Feast Pottery opened on Wilton’s Main Street a year ago, just four years since Melina Engel signed up for her first pottery class in Manchester.
After only a few sessions, she knew ceramics was something that would be part of her life from that point on. The process, organic nature of the material and the pieces that resulted felt like she was “feasting on food from the earth that was then becoming part of who I was.”
Her guiding vision for her studio and shop is to create pottery that’s a feast for the table where everyone can gather and connect through not just the food, but through the material it’s served upon, linking all to the natural world around them.
The first pottery she made was for her children, who had never felt the weight of a well-made mug or plate. She discovered that once the pieces were in front of them, they stayed in place and did not end up being swept off the table by careless hands.
Melina commented, “They seemed to have an immediate respect for the cups, bowls and plates in front of them.” This was far different from their attitudes towards the less-substantial tableware they had previously been using.
Melina continued, “At my previous job, I had to make a huge effort to stay focused and release stress. I was working in a very competitive high-tech environment where I felt I could never relax, no matter how satisfying that job was. With pottery, time just disappears. There’s no stress. Things just happen organically. When I’m not working, I start dreaming about things I want to make in the future.”
I asked if she could describe some of them. She said she was just beginning to stock her shop and would like to make more candelabras, big serving bowls and other items that would add to her repertoire. She also would like to make her own glazes and the next step is getting her own kiln. Right now, she must pay for kiln space in Manchester.
One of the things that caught my eye when I first saw her pottery was the way she incised many of the pieces to leave the natural color of the clay as part of the design pattern. If not incising, she also uses wax resist alone to leave places for the unglazed brown clay to add pattern and character to her work.
I finally asked her what her vision was for the future of her studio and shop. She said she has a slow timeline, feeling no need to rush decisions, but would like to add a few other local artisans who focus on quality pieces of textiles, jewelry and other art forms that follow a creative and organically sustainable path.
The person who shares the shop right now, Bella Stimming, founder of Sophie’s Closet clothing, is just the kind of person Melina is referring to.
It wasn’t long after Melina opened her gallery and studio that Bella was given a chance to fulfill her entrepreneurial urge to start a vintage clothing store as well as fulfill her senior Capstone Project for High Mowing School. The currently unused space in the shop has became a showcase for Bella’s future research paper and talk based on what she learns about sustainability from this merchandising experience.
The left side of the store and the area overlooking the Souhegan River are dedicated to Melina’s distinctive pottery, while the right side is ablaze with mostly all-natural, colorful fabrics and textures in clothing styles primarily from the 1960s through the 1990s.
By offering women’s clothing through sustainably recycling well-made and appealing styles from previous decades, Bella should gain insight into what women are looking for, what is appealing and why. Judging from our conversations while visiting the shop, Bella has a way of drawing customers into conversations that reflect their reasons for choosing certain pieces of apparel.
But be warned, she can only be there on Wednesday afternoons from 2 until 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., as she is still a full-time student with class and study commitments restricting her ability to be on hand as much as she would like. On the other hand, Melina plans on being in her studio and gallery most weekdays.
Bella’s inventory is carefully curated and reflects both her style sense and that of those who frequent the store – meaning anyone who appreciates finely made vintage clothing with character, flair and long-lasting appeal.
She began planning this enterprise while still a junior in high school, knowing that she would need to build up stock over that year and through the summer before actually introducing her project and products to the public. This meant trips to Brooklyn to meet vintage clothing store owners who mentored her on choosing the feel she wanted to project as well as organizational and accessibility tips.
It has been a sharp learning curve from the start, beginning with trying to acquire funding to build the inventory. One of the problems was she started this search before she turned 18 and had no personal credit with banks. That was only one of the difficulties she had to overcome before the doors opened to Sophie’s Closet.
What will happen after Bella graduates is still up in the air, but she would like to continue this venture a little longer. In the meantime, enjoy what she has to offer in the shop. The stock will soon become lighter and even brighter once the snow is only a memory.