The first hint that pottery is your calling might be when you bring a throwing wheel into your 600-square-foot apartment so you can work on your passion project in the wee hours, after your day job. But for Fairlington resident Victoria Truhn, who launched Tried & Truhn Ceramics nearly two years ago, it didn’t even take that long.
“I took a class in college and got immediately obsessed with it,” Truhn says.
Since then, she has developed a style she describes as “comfortable to use and functions well”—and a following that has helped her weather the storm of running a small business during a pandemic.
“The most consistent feedback I get is, ‘I go for this mug every day,’ ” Truhn says. “People tell me that the mug they bought from me or the bowl that they use for ice cream is their go-to piece. To me that speaks to a sense of comfort and consistency they have in their day-to-day routine.”
These days, Truhn continues to sell items like mugs, planters and ring holders ($10–$50) in various shops and on Etsy while she waits for outdoor markets to return. She’s currently working on a line of four-piece place settings she plans to debut in January.
Her most popular items are mugs (particularly the ones with a Virginia silhouette peeking out of the glaze) and—unsurprisingly during these homebody times—planters for people looking to feather the nest. “I get asked a lot about planters, something small where they can bring a little bit of greenery into their room without having to commit to a huge tree,” she says. “Planters have been popular in quarantine.”
She jokes that she would make everything white if she could, but realizes people like a pop of color. More important to her is how her dishwasher-safe, microwavable pieces will stand the test of time.
“I want to make something that is made well, will last a lifetime, and that you’ll be drawn to because it’s comfortable and comforting to use,” she says. “I make pieces for the people.”