Sage Valley Pottery brings back tradition that left with Hanselmann

CORRALES — A durable yet pleasing-to-the-eye plate or bowl is hard to find. To the luck of Corraleños and surrounding residents, Sage Valley Pottery has returned and has them covered.

Jessi Penrod, owner and pottery artist of Sage Valley Pottery, was overwhelmed but pleased by the large turnout of people at the grand opening Oct. 4.

“I feel really good, but honestly, a little overwhelmed. There’s a lot of people here, but I know that people really loved the space before, so I’m just really happy to see this much support,” she said.

That support has come from friends, customers, the Corrales community and Corrales MainStreet to ensure the pottery business was able to open again. Now, Penrod and the other staff have the daunting task of making enough product to keep up with demand.

“Really, after today, we just need to start making a lot more pots. I’m ready to hire some new potters and train people how to keep this tradition alive,” she said.

With the holiday season on their doorstep, she says they just need to be ready for it.

“We make everything 100% handmade on the potter’s wheel. We don’t use any molds or jiggers or machinery. We’re going to try to keep things consistent and make as much as we can, but keep things all handmade. It takes a lot of training, but it’s definitely worth it,” she said.

The dozens of pieces available for purchase at the grand opening took Penrod and her head potter James West a few months to make. The business started as Hanselmann Pottery, which closed.

“He is the one who designed a majority of the work that you see in here, and he trained me how to make this stuff. He’s my mentor and he’s training other potters. So this really is a lot of his work and his legacy, and we’re continuing the legacy of the Hanselmann’s through continuing to make handmade ceramics here in the village,” Penrod said.

The small but thriving Sage Valley Pottery is carrying on the Hanselmann style, but Penrod has more reasons than one for people to go there.

“I think first just to support small business and Corrales and then second, you know, this pottery is really one of a kind and we put a lot of effort into making sure our materials are durable, food safe, nontoxic and oven safe. So not only do we design it to be beautiful and functional, but also just something that you can use every day and count on and know it’s safe for your family to use. So we’re really invested from material to finished product,” she said.

For more information, visit the Sage Valley Pottery Instagram Page.