“1,502 kiln loads … since we started,” it reads.

That’s a lot of hand-crafted pottery by co-owner Tyler Sandstrom.

“I established this full-time in 2006 on my grandfather’s farm,” Sandstrom said. “We converted an old hog building. I kind of miss that space, but not the location. It was a working hog farm. I was used to the smell; my customers were not.”

That changed in 2010 when he purchased an old bank building in downtown Dayton.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Tyler Sandstrom, co-owner of From Miry Clay Pottery in Dayton, begins work on a tall vase in his studio.

“It was well maintained,” he said. “Aesthetically it needed updating. We ripped up the very worn carpet. The tiles underneath are Tennessee limestone. The wainscotting is also limestone.”

The bank had two vaults which the Sandstroms kept intact. The safety deposit side will be turned into a playroom for customers’ children. The other side is currently his storage for shipping boxes.

“We ship all over the country all the time,” he said. “We’ve shipped to every state at least once.”

He estimates that currently, about 27 percent of his sales are from his website. The rest are from visitors.

“I’m still surprised how much we do through our door,” he said. “We love it. I love the human aspect.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Tyler Sandstrom, co-owner of From Miry Clay Pottery in Dayton, begins work on a tall vase on the potters wheel in his studio.

He said that many people make repeat visits to add another piece or two to their collection. They often make a visit to the shop a part of a vacation when visiting the area.

“I’m absolutely honored that they come to see us,” he said. “We have lots of people that have a color.”

The color he referred to is the color of the glaze on the pottery. Some customers have a favorite color and have multiple items with that same color.

Besides making their aesthetics to his satisfaction, Sandstrom has an additional philosophy that follows when he creates his pieces.

“I really love to make balanced pottery,” he said. “I love to make each piece function for its job and purpose. I make a mortar and pestle, I make them super thick and durable. Their purpose is to smash. I make coffee mugs. They’re relatively light weight, their job is not to smash. I love to find the balance between form and function and make them aesthetically pleasing. Lots of times people will be surprised at how light they are. That’s a compliment.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Tyler Sandstrom, co-owner of From Miry Clay Pottery in Dayton, poses in the shop which is housed in an old bank building.

His talent also lets him do something else.

“I love to make 100 items look the same because that’s difficult to do,” he said.

Sandstrom creates a variety of objects. Some, like the Pierced Vessels, are designed to be decorative art objects. Others, such as his apple baker, chicken baker, dinnerware sets, mugs, bowls, pie plates and butter melters, are intended to be used and designed to work well for their intended purpose.

Each is available in a variety of glazes.

For customers who buy something that’s going to get hot in the oven, Laura Sandstrom makes pot holders that are for sale in the shop as well. Each is hand crocheted.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Tyler Sandstrom, co-owner of From Miry Clay Pottery in Dayton, shows off the collection of pot holders his wife Laura Sandstrom creates.

The shop is also home to the family. Several upstairs room were converted into living space.

“I’m always at work,” he said. “That’s good and bad, but more good than bad.”

The family is grateful for their success.

“We’re very thankful and honored that people come in and buy handmade stuff,” he said.

From Miry Clay Pottery is located at 22 S. Main St. in Dayton. It can be found on the web at www.frommiryclaypottery.com.

--Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
One of Tyler Sandstrom's "Pierced Collection" shines on the shelf at From Miry Clay Pottery in Dayton. The decorative pieces are designed to have a light in them and will cast patterned shadows.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Some of the different pieces created by Tyler Sandstrom, co-owner of From Miry Clay Pottery in Dayton, are on display in the shop in one of the variety of glazes available.

--Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
A shelf full of thrown butter melters wait for firing and glazing at From Miry Clay Pottery in Dayton. Co-owner Tyler Sandstrom is proud of the degree of uniformity he can achieve in a batch of pieces.