The Tilted Kiln, a business that fell into the owners’ hands, has now become their life.
Owners Joe and Emilie Bott never planned on being business owners. “It is something I never saw myself doing,” Joe Bott said. “But since we’ve been doing it now for 11 years, I can’t see myself not doing it.”
Joe worked as an art teacher in Enterprise. While living there, he would come to St. George to buy supplies from a pottery studio called Desert Light Pottery.
The owner of Desert Light Pottery was selling the business and reached out to Joe to ask if he wanted to buy the studio.
When Joe first asked Emilie whether she wanted to buy the studio, she said no.
“But the price was right,” Emilie said. “Everything just aligned.”
The Botts became the owners of Desert Light Pottery in June 2015, despite never having owned a business before.
For the first year, Emillie ran the studio while Joe continued teaching.
“I’d get calls every day in school saying, ‘I don’t know what these people want, what do I do?’” Joe said. He stopped teaching after that year to help Emilie run the studio.
After a year and a half, the Botts decided to change the name. Once they came up with The Tilted Kiln, they began making logos and showing them to customers in the studio, who loved the new name.
“It is catchy,” Emilie said. “Also, we are a little off-center, so we thought it was fun.”
The couple often participates in the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. A year and a half after buying the business, they changed the name. The couple went to the convention that year to test it out.
On the first night of the convention, they received comments on the new name being ironic or funny. By the end of the convention, the couple was being recognized for The Tilted Kiln because of its catchiness.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, they made at-home kits for customers to help keep their children entertained.
Emilie said she would FaceTime moms to help pick pieces for their children.
They would walk the kits to customers’ cars, or customers would come in and pick them up. The kits included the ceramic piece, a color wheel, glaze and tools.
The Botts love their customers and have created a community through every interaction. They love their regulars and often know when they will usually come in.
“We know everybody, and we love the community,” Joe said.
The Tilted Kiln has built a community, and the Botts try to support their customers as much as possible. They stopped making at-home kits, but for special situations, they will still make one for a community member.
“As an art student, I have visited a few times, and the vibe of the studio is something I can’t explain,” said Amelia Stringham, a senior art major from Millcreek. “You don’t feel judged, everyone is just there to enjoy pottery.”
The Botts recently split their business into two locations. The Tabernacle Street location focuses on pottery. The studio offers classes for people to learn how to throw pottery. There is a four-week class and a one-time class option called “Give it a Whirl.” The pottery studio is open Wednesday through Saturday. The studio offers classes for homeschool students to receive their art credit.
The pottery studio supplies artists and the Clark County School District with tools, clay and glaze.
The second studio is for painting ceramics. It is located on 900 South, just off Bluff Street. The painting studio is open Thursday through Saturday, but the owners hope to extend those hours soon. They have also allowed artists to rent the studio for art projects.
“What differentiates us from Color Me Mine is we don’t have any studio fees,” Emilie said.
At The Tilted Kiln, customers pick a piece, and the cost covers the glaze and firing.
The owners have connections with businesses that pour ceramics, Emilie said. If a customer is looking for a specific piece, they can usually find the mold through one of those connections.
“It is kind of cool because we can get all the retro stuff rather than just the stuff that we’re distributing for,” Emilie said.
Owning a business gives them the opportunity to watch people make and create artwork, Joe said.
“Yes, we have our regulars, but we accept all walks of life,” Emilie said. “It doesn’t matter where you are in your life, it is a studio, and we accept everyone.”
Joe said owning a business has its challenges as the economy fluctuates.
“We are the first thing that gets pulled because we aren’t needed,” Joe said. “Which we kind of are [needed] for therapy reasons and creativity.”
The first five years of owning The Tilted Kiln were a struggle as the couple tried to figure out how to run a business, but after 11 years, the Botts have created a good system, Joe said.
Now, Joe and Emilie run their own convention based on NCECA called Clay Con West. It is hosted at the St. George Convention Center. This past January marked its eighth annual convention. The convention offers day passes and weekend passes. Guests can learn new techniques from artists and meet vendors. Students can attend at a discounted price.
“It is a rewarding job to be with people, to communicate and just connect with them is beyond rewarding,” Emilie said. “Best business you could run. Who wants to be a tax CPA?”
