. Then, pots were factory produced, and individual potters had the luxury of treating it as a hobby. They created pots for the sole purpose of art and decoration.
Of course, a pottery supply store had to adapt to sophisticated potting techniques. In addition to casting and throwing onto a potter wheel, many are now injection molded. Pottery glazes have also changed, especially as some minerals in certain glazes have become depleted. The future of pottery supply stores will be similarly challenging.
Pottery will always be with us. As more learn to pot, they need pottery supply stores to pot. Having such stores allows this hobby to flourish, and also creates a better place for everyone. Read this for more.