About Hobby Ceramicraft
Who we are...
Hello! We are Brother and Sister, Matthew Sheppard and Jane Stenning. Our fun and inspiring business, Hobby Ceramicraft, is very much a family affair, having been in our family for almost as long as we can remember. It all began nearly three decades ago. In the late Eighties our parents introduced a new craft called 'Pottery Painting' into their small retail multi-craft shop. Over the next few years this new 'craft' developed significantly and became our main and eventually, only craft. Ceramics was, always has been and continues to be our life, our business.
As the years have passed it is fascinating to see how the potential for this style of Pottery continues to grow. The business has evolved, developed, grown into a friendly, comprehensive wholesaler supplying ceramic studios across the UK and beyond. Once the kids of the business, it's now our turn as 'Grown-Ups' at the helm! We continue to be very much a family run affair, with the same principles of supplying and developing the very best products, whilst giving long term customer support to help build a bright future both for our customers, our industry and our future. Both of our partners are now integral to the running of our business, Jane's husband Michael in our warehouse, Matt's wife Helen doing the accounts. And as for 'our' kids...? Well, only a few more years and we'll have them primed to take the reins...
Hobby Ceramicraft is the distributor with very sound credentials.
If you are interested in finding out about us, read on; if you just want to know where we are today, skip to the end!
How our modern Contemporary Studio, or Ceramic Café industry has evolved is interesting, and we believe it is a constantly changing process, with much to be learned from the past as we shape where we are going. Our years of experience within this specialised industry we feel gives us a strong base to grow from, and support for established businesses and newcomers alike. Our success has been built on the success of our knowledgeable and informed customers.
Following a meteoric year as novice Hobby Ceramic studio owners, John and Anne Sheppard launched into distributorship in 1987. From the beginning they vowed to sell only the finest quality materials, but in their view of even greater importance was the decision to support everything they sold with the very best, in-depth training and knowledge. No matter how fine the product, without the knowledge of how best to use it, the finished results can often be disappointing. This principle we are proud to uphold to this day.
Fresh from a childhood spent of artistic endeavours and being used as props in our parents craft business, ("look, if even a 7 year old can do it,... so can you!"), and after finishing our formal education we both became partners in the business. We began to see how certain crafts, as well as being fun, can actually become profitable businesses.
As Hobby Ceramicraft grew and developed, we all became deeply involved in gaining and expanding our knowledge, at factory training sessions, international seminars, conventions, and a vast amount of practical hands on research, both independently and in our own retail public studio. As we took on more staff we made sure that every staff member took intensive certification course training, and most also attended many U.S.A. teaching events.
Back in the late Eighties and early Nineties the 'Hobby Ceramic' market was a very different one to that which has developed today. The public that wanted to get involved usually had a craft background, or were generally creative. They went along to their local studio and learnt about some of the endless products and clever techniques that gave easily achievable and remarkable results. This formed a knowledgable customer with a long term commitment to the craft. Essential to this was education. Educating the studio owner into being able to educate their customers made good sense, and long term customers. Every one of the studios we supplied at that time enjoyed the benefit of our unique 6 day intensive training course, held in our Hampshire studio.
This is now all referred to as 'Traditional Hobby Ceramics', and covered a vast range of ceramic decorating products and techniques. Our role was to ensure that the studios we supplied, looked beyond the simple and rewarding products, and concentrated on what we felt (and still do) is the true magic formula for success. This is teaching the whole spectrum of our wonderful craft; from the magic of fired glazed finishes, through the 'instant' beauty of various stain techniques, to glass fusing, glorious brushstrokes in greenware, bisque or majolica techniques. Then discover the scores of new, (and sometimes very old), skills which await the hooked Ceramist. A well trained, eager to learn studio owner will gain great fulfilment, satisfaction, (and profit), from leading their customers into new skills, new delights and successes.
Wholesaling for us began officially in 1987 when Ceramichrome, (later to merge and combine with Mayco), entrusted Hobby Ceramicraft with the sole U.K. and Ireland Distributorship of their outstanding products. Mayco Colours today has today, unquestionably become one of the market standards within the current Contemporary Ceramic market.
In 1991 a new type of contemporary "instant" 'Paint Your Own Pottery' business opened almost unnoticed in California this was to spread like wildfire across the States and later the U.K. Right from the beginning in 1992 Hobby Ceramicraft became involved with the emerging Contemporary studios in America , followed the successes, learned from the mistakes, and soon were to teach, supply and help launch the first U.K. contemporary studios. Decades later the Contemporary Ceramic Studio has become the most accessible and enjoyable way for the general public to create fantastic looking Pottery/Ceramics. As a potentially very profitable enterprise "Paint Your Own Pottery" has drawn many entrepreneurs into Ceramics. Many bring a refreshing breath of business acumen and ideas, we throw in a sprinkling of essential guidance and direction from our experience supply studios and the result is hopefully a fresh, colourful, independent business, primed for success!
