OUR STORY
About Pinch
Where other shops curate objects, Pinch curates connections: to the artists, the craft, and the stories that make a piece memorable. We're an artisan gallery in the heart of downtown Northampton, Massachusetts, carrying handmade ceramics, jewelry, and gifts from independent makers. Our mission is to keep the world varied, interesting, and maybe even a little strange – one handmade object at a time.
Founded
Recent Hampshire and UMass graduates Leslie Ferrin, Mara Superior, and Barbara Walch open Pinch Pottery in the basement of Thornes Marketplace, looking for a place to make, teach, and show their own work and the work of others. They call it Pinch Pottery for the hand-building technique they all share and prefer to throwing – and because a pottery, literally, is a place where pots are made. More makers soon open studios alongside them, and The Craftsmarket Gallery is created to showcase it all.
Pinch Pottery moves to Main Street
The gallery moves into 179 Main Street, once the lobby of the old Draper Hotel and, later, a Rite Aid. When Rite Aid moves out, the lobby is divided in two, and Pinch takes one half. Pinch Pottery sets up at the front with functional work and jewelry, while Ferrin Gallery fills the back with high-end exhibits from potters across the country. Their annual teapot show, started years earlier back at Thornes, becomes internationally renowned here – by 1989, it includes teapots from 160 potters. During this time, Mara Superior leaves the business and Donald Clark steps in as a partner, and the name shortens to Pinch, since it's no longer a working pottery.
Jena Sujat buys Pinch
Jena Sujat leaves her job at the Cedar Chest, a shop in Thornes Marketplace – the same building where Pinch got its start – and learns that same day that she might be able to buy Pinch. It feels like a fait accompli.
Pinch continues to grow
Pinch now carries leather goods and wall art alongside its ceramics and jewelry, keeps long-time artists in the mix while always adding new ones, and ships to customers across the country through its growing online shop. The shop now shows its pieces on beautiful custom wooden display furniture, and the Premiering Potters Series introduces customers to emerging ceramic artists. Jena splits her time between Austin and here in Northampton, and Pinch is still very much home.
Team & Values
"The attention given and respect paid to the artists we carry is part of what makes Pinch such a wonderful place," said Joyce Rosenfeld, a dear friend and former Pinch staffer. We hold those words close.
"Having my own business meant I could build the kind of workplace I wanted," says Jena. Our culture is built on curiosity, kindness, consideration, equity, hard work, and integrity, and it shows in how we treat each other, our artists, and everyone who walks through the door. Pinch is grateful to be staffed by Sam, Nora, and Jayna, and it's our hope that the love and respect we have for each other comes through every time you visit.
Pinch's owner Jena Sujat's favorite Pinch pieces!
