About Us

Picture yourself  on a narrow gravel road; the sun at your back, surrounded by the lush green foliage of the Appalachian Foothills. Looking into the distance, you see a pasture. Walk a little further and you are the at front door of Rock Riffle Run Pottery.

   My name is Susan Abramovitz. In the mid-1970's I left a position instructing ceramics at Case-Western Reserve University to settle in what I feel to be the most beautiful part of Ohio, The Southeast. Here I founded Rock Riffle Run Pottery.

Our Pottery

Rock Riffle Run Pottery is boutique -- meaning every single piece is hand-thrown and unique. We lovingly make our pottery on a wheel and sign every piece, keeping alive an art form that is well over 3,000 years old. Although we use some moden equipment, the process and the meterials remain the same as they were in ancient times. It is a tradition that we are very proud to be a part of. 

We produce a line of fully functional Stoneware, designed to be used and enjoyed on a daily basis. Within the last 10 years we have expanded to include a line of Terra-Cottagardening accessories and giftware. 

Our clay

Our clay is mined at Cedar Heights Clay Company- some 50 miles West of the little town of  Shade, Ohio. The clay was laid down 350 million years ago as the earth formed what we now call the Appalachian Mountain Range. We're located right in the foothills-- Beautiful, and close to clay deposits -- a wonderful place for pottery.

The name 'Rock Riffle Run Pottery' originates from the boundary marker "Rock Riffle Run," a creek that borders the property of the original studio. In the mid-1980's, we moved a few miles south, but kept the catchy name.

Our Passion

The roar of the burners... the white hot glow as the spy holes are removed from the kiln as it nears the peak temperature of 2400 degrees... The awakening of a piece of clay as it comes to life on the potter's wheel... Hundreds of pieces sparkling in the sun, with each piece memorable in its transition from a piece of clay in our hands into a beautiful piece of art.

These are but some of the things at Rock Riffle Run Pottery that have kept us excited, fascinated and fed out imagination for over 30 years. Creating hand-thrown pottery is never the same, and is always exciting. This is what we experience as we hold the pieces which someday will be someone else's treasure, and why we are here-- for you!