15 years of East Fork

Fri 12:00 AM•eastfork

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This all started on an old farm in Madison County,  North Carolina. I met Connie shortly after moving out there, and she helped the whole thing unfold. About two years in, John joined us, and we began collectively stamping our pots “East Fork.” Over the years, we hired a few more people, found a beautiful building in Asheville, and nursed a bunch of old machines from dusty factories back to life. Now we’re about 130 people, making close to a million pieces of pottery a year. On this 15-year anniversary, we wanted to pause, look back, and reintroduce some of that early East Fork—the stuff I never want us to lose sight of, even amidst the growth and forward movement of the last 15 years. Thanks for coming along for the ride,

2009 - Alex buys an old tobacco farm. He meets Connie. She asks if he’ll be her friend. He says yes. 2011 - The first kiln opening was held in April of 2011 underneath the apple trees in full bloom.

2013 - John Vigeland joins Alex as the second potter under the East Fork name. The three—Alex, Connie and John—start dreaming around an old wood stove of what East Fork could become. 2015 - East Fork purchases its first-ever gas kiln, making it possible to fire a line of dinnerware with greater consistency. Every pot is still thrown by hand, but the small crew of potters starts laying the groundwork for something bigger.

2018 - Alex and Connie sell the farm to fund the move into a larger “factory” in Asheville, a bold leap that transitions the company from small-batch studio to scalable, manufacturing production. 2019 - The Mug is re-launched, with a refined shape and new hand-feel, becoming the gold standard for quintessential East Fork design.

2020 - The world shuts down.  East Fork doesn’t. In the face of  a global pandemic, the team navigates closures and protocols—and witness the strange  and beautiful rise of #TheMug  on Instagram. 2024 - John steps back from daily operations at East Fork to get back on the wheel and build his own workshop. East Fork makes a big move: installing a massive clay line  to bring their clay production  in-house. A few months later, Hurricane Helene tears through Western North Carolina, leaving destruction in its wake. East Fork’s primary facilities were spared the worst. The team rallies, reopens within two weeks, keeps every employee on payroll, and raises over $450,000 for local  relief efforts.

“At the heart of it is a simple conviction: that our business should be a force for creating a more just, joyful, and equitable world. Through clay, through commerce, through culture, we set a beautiful and abundant table for as many people as we can.” - Alex Matisse, CEO & Founder

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East Fork Pottery, LLC 531 Short McDowell Street Asheville, North Carolina 28803

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