Making It in Asheville

020 - Connie Matisse, Co-Founder of East Fork Pottery, Shares lessons on Growing Pains, Relationship Building, and Honest Storytelling

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In this episode, we sit down with Connie Matisse, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of East Fork Pottery.

It's almost impossible to live in Asheville and not have heard of East Fork but, just in case, East Fork Pottery East For makes beautiful ceramic dinnerware and pottery using materials from the local Blue Ridge Mountains mountains.

Founded in 2009 by Alex Matisse, Connie Matisse, and John Vigeland, the company has grown quickly from a small group of friends and artists who had a good “hunch” and creative sense of style to a full-blown, nationally-recognized ceramic business with multiple product lines, an ever-growing need for warehouse and factory space, and an executive team. Despite its growth, East Fork has strived to remain true to its mission: create beautiful, durable, and timeless ceramics in the U.S. following sustainable and ethical practices.

In this Episode you'll learn:

  • The behind-the-scenes story of how East Fork got its start from Connie’s point of view
  • Connie explains how East Fork grew from a small pottery company to a national brand and shares some of the growing pains they experienced along the way
  • Advice for deciding whether or not you should go into business with your friends and loved ones and how to maintain a balanced relationship once you do
  • The unique customer service strategy that East Fork follows
  • East Fork’s strategy for creating engaging Instagram and newsletter content in order to nurture and gently “nudge” customers
  • How to know if you should turn your craft into a business
  • The three East Fork products Connie recommends getting first
  • Connie’s point of view on the city of Asheville and how it’s changed over the years
  • Connie’s favorite spots in Asheville
  • Exciting initiatives coming up in the future for East Fork

    • For show notes, including some supplementary information from this episode visit: MakingItInAsheville.com/020

    To recommend an interviewee, visit: MakingItInAsheville.com/podcast

    Curious to learn more about what we do? Making It Creative is a boutique marketing agency in Asheville. We are dedicated to working with small business owners that are deeply passionate about what they do by helping them build and improve their sales and communication strategies. Learn more here.

    Music by Commonwealth Choir

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    Making It in AshevilleBy Making It Creative, LLC | Sarah and Tony Ubertaccio