Michael Cole credits his wife, Michelle, with giving him the motivation to start a pottery business. Pottery had become Michael’s favorite hobby and he developed such an avid interest in this activity that he purchased pottery wheels and other equipment to furnish a makeshift studio in the garage of his Perry Village home. It was about 11 years ago when Michelle told Michael if he wanted to continue doing pottery, he needed to recoup some of the money he’d been spending on his beloved hobby. “My wife came to me and said, ‘Either quit making this stuff or start selling this, because we can’t afford this,’ ” he recalled. As it turned out, Michelle’s ultimatum provided Michael with the inspiration to turn pottery into a commercial venture. Although he initially started selling his pottery only at art and craft shows, he eventually built a combined studio and store, and called it Willahollow Pottery. Michael opened it in 2015 at 3521 Main St. in Perry Village, in a detached building that he constructed in his back yard. The business provides Michael with a place to conduct pottery classes and workshops and host annual two-day Christmas open house. Willahollow Pottery also offers a membership program that allows a small number of people to either work on pottery in the building or receive services provided by the business on a regular basis. In addition, Willahollow sells pottery created by Michael and fellow potters Jess Kuhns, Caitlin Abdullah and Josh Cole. Each year between May and either October or November, the business also holds Raku events on the land outside of its building. Raku is a style of decorating pottery that originated in Japan. When participants arrive at the Raku events, they begin by looking over a selection of ceramic pots, and choose one they want to decorate. Also at these events, Michael uses an outdoor gas kiln that he fires up to about 1400 to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. The pots are then put into the kiln, and “the burning carbanaceous material creates smoke patterns and carbon trails on the surface of the heated ware that remains as decoration after the ware cools,” according to a post on Willahollow pottery’s website. Michael said he uses tongs to take the heated pots out of the kiln, and then places them on a fireproof table. Participants then apply horsehair to their pots to accentuate the design. Inside the studio there are two kilns — one for bisque fire and another for glaze fire — which are used for pottery created inside the studio. Michael Cole, owner of Willahollow Pottery in Perry Village, stands beside a slab roller inside of his business. The slab roller flattens clay that will be used in creating pottery.Located at 3521 Main St., Willahollow Pottery conducts pottery classes and workshops and hosts an annual two-day Christmas open house. The business also sells pottery made by Michael and fellow potters Jess Kuhns, Caitlin Abdullah and Josh Cole. Michael opened Willahollow Pottery in 2015. (Bill DeBus – The News-Herald) Other equipment inside the business includes pottery wheels and a slab roller to flatten clay. Michael got his introduction to pottery when he was a fine arts major at Judson University in Chicago. He eventually decided to change his major, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business. After graduation, Cole said he worked in “sales and engineering a little bit.” “I kind of bounced around, to be honest,” he said. In 1982, he went back to college to pursue a master’s degree. “I received a master’s in psychology that led to a master’s in divinity,” he said. It was that degree that led Michael to his career as a minister. He retired after serving as pastor for 26 years — not all consecutive — of Perry Baptist Church in Perry Village. He still works part time as pastor of Geneva United Church in the city of Geneva. Before moving to Perry Village, Michael and Michelle were living in Nebraska. It was there that his wife “bought” him a gift that essentially enrolled him in a pottery course at the Grand Island, Nebraska, campus of Central Community College. Pottery created by Michael Cole, owner of Willahollow Pottery in Perry Village, includes a pitcher, cup, platter, fridge magnet and a bowl. Located at 3521 Main St., Cole opened Willahollow Pottery in 2015. The business also offers classes for students who are interested in making pottery. (Bill DeBus – The News-Herald) Michael not only took the course, but also ended up teaching pottery at the campus for seven years. He and his wife then moved to Perry Village, where he continued pursuing pottery as a favorite activity. Michael said he was able to construct the Willahollow Pottery building with funds he had been saving from a separate part-time job, combined with a portion of the financial inheritance he received after his father died in 2013. Michael said the name “Willahollow” came from a story his grandmother used to tell her grandchildren. “She said that Willahollow was a place that was far away where there was no work to be done — it was a place to play and have fun,” she said. Clay birdhouses sit on a shelf to finish drying before being put into kilns at Willahollow Pottery in Perry Village. Located at 3521 Main St., Willahollow offers pottery classes in which students can create items such as cups, bird houses and bird baths. Michael Cole, who owns Willahollow Pottery, established the business in 2015. (Bill DeBus – The News-Herald) Michael said some of the popular classes offered at the shop include Introduction to Pottery and courses in which students make items such as cups, bird houses and bird baths. Michael said it’s fun for him to see people learn about pottery in the hands-on courses, and how some of them quickly become pottery enthusiasts. “It really is amazing to watch someone come in and they’ll do it, and then all of sudden you realize, they’re hooked,” he said. Michael said the best piece of pottery he ever made was an item he created and sold about three years ago. “It was a large wheel-thrown platter,” he said. “It was about 15 inches across, which was pretty large for a wheel, and I had decorated it with maple leaves.” Michael said he plans to continue working on pottery as long as he is physically capable. “I’ve seen other potters who are well into their late 80s who are still producing,” he said. “I’m going to keep doing pottery. I enjoy it.” ...read more read less