A New Kind of Clay Shop Has Opened on Our Corner

Natasha Human
6 hours ago
5 min read

We're so excited to share that we just partnered with Van Tuyl to open a little Ceramic Supply Store! Right on the street in front of Clay Hands - 194 Victoria Road in Woodstock. Thi shop has been built from a shared love of clay, filled with materials we genuinely believe in, and designed to feel like somewhere you actually want to spend time. And we are so glad to share with you!

Clay Corner is a clay art supplies and tools shop for hobbyists, beginners, and working potters. We have been careful about what we stock — choosing quality over quantity, and sourcing from producers we respect. Here is what you will find when you walk in.

Clay, from Here and Far Away

We stock a considered range of clays from across South Africa and beyond.

• Jeremy Dubber Clays (Grahamstown, Eastern Cape) — high-fire stoneware from one of South Africa’s most respected potters.

• Ndebele Clays (KwaZulu-Natal) — including L-Mix Stoneware and TC Grey Terracotta Fine, beloved for their workability and warm earthy tones.

• Reinders Clays (Cape-based) — our local favourite, including the beautifully speckled TR5 Speckled Manganese stoneware.

• SIO-2 Clays (Spain) — we are especially excited to be among the first local stockists of this Spanish range. We carry JADE Porcelain, Upsala Blue Porcelain, and LUNA Speckled Ivory Stoneware. These clays fill real gaps in what has been available locally, and they are every bit as beautiful to work with as they sound.

🫶 Speaking of LUNA — we are giving away a bag to one lucky person who signs up for our newsletter. Sign up here to enter.

Glazes Worth Getting Excited About

We stock two glaze brands that we have carefully chosen for their quality, range, and reliability:

Colorobbia (Italy) — a heritage Italian ceramics brand with a glaze range that covers a lot of creative ground. We stock:

• Bellissimo — vibrant, intense, food-safe glazes that are easy to apply and versatile across techniques (brush, sponge, drops, hand printing). Perfect for all levels.

• Fairy Dust — a sparkling semi-translucent glaze that creates a beautiful shimmer, particularly gorgeous over textured surfaces. Use alone or layered over Bellissimo for completely unique effects. Keep a dedicated brush for these — the dust is wonderfully contaminating.

• Terra Bella — a reactive glaze range inspired by nature. These produce unpredictable, gorgeous surface variations — matt, glossy, multi-tonal — and no two pieces come out the same. Some colours react together to create striking patterns.

Mayco (USA) — one of the world’s most trusted ceramics glaze brands, with something for everyone from beginners to professionals:

• Classic Stoneware & Specialty Stoneware — reliable, sophisticated glazes with gorgeous depth. Many break beautifully over texture, revealing secondary colours and shades at cone 5–10.

• Stroke and Coat — the crowd favourite. A heavy-bodied, incredibly forgiving glaze that fires from cone 06 right up to cone 10 and can be used on greenware or bisque. Brilliant for beginners and detailed decorating alike.

• Crystal Stoneware — stoneware glazes with crystals that melt and bloom during firing, adding movement, variation and magic to pieces you already love.

• Jungle Gems — often described as “art in a jar.” Crystal glazes filled with glass frit that burst into colour during firing. Every piece comes out differently. They flow, they shimmer, they surprise.

• Ritual Glazes — a special-effect range recently brought into the Mayco family, originally founded by ceramicist Sarah Bingham. These glazes create textured, raised surfaces with real tactile presence. Something a little different, and very much worth exploring.

Tools to Get Your Hands Into

Our tools selection is just getting started, but it is already a good one. You will find ribbon tools for throwing, sculpting tools, modelling tools, brushes, underglaze pencils, texture rollers, paddles, tongs, calipers, graters, banding wheels, and more. We are adding to it all the time.

A Few Things We Love

We stock locally made pinafore and split-leg aprons in beige, khaki, and gingham prints... the kind you actually want to wear. We also carry Potter’s Hand Rescue cream, made by talented local potter Bianca Bernstein (if you know, you know — and if you don’t, your hands are going to thank you). Toyo Toolboxes are landing soon too, so keep an eye out.

Kilns on Display

We have Van Tuyl kilns on display in the shop. If you are in the market for a kiln, you are in the right place — our co-founder Richard runs Van Tuyl, so you are talking directly to someone who knows them inside out.

Clay Circle: A Makers Space Just Behind the Shop

Just behind Clay Corner, you will find Clay Circle, our independent makers space. It is best described as hot-desking for potters: a small, focused studio for makers who want more time with clay than a class allows. Whether you are working towards a show, a commission, or simply craving uninterrupted studio time, Clay Circle is built for you.

Only 5 makers at a time in wheel and hand-building stations — so it never gets crowded. Each member gets their own dedicated shelf and tool cubby. Shared glazes, communal tools, firing service, and tea and coffee are all included. It is separate to the Clay Hands teaching wing, so you work entirely at your own pace.

Membership is month-to-month (with a two-month initial commitment) and comes in two tracks:

• Off-Peak (Mon–Fri, morning or afternoon sessions): from R2 000/month for up to 5 sessions, up to R3 000/month for up to 10. The most popular package — 8 sessions — is R2 400/month.

• Peak (Mon–Thu evenings and Saturdays): from R2 200/month for up to 5 sessions, up to R3 200/month for up to 10. The 8-session sweet spot is R2 600/month.

To find out more or book a spot, visit claycorner.co.za/#booking or email natasha@clayhands.co.za.

The Shop Space Itself

Clay Corner was designed by Ex Hotel to speak to the wizardry that is clay — it is a living library meant to delight your aesthetic senses as much as your practical ones.

Who We Are

Clay Corner was founded by two people with clay in their bones. Richard, director of Van Tuyl, has a deep passion for supporting the ceramic world.

Natasha is the founder of Clay Hands, a pottery teaching studio in Cape Town, where I have spent years watching people fall in love with clay for the first time. Between us, we have tried to build something we would want to walk into ourselves. Our Opening night was something really special at the start of June: