Quirk-n-Bach Pottery: In Pursuit of Clay
This post is part of my Portrait of a Rebel series profiling creative women. Kristin Quirk Clevenger and Cameron Bach own Quirk-n-Bach, the only live pottery studio and retail space in Annapolis, Maryland. I met Kristin when we were kids. I really admire what these partners have accomplished over the last 25 years.
Quirk-n-Bach Pottery founders: Cameron Back (left) and Kristin Quirk Clevenger (right)
(By Elizabeth Tuico) Kristin Quirk Clevenger and Cameron Bach clearly remember the day they decided a business was brewing between them. “We clicked the minute we met working at a local Annapolis pottery studio in 1992. The wheels were quickly in motion, and the planning began,” said Kristin.
The two worked together for a few years, honing their craft and learning how to run a pottery business. On their days off, the duo drove around Maryland and Delaware, scooping up used equipment and tools from estate sales and veteran potters. Their personal workshop was soon stocked with kilns, wheels, clay mixers and a slab roller.
The groundwork paid off. Quirk-n-Bach Pottery was officially incorporated in 1997. The team specializes in handmade functional stoneware pottery inspired by the Chesapeake Bay. Creating this successful women-owned business – which has operated for over 25 years – has been a labor of love and patience.
Photo courtesy of Quirk-n-Bach Pottery
Kristin grew up in Severna Park, a stone’s throw away from the Severn River. She was introduced to pottery making by Doug Sassi, a popular art teacher at Severn School who started a clay studio in a basement on campus. At Roanoke College, Kristin took more art classes. After graduating with a degree in sociology, her parents suggested she work as an apprentice at a local pottery studio. Two years later in 1992, Kristin was a full-time production potter.
A Greenbelt, Maryland native, Cameron’s pottery journey took her to the southwest United States. “I was an archeology and anthropology major at Arizona State University, going on digs and finding ancient pottery made by local Native American tribes,” said Cameron. “The experience inspired me to start working with clay.” She learned technical skills from Kurt Wiser at ASU before returning to Maryland in 1992 and meeting Kristin.
From 1997 to 2004, Quirk-n-Bach Pottery operated from a spare room in Cameron’s Bay Ridge Annapolis home. While pursuing the business, it was very important for each partner to prioritize her family. In the early days, both were new mothers seeking quality time with their husbands and children. They made it work, adjusting schedules to accommodate pregnancies and infants. All the while, Cameron and Kristin were creating signature pieces and growing a loyal customer base.
Photo courtesy of Quirk-n-Bach Pottery
The time came in 2004 when the business was too big to operate from Cameron’s home. After an extensive search around Annapolis, Quirk-n-Bach Pottery’s second location landed across the street from the first, in a space that once housed an old general store in Bay Ridge. Since Cameron lived across the street, she went to the studio to check on the kilns that worked through the night.
As their personal schedules eased, the partners designed more collections, expanded their wholesale business and participated in art shows. Their Chesapeake Bay-inspired pieces, such as the oyster dishes and old bay shakers, flew off the shelves.
“Moving gave us more space for equipment and inventory,” said Kristin. “A gigantic sun porch was a bonus that we used for our very popular summer camp.” For 14 years, area children enjoyed summers at Quirk-n-Bach Claycamp on that beachfront porch. While the clay dried, the kids went sailing or kayaking on the Chesapeake Bay. Several campers went on to further study ceramics.
Photo courtesy of Quirk-n-Bach Pottery
Another tradition during this period was their holiday seconds sale. Every December, customers lined up down the block to purchase items that didn’t make the cut for shows or wholesale accounts.
By 2018, a bigger space was needed. Quirk-n-Bach Pottery relocated to 414 4th Street, a lively block in Eastport. A real gem, this location features a sales area and a well equipped workshop, making it the only live pottery studio and retail space in Annapolis.
Located next door to Forward Brewing and within a block of popular restaurants, Quirk-n-Bach Pottery benefits from foot traffic. The retail space is a game changer. They also hired a staff. “It’s important for us to support others in the community,” Cameron said. “We have two employees who are essential for the growth of the business.”
Photo courtesy of Quirk-n-Bach Pottery
The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t stop Kristin and Cameron. The partners kept working in the studio (although the store wasn’t opened to the public for three months in 2020). Retail shows were canceled, so they quickly got their online shop up and running. A shopping cart feature was added to the Quirk-n-Bach Pottery website while curbside services, delivery and shipping were offered to customers.
Thanks to their dedicated fanbase, the business survived the pandemic. “We are so grateful and humbled by all the small business support locally and beyond,” said Kristin.
As life slowly adjusted to a new normal, art shows started up again in 2021. Quirk-n-Bach Pottery can be found at the Eastern Shore Sea Glass and Coastal Arts Festival, Waterfowl Festival, Rockville Arts Festival, Artsfest at Solomons Island and others.
Photo courtesy of Quirk-n-Bach Pottery
Many of the Quirk-n-Bach Pottery designs are inspired by customers and custom orders. The Chesapeake Bay provides so many ideas. Some of their most popular pieces are sailboats, crabs, oysters and Navy emblems.
Cameron and Kristin also take trips to encourage creativity and discover other artists. Destinations have included the California coast, Sedona, Scottsdale, Puerto Rico, Florida and Colorado.
What makes Annapolis so special for these partners? “The Chesapeake Bay, historic downtown, great people and the proximity to Baltimore, Washington and New York,” said Cameron. “There’s no better place to operate a small business, create art and raise a family.”
In June 2022, Kristin and Cameron hosted the Quirk-n-Bach Pottery 25th anniversary party at their Eastport retail store and studio. As they celebrated this successful alliance, they reflected on spending their entire careers working on a business they love – and doing it their way. “We’re still learning every day,” said Kristin. “It’s very unusual to have a creative partnership last this long. We’re motivated every day. There’s still so much more to do.”
You can find Quirk-n-Bach Pottery at 414 4th Street in Annapolis, Maryland (443-261-5277). They are open daily from 11am to 4pm.
Elizabeth Tuico owns Rebel Road Creative, a marketing and content writing firm, based in Washington, DC.
