Harmony Pottery Works showcases more than 100 California artists 

A 2.5-acre town with 18 residents is likely to go unnoticed by those who aren't exactly looking for it.

But the tiny town of Harmony is packed with great ice cream, yummy coffee, and most importantly, beautiful art, right off Highway 1 between Cayucos and Cambria.

Settling in Harmony long before it was actually Harmony, John Schoenstein opened Harmony Pottery Works in 1973 after seeing an ad for a building in the middle of nowhere. But the ad was in SLO County in a spot that was only a few minutes from the beach—plus the land was beautiful, so the decision to move was an easy one for Schoenstein.

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• Photo By Samantha Herrera
• HONOR THE DEAD Dozens of Mexican-style mosaics welcome visitors to Harmony Pottery Works. They range in designs and colors.

"I started the business down in Southern California, actually, and I knew this guy and we were both students at Cal Poly Pomona and after we graduated, we decided to start this business," he told New Times. "It was more of a wholesale business, then we could ship all over the country. We heard about Harmony being available, so we moved the whole business up here because it didn't really matter where we were to ship from."

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• Photo By Samantha Herrera
• WITHOUT THE SOY SAUCE A unique white and gold plate with four kinds of glass sushi is the one and only for sale at Harmony Pottery Works.

The building was a two-story barn, which was surprisingly perfect for a pottery gallery. Upstairs contains storage, and the open interior of the barn is a sweet spot to showcase artists' work.

But the advertised middle-of-nowhere rang true. When Schoenstein and his business partner laid roots in town, the only thing keeping them company were some abandoned creamery buildings until a couple of guys bought 2.5 acres from the California Creamery Operators Association and built the town up around the pottery studio.

"Once they bought the town, they just started renting out spaces to shops and restaurants and things like that," he said. "They also started a wedding chapel, and there's been about 10 restaurants in the corner building of town, but there's nothing in there now."

After the town started to take form, Harmony turned out to be a pretty little pit stop for travelers. Schoenstein noticed a rise in foot traffic through his studio and decided to change from wholesale to retail and focus on selling work from California artists.

"I was making pottery for the first 25 years, but I don't do that anymore. It took time, but there's about 100 different people's work I'm now selling, and it comes from all over," he said. "Some of them I've been selling for 35 to 40 years."

Schoenstein's studio could be considered rare as he sells a variety of different items for seemingly no reason or rhyme. From Mexican tile designs to a ceramic sushi plate, as long as an artist has good, clean work and sells it for a fair price, then he'll showcase it in his studio.

"I try to find things that are kind of unique like that, something different. It's hard to just sell a plain bowl or plate," he said. "Also, it's kind of interesting going to different potter studios and how they do things."

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• Photo By Samantha Herrera
• TWO IN ONE Harmony Pottery Works owner John Schoenstein prides himself on selling well-done California art and likes to show off unique pieces such as these two-for-one bowl and plate combo dishes.

Working with artists from SLO, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz counties, Schoenstein views art as a labor of love and doesn't like to leave precious goods in the hands of delivery services that might man-handle them. Instead, he either drives to the studios or meets them halfway.

Open seven days a week, those who visit likely won't see much of Schoenstein, as he's usually in the back of the barn organizing art. Instead, they'll get the chance to meet his niece, Emily Dobie, who told New Times she's pretty much the shop's unofficial manager, given it's just her and her uncle working there.

Although not an artist herself, Dobie said growing up around artists let her learn to appreciate the skill.

"It's great working here; it's fun because everyone's generally in a great mood because they're on vacation so it's always a pleasant place to be," she said. Δ

Reach Staff Writer Samantha Herrera at [email protected].