Looking for a Valentine’s Day gift, admittedly last-minute but thoughtful, nevertheless? The Earthen Goat has pottery as unique as its name.
“The main goal is adding an artistic but functional product to people’s daily lifestyles,” said Kevin Blonski, Earthen Goat co-founder. He started The Earthen Goat in 2020 at the suggestion of his wife and Earthen Goat co-founder Sam Levisay.
The Earthen Goat’s homemade pottery can be found at the Easton Farmers Market once a month. It also sells its products through its website, events and markets in Easton and other places around the Lehigh Valley.
Its focus is primarily on “production pottery,” according to Blonski — creating items that will have an everyday purpose. These include spoon rests, mugs, tumblers, bowls and garlic graters.
He suggested mugs and tumblers to those shopping for Valentine’s Day gifts.
“They’re a little bit more higher end, but it’s something that you can use every day and drink your coffee out of,” Blonski said. “It’s just a reminder that someone you love bought this for you, thought about you.”
Spoon rests are one of The Earthen Goat’s most popular items, according to Blonski.
“I give a general use for all of my things, but it’s pottery, so people will kind of find the use that it needs,” he said.
Customers can also buy The Earthen Goat’s pottery at the Hive in Nazareth and Plants + Coffee, a plant-themed coffee shop in Easton.
“Sam and Kevin share our mindset and vision for how small businesses should run and how we should collaborate and work together to succeed,” said Plants + Coffee co-founder Brandt DeLorenzo.
“They are genuinely good people who create fantastic custom pottery designs that you just can’t get anywhere else,” DeLorenzo continued.
Blonski started teaching pottery classes at Propagate Studio in Franklin Township, New Jersey, after connecting with its founder Sam Matthews at Easton’s Winter Village in 2023.
“Pottery is such an awesome community in itself,” he said. “A lot of potters will help uplift other potters, and that’s been a big thing that me and Sam have been working towards, is connecting our pottery community together.”
Blonski said he first started experimenting with pottery in 2019 at an open studio class.
“I tried the wheel there, and I fell in love with it,” he said.
After a year of practice and a year of giving pots away to all his friends and family, Blonski said he figured he “might as well start selling.”
“I just started to make more and sell more and become more part of the community,” he said.
Blonski said that The Earthen Goat will continue to expand both its presence in downtown Easton and online. He said that community support is always very important, as most of The Earthen Goat’s sales come from local people who have supported the company through social media and word of mouth.
“Supporting your local potters and artists,” he said. “You’re cutting down on a lot of that waste and you’re getting a more natural artistic product that you introduce into your daily life.”
