About Us
We opened Terasol in the Fall of 2008, as a small artisan gallery. The articles below will tell the story of our opening. As we are now relocating to a new space, we are continuing our tradition of opening our doors and making room on our shelves to local artisans. In addition, we are incorporating a cafe in hopes to make the experience even more pleasant for the visitors and returning customers. Sign up for our exciting updates at the Contact Us page.
THE CURRENT WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2008
ON THE STREET
By STEPHANIE M. KANOWITZ
Pottery gallery opens in Chevy Chase Arcade
Not even Tropical Storm Hanna could dampen Sabrina Ousmaal’s spirits on Saturday, the day she hosted the grand opening of her new pottery gallery, Terasol. “Everything’s going to be perfect,” she told a doubter. And it was, she said. “The community came together regardless of the weather. That’s pretty powerful, wouldn’t you say?” she said. “In a world that fails the local small business and craft, days like today bring back the hope that we do value small local businesses and ideas. One pot at a time, I hope, is all it will take.”
Terasol is a 500- square-foot space in the Chevy Chase Arcade. Nine artists— friends with whom Ousmaal has made pottery every Sunday for 10 years at an Adams Morgan studio— pay her a monthly fee to display their work, and they also provide her with a commission on their
sales. “Some people go to church on Sunday, we go to pottery,” said Ousmaal, who moved to D.C. from Paris in 1987 and manages trade newsletters when she’s not throwing pots. “All of us have very demanding day jobs and very interesting lives, and this is where we can just be. We come in, there’s no dress code, there’s no makeup, there’s nothing. It’s just you in your purest form, full of clay, full of mud. We just have lovely chats.”
At the beginning of the summer, Ousmaal’s chats with the other potters — including professional artists, an architect, a filmmaker and a Washington Post reporter — turned to opening a gallery.
“Terasol is not only a dream of mine; it’s a dream of many local artisans that do not have the option to have their pieces displayed, let alone sold,” she said. Terasol sells bowls, platters, mugs and vases — “anything that we can make out of clay,” Ousmaal said. The prices for functional pieces run from $5 to $250 for a full tea set. Clay sculptures and paintings cost up to $350.
“We want [our pieces] to be taken into people’s homes. We want them to be enjoyed, used — not just put on display but actually used and cherished just as they are in our own homes,” she said. “The goal is not to make money, that’s for sure. The goal is just to pass on what has brought us so much joy and share it with others.”
Ousmaal took up pottery 10 years ago as a way to cope with her father’s losing battle against cancer. “It helped me feel alive. It’s a very physical and very freeing craft,” she said. In July 2005, when she was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a rare cancer, pottery again became a coping mechanism. She measured her recovery by how often she could attend her weekly appointments at Hinckley Pottery and whether she was able to make a pot. “Now it’s three years to the day since the end of treatment, and it just seems to be the right time, the right moment, the right option,” she said, to fulfill her dream and open up a gallery.
Read also our two postings on Apartment Therapy.
Testimonials...
"I received my order and I’m very pleased with it! I am especially impressed with the soap dish and bowl. The craftsmanship is excellent! Thank you so much for everything."
Sheila
"Thanks--the website looks great. I have some friends in the immediate area and although I've mentioned your store to them, now they can easily see for themselves what a wonderful place it is. Keep up the good work!"
--Lynn
Also from Lynn:
"Susan and Shelia--MLM and I have fallen in love with this place in your neighborhood. I have to say this shop has very reasonable prices for beautiful pottery--sold by two of the nicest people--Sabrina and her husband. Check out the website and then the store--you won't be disappointed. And please tell your friends!
(I want to support art however I can--someone has to...)"
"I happened into this new pottery shop today to discover a real gem! Local
potters who work together in Adams Morgan have a retail outlet at the
beautifully restored CC Arcade.
Prices are very reasonable for quality pieces."
---Ruby
"We thoroughly agree! This is just the kind of place our community needs. The
pieces are gorgeous handmade items by people who live and work in CC. It's a
wonderful new shop where people can purchase gifts or items for their homes from the people who have crafted them. We couldn't resist buying several pieces today!"
--Roberta
"It is a nice environment there! Good people and good art."
--Francesca
" I love your shop. Happy New Year. "
---Christine
Links of places we like....
