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Downtown Augusta has lots of little hidden gems, just waiting for you to stumble up on them. Tire City Potters, is one such gem!  Situated in an old garage, this pottery studio is a lot more than meets the eye.  If you’re enjoying a First Friday downtown or strolling down 10th Street after a delicious meal at the Rooster’s Beak or Bee’s Knees you might find yourself wandering into Tire City.

When the large garage doors are open, the studio is quite inviting.  Earlier this week, I was enjoying Taco Tuesday at the Rooster’s Beak across the street. Since the weather was so nice we sat outside while we ate and watched the crowd at the pottery studio.  Our out of town guests were quite curious, so after supper we decided to pop in and see what we could find.

These skull and crossbones mugs would make a perfect gift for even the most macho coffee aficionado!

There is quite a wide variety of pottery from vases and platters, to business card holders and tea kettles.

My favorite were these tiny pinch pots!  I bought a few for Christmas gifts, as they would be perfect finger bowls, salt keepers, or jewelry holders!

If you are downtown and the lights are on, stop by and check out Tire City, you might just find something amazing!

Tire City Potters
210 B 10th Street
Augusta, GA 30901
(706) 294-3871

Guest Blog Submission by Lori Cogan, Bristol, VA

I am an artist at heart. If I could quit my marketing job tomorrow, I’d grow out my gray hair, put it in a bun on top of my head, don a smock, and turn my home office into a studio. Ah, well, that will have to wait another decade or so. In the meantime, I enjoy the artistic endeavors of others. And if it’s really good, I just revel in it.

Such was the case when I ventured through Artist’s Row shops and studios in downtown Augusta last week. 

Artists’ Row was started in 1994 as part of Augusta’s revitalization project in the historic buildings along Broad Street. According to their website, www.augustaartistsrow, Galleries, working art studios, specialty shops, restaurants and coffee houses have flourished in the beautiful historic district. There are close to a dozen shops that are part of this destination shopping experience.

A couple truly stood out for me. A quiet walk through Gallery on the Row admiring the original jewelry, paintings and handcrafts turned into a party when we got to the display of Margaret Ann Smith’s work. My colleague Melissa and I literally started jumping up and down clapping at what hung on the wall before us. It was a riot of color—and the style was part Dali, part Escher, part Van Gough—yet all Margaret Ann Smith. What was most delightful was that her artwork depicted historic, architectural and happy scenes all around Augusta. The gallery manager was happy to tell us all about the artist, which gave us a deeper appreciation for the work. Our favorite was titled, “Round Midnight at the Clock, ” but we loved them all. We promptly bought a set of all the images printed on note cards.

I also enjoyed every moment I spent in Art on Broad, especially talking with owner. It’s evident she loves her artists and their work brings her daily joy. She gushed right along with me about some of the pieces I was admiring out loud. And I could tell she wasn’t just being polite.

There were little pieces of art easy to buy—great tiny finds—like button rings for $2 and beautifully textured clay magnets 3 for $12. When I picked a couple of rings as fun gifts to bring home to friends, the owner insisted on boxing and bagging them beautifully with tissue as if they cost 20 times as much.

On the other end of the investment scale were gorgeous painted canvases, unique copper bricks covered with graphics and inspirational messages, whimsical colorful pottery…and so much more. There were items priced in-between, as well, of course. Melissa purchased a beeswax honey pot candleholder for her mother. A quirky clock insisted I take it home. It now hangs in my office, a reminder that someday it will hang in my own art studio. And that makes me smile.

I highly recommend a trip to Artist’s Row. It’s just the right place to find something that will make you smile. And when you do…take it home. It will be time and money so very well spent.

Artists’ Row
Broad Street – Downtown Augusta, Georgia
http://www.augustaartistsrow.com/

It was another beautiful Saturday in Augusta, so I decided to phone a friend and see if she wanted to head to Downtown Augusta with me for the  bi-monthly Saturday market. She said yes, so off we went!

The Augusta Common was filled with several unique local vendors. There were homemade baked goods by Lily’s Bakery & Cafe located in Evans, handmade pottery made right here in Augusta by Tire City Potters, an array of salads such as cucumber salad and pasta salads prepared by Paulette’s Best Foods Inc. in Waynesboro, several handmade jewelry and apparel booths and stunning college, golf and historic Augusta art painted by Scott McPherson & Associates Art Distributors.

The event was fun for adults and children alike. There were several activities especially for the little ones, such as, a clown who could make balloon animals and writing and mailing letters to Santa. My friend’s daughter had just as much fun as we did!

This Saturday in Downtown Augusta was filled with so much excitement, because this particular day there was also the Miss Augusta Fantasy Parade and the Christmas Light Up Spectacular. The parade featured many friendly faces that everyone in the Augusta area knows and loves and our area school bands. Immediately following the parade there were even more family fun activities and entertainment in the Augusta Commons.

An excellent conclusion to this fabulous Saturday was the lighting of Downtown Augusta by Mayor Deke Copenhaver once the sun went down.  It was a great time had by all who were in attendance

On Sunday, April 25^th we headed downtown to check out the Social Canvas & Spring Artists Market, put on by the Morris Museum of Art.  I was a little concerned about the weather since we had rain all day on Saturday, but it cleared up and proved to be a perfect afternoon to spend outside.  Since we were at the Riverwalk there was a great breeze coming off the river.

There was plenty to see and do for people of all ages.  Kids could create screen prints to take home with them, or could make buttons from magazine clippings to pin on their shirts.  They also got to add their own flair to the big “Social Canvas” being painted by everyone, or make their mark with a sidewalk chalk drawing.

Professional artists were working on their original creations as well, painting right alongside the bands that were playing.  And there was some fantastic local art for sale – everything from wall art and photography, to handmade bags to pottery to jewelry. 

I got a beautiful vase and there were some pieces that would have been perfect gifts for Mother’s Day.  I’m going to plan ahead for next year so I can do my summer gift shopping there!

Photo at top provided by Morris Museum of Art.

Barbara Steele, an Augusta Visitor Center Volunteer, and I went exploring the various antique shops and galleries downtown during November.  We were quite impressed with our discoveries!  On this particular exploration, we decided to have lunch at the New Moon Café (1002 Broad Street). New Moon is a wonderful place to have breakfast on the run and our lunch experience was great. We both enjoyed the sandwiches with chips and a pickle spear.

We ventured off to 1006 Broad Street to the Zimmerman Gallery, where we found a beautiful selection of art, pottery, glasswork, marble and jewelry.  Jeff, the owner was a pleasure to talk to. Did you know, if you find a piece of art you like from the gallery you can take it with you for 24 hours  to see if it will work with your décor at home or office, then return to the gallery with your decision to purchase it or not. (Your credit card will be swiped first.)  We continued to walk Broad Street and made our way to 1016 Broad where we met Carol Kelly Dorn, an Artist at Galley on the Row.  She does beautiful oil, watercolor, pastel, charcoal, pencil and Conté artwork.  Our conversation with Carol was very refreshing while she showcased her art to us.

Our final stop for the day was at Tire City Potters – what a great discovery on 210-B 10^th Street.  We met the owner  Shishir Chokshi,  a local potter downtown and toured his business. Shishir let us see the kiln (where the pots and vases are fired). Tire City Potters is located in an old garage, so if you did not know any better, you might think it was a tire business instead of clay pottery!  This experience just proves we need to see what is in our own downtown. You just might be impressed with your discoveries!