Georgie’s Ceramic & Clay Company

Great store! Combine all the clay stores into one and you have Georgie’s. Lots of tools and fun stuff for anyone interested in any form of ceramics. Clay is pricey but they can be with not much competition.

My cat died and I wanted to carve a little plaque for him. Called Georgie’s and the woman who answered was very sympathetic and suggested that workers at Georgie’s would be able to help me with specific questions as to how to go about this. When I got to the store and started asking questions they were met with what I can best describe as polite indifference. I couldn’t find the right kind of stone for my plaque and when I asked if anyone could suggest another source one employee suggested I try «googling it.»
Excellent advice and next time I’ll just skip the whole «going to Georgie’s» part as I might as well have just stayed home.

I was hesitant to say the least after reading these Unilocal reviews. However I did still make the journey to their store. I do not look like an artist or even remotely artsy and I was prepared for the staff to shun me. I meandered through the store for a while and thought the prices were reasonable. I gathered the supplies I needed and 25lbs of their clay and headed for the register where I was shocked… I was helped by the most friendly person I’ve ever met. He even gave me the info of another studio that would fire my work at cone 10. I’ll be returning to pick up some glazes in the future. I’d recommend giving the place a chance if you live in the area and or don’t want to order clay online.

With zero ceramics experience, signed up with a friend to take their Beginning Wheel class which cost $ 219. There is no online enrollment by the way.
When we arrived, it turned out that over half the people in the class had prior experience and were just refreshing their skills, not actually learning for the first time like I was. One was advanced to the point that he was guiding me much of the first couple of classes!
The teacher was very nice but never passed out a syllabus so we’d know what we’d be working on each week, and didn’t go over the basic terminology while instructing. I noticed that there were a lot of assumptions about what we should do and know, and we were only shown the cup, bowl and plate, not «flower vases, batter bowls, and lidded jars» as the description pointed out. There were also no introductions to get to know everyone else in the class.
I was surprised that there was little emphasis on glazing and decorating — it was a short demo, discouraging handpainting, and the instructor made it clear this was not the part of ceramics that he particularly enjoyed. The thing is, there should be more of a focus as you can make the prettiest bowl on the wheel but if your painting technique sucks, all that time is lost.
I was also very frustrated when the guy who put our stuff in the kiln told me there’s no guarantee as to when our stuff would go in, so I had to wait two weeks for mine to be done, which is valuable time when you only have 8 classes! After that I lost confidence in creating anything more because I didn’t want to spend all that time making something only to possibly never have it processed in time for me to glaze it and have it fired before the end of the 8 weeks. I was also turned off by the energy level in the class — there was very little interaction and few students seemed to have much of a sense of humor (except for my friend, and the teacher).
Taking classes to learn something new for the first time is something I love to do, and unfortunately this experience soured me on wanting to learn more about ceramics. Community classroom organizers have to realize that making class fun and appropriate for the level they described is so important — I’ve never worked with clay in my life and was very nervous coming in, and didn’t leave feeling all that inspired, just that I’d rather go to Mimosa Studios and paint mugs rather than try building the mug myself :(

You can find items else wear for cheaper, but it basically has the caramincs markets in the bag.

Georgie’s has a large selection of art supplies. I’m not a ceramics artist and I actually went in there for some kiln paper for my glass kiln. They had a small selection of soft glass and I got what I needed.
They also have a decent selection of brushes and other art supplies. Even if you’re not into ceramics, check that place out if you’re into browsing art supplies.

Georgies has the best selection of clay and glazes in Portland as well as a wide variety of brushes and crafting supplies. They manufacture a wide variety of clays as well as having clay available from other clay companies. Recently, their clay production has been uneven and not all clay has been available for weeks at a time. They are also often out of glazes from other companies, so that can make finishing a project difficult.
You can get discounts there at certain times of the year for books, glazes and kilns. Though it is often cheaper to get a kiln elsewhere even though Skutt a local Portland manufacturer is right here is Portland.
Ceramics is a broad field and unfortunately, some of the staff try to be helpful, but give incorrect information about the products. When I went there, they gave me a clay for throwing, telling me it was a good clay for hand building… Everything cracked as it was very plastic with little grog. They have many kinds of clay and I did find clays I like, but you might get good information or incorrect information there, so do your research which is always a good idea anyway. If you have time it is cheaper to get clay delivered from the Clay Art Center in Tacoma as their delivery fees are less than Georgies and their customer service is very good, but you need to plan ahead.

They are the only game in town and they know know it. Their prices are 20 to 30 percent higher than anywhere else I have ever shopped for pottery supplies and I have purchased from all over the country.
They scan craigslist 2 or 3 times per day looking for pottery supplies (this is per the guy from Georgie’s who calls you about your CL ad). Georgies then resells the kilns and wheels they purchase for 2 to 4 times what they paid for it. They want to force all potters in the Portland area to buy from them. If you take a wheel throwing class at the store, you are not allowed to use their tables to do any handbuilding unless you ALSO pay for the handbuilding class. So if you are having a bad day on the wheel, which we all do, you can’t hand build a piece to re-​focus. You can’t even hand build a foot for a wheel thrown piece!
That being said, the staff is very helpful and nice. They all know their stuff and are willing and able to answer your questions. They want everyone to be knowledgeable and safe when it comes to firing a kiln and having a home studio.
They also offer a 20% student discount on certain items if you remember to tell them that you are a student.
Do I love Georgie’s? No. But, I will shop there since I have nowhere else to go locally. I will continue to buy as much as I can online, and only go to them when I’m in a pinch.

Georgies is the Go-​to place for clay in Portland. It is well kept, and well stocked. I have had the occasion where some tool that I wanted was out (shrinkage ruler) but that is a pretty rare instance. If you’re a beginner to clay I can’t think of a better place to go get supplies. Even for us advanced and professional types, they are a great supply store. The staff is knowledgeable and very helpful.
The only complaint I have is that their prices on raw materials can be ridiculous. Cobalt, which has become an expensive material, was $ 68 per lb at Georgies while it was $ 36 per lb from the Clay Art Center. So if you’re planning on making your own glazes, shop around first.

Georgie’s has so much clay! It’s a clay-​lovers’ paradise. It’s very carefully arranged in ascending cone numbers and well labeled for amateurs and pros alike. Georgie’s specialized mixes are definitely cheaper than the «name brands,» which is nice… if you’re not really particular with your clay bodies, these mixes will get the job done. The staff are really nice and helpful and know their clays. Say «wheelthrowing» and they’ll drag you over to their like ten or so mixes just for the wheel.
Georgie’s also does low and mid-​fire bisques. I’m sorry folks, but I just can’t remember if they do high-​fire bisques. They charge by the piece, ¼ shelf, and full shelf, which is perfect for those who like to make a ton of stuff and then lug it on over on a rainy day.
I believe Georgie’s is a Skutt dealer, since Skutt is based in Portland.
They also have a very helpful quarterly newsletter. You should definitely subscribe if you want to keep up on all the deals going on here.

I can’t rate Georgie’s as a ceramics person, but their staff is very helpful and they have a small selection of mosaic supplies. My son bought sheets of beeswax and candle wicks here. There’s a small play area for little kids.