The East Fork Journal The Journal

Two people smiling and standing outside a craftsman home.

The Key to Ending Homelessness

An introduction to our Q2 Community Partner, Homeward Bound

A black and white photo of Alex Matisse kneeling in front of large ceramic pieces in a wood kiln

Why Is It Called East Fork?

Alex Matisse, East Fork’s founder, on how the company got its name and why it represents a “little private victory” for him.

Various sizes of ceramic plates and tiny bowls in a rainbow of earthy colors are artfully laid out together against a white background.

Color Theory: Core Colors

Our Head of Design, Nicole Lissenden, shares the details of how we built our core color palette.

A person wearing a black sweatshirt is holding a ceramic terracotta mug with 2 hands.

How We Make The Mug

Want to know everything there is to know about how we make The Mug? It’s your lucky day. Get the behind-the-scenes on how we make our iconic ceramic mug.

A ceramic pottery factory with large kiln carts filled with pots, assembly lines, and two people working in the center.

Update on How Our Pots Get Made

East Fork’s manufacturing floor stands on the precipice of a big change. We’re preparing to move to a new clay body and glaze recipe that’s been three years in the making.

Reflections on East Fork’s Origins

East Fork is rooted firmly, joyfully, intentionally in Western North Carolina. It’s in the name of the company: the east fork of Bull Creek flows near the old Madison County farm where Alex started making and selling pottery in 2009.
The Dish, Episode #1

Watch our first episode of The Dish, an inaugural talk of what will become an ongoing quarterly update from East Fork’s Founders on what it takes to run a manufacturing business with integrity.
2020 Fall Preview

Our newest glazes Panna Cotta and Amaro are coming mid-September, but we have more than that up our sleeves for the rest of the year. Stay tuned...
Clay Buddies: Nicole Lissenden

Nicole is East Fork’s Art Director. That means she is in charge of making our digital and print materials look and feel great! Learn about her involvement in the early days of East Fork, her printing presses, her wonderful and creative kids, and of course, her five favorite things.
Clay Buddies: JaQuan LaPierre

JaQuan is East Fork’s Roller Tool Lead. We talked about why he is proud to call himself a member of East Fork’s team, how he gets into ‘the zone’ at work, and his absolute favorite thing—his family.
Clay Buddies: Britta Baker

Britta Baker is on East Fork’s fulfillment team. You can thank her personally for packing up your pottery and sending it to your door with so much love and care. Read below about distant memories of Syria, her tiny home project, and her mead making hobby.
Clay Buddies: Molly Webb

Meet Molly Webb, the manager of our Atlanta store. As a lover of art, design and all things fashion, Molly helps complete our look in Atlanta. Read below about her past life as a founder of the Spin Style Agency, her thoughts on fashion in golf, and of course, her five favorite things.
East Fork: A History
What is Forecasting?

At its most basic, forecasting means using historical data and educated assumptions to predict a future state. At East Fork, we use historic sales to determine our typical % of Revenue is for each of our forms and glazes. If that's not enough to get you to click in and keep reading then we can't help you...
Clay Buddies: Devin McMillen

Devin McMillen is East Fork’s new Ceramic Engineer. He will blow your mind with his knowledge of ceramics, and then shatter your assumptions about engineers when he talks about his floor loom. 🤯
Questions, Answered!

Hey folks! I asked our Instagram followers if there are any burning-business related questions folks had.
Clay Buddies: Emilja Tokarski

Emilja is in charge of producing the thing you all go crazy for—THE MUG! Keep reading to learn about our awesome “mug operations lead”—from her journey at East Fork to her thoughts on different kinds of motorcycles.
Clay Buddies: Daryl Nathanson

Meet Daryl, fulfillment manager by day and talented musician by night. Here's a bit about him, and why we're so glad he's a part of our team.
10 Years Ago on Ras Grooms Road

"We contemplated the cosmic absurdity that two people from such different worlds would find themselves together in this little clearing in the woods, listening to the wind and snow. We were alone in a strange dreamscape, and life felt new and wild and sweet and full of possibility."
Holiday Shipping Deadline

The last day to get your orders in is Friday, December 13th at 5pm EST.
A Friendly Holiday Shopping Season Reminder

Ah, the holidays. A time to gather together with friends and family. A time to give thanks. A time to give gifts. And a time—as evidence shows—when depression, anxiety, and misdirected anger are at their peak.
Quality at East Fork

In the early days, there were no set standards for quality, no SOP’s, and no QC position. The quality and price of a pot was based solely on the maker's own intuitive judgment.
A (Heartfelt) Financial Report from CFO John Vigeland

"We’re a pretty good microcosm of the middle of the US Economy more broadly (no flashy silicon valley salaries, a $15 minimum wage company-wide)."
The Geami

Our dishes are durable, but not unbreakable. They're fired to a high degree to take a bump or two, but...
My Chemical Romance: Glazing 101 with Kyle Crowder

What exactly is glaze made of? Why is it so hard to make a fluorescent fuchsia colored Dinner Plate? What...