New Business In Ancient Craft Comes To Woburn

WOBURN, MA — One of the newest new businesses in Woburn isn’t some high-tech hotshot or the latest life sciences breakthrough-maker.

But Cozy Clay might add new life to an ancient industry, here in downtown Woburn.

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Cozy Clay, at 315 Main St., is a pottery studio focused on allowing the community to participate in ceramics-making. The studio held an initial public workshop on Saturday.

Cozy says it wants to be “a welcoming space where Woburn residents of all ages, backgrounds and ability levels (can) connect, create and unplug,” according to a statement.

The 2,200-square-foot studio employs five part-time staff and three instructors, founders Alice Lee and Sara Ly told Patch. The Saturday workshop was well attended by “neighbors who walked by our window display and signed up.”

The studio features 15 pottery wheels, a slab roller and an extruder. Cozy Clay is offering one-time workshops and eight-week classes, as well as memberships for experienced potters.

Community clay makers like Cozy are growing throughout the U.S.

“Pottery classes, once considered a niche hobby for artists or retirees, have transformed into vibrant social hubs, places where friendships are formed, ideas are exchanged, and community flourishes,” wrote national arts website Feel Artistic in July.

The Cozy Clay founders said in an email to Patch that the growth is due to “the desire to disconnect from the world, be immersed in a hands-on activity and use the creative side of our brains.”

Adding to the trend – or maybe because of it – is the popularity of “The Great Pottery Throw-Down,” a British reality competition TV show that’s received international viewership. Think “The Great British Bake-Off,” but with clay pots.

Cozy Clay plans to hold a "grand opening" of its Woburn space on Thursday, May 21, starting at noon.

Clay-made pottery around the world dates to at least 25,000 years B.C., according to most historical reports.

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