Fredericton Business Teaches The Art Of Ceramics
FREDERICTON – Jackie Doucette, the owner of Claytime with Jackie, wants to help people discover their love of working with clay. Through her business, she teaches others the foundations of ceramics.
Claytime with Jackie opened roughly four years ago in Hanwell. Through the business, Doucette provides foundational classes to anyone interested in the art of ceramics. For a set fee, they can attend a total of five courses, once per week.
“Everything’s provided and I just make it as easy as possible [for people attending],” she says.
Doucette says that her classes are open to anyone in high school and older. Although she does not have classes for children at the moment, she says that she would love to in the future.
Shortly before starting Claytime with Jackie, Doucette says that she was going through some financial difficulties. After asking for some life advice from a friend, she realized the business could be made possible.
Doucette graduated from the ceramics program at NBCCD in 2016 and got her teaching degree shortly after. After realizing she could combine the two fields, she ultimately created her dream job.
“I never would have dreamed in a million years I’d be doing this, but I love it,” she tells Huddle.
With the help of her community and those around her, Doucette says that she got all kinds of donations of money and materials to start Claytime with Jackie.
“I’ve had about $16,000 given to me just from people who cared and people who just wanted to invest in me and believed in me, and it was just the little boost I needed,” she says.
Doucette started the journey not long before the Covid-19 pandemic. She thought she would have seen a devastating impact on her small business. However, that was not the case.
She tells Huddle that while many companies were seeing poor impacts due to the pandemic, she was starting to thrive.
“I was shocked that people would actually want to wear masks and come,” says Doucette. “But people were coming and it [Claytime with Jackie] started booming during Covid — and it was to my benefit.”
After four years in business, Doucette says she is ready to expand. Right now, she is running classes out of her personal home, but she says she’s ready to take one more step forward.
Doucette also has some advice for new entrepreneurs like her.
“I would like to say to those who are wanting to start a business, just to go at it one step at a time. It’s doable if you just bite one piece at a time, and gradually build it up instead of all-or-nothing.”
Ryley Roach is a Huddle student intern, based in Fredericton. Send her your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].