Today we’d like to introduce you to Beyond Handcrafted.
Hi Beyond , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
This opportunity all began with Christian Royal, a young man in the Charleston community with Down Syndrome. Christian was taught the fine art of pottery by professional potters John and Jan Myers. These fantastic individuals gifted Christian with the tools and skills to create beautiful ceramic pieces.
Christian and Beyond BASIC crossed paths in the spring of 2018. Christian and his family began teaching a small group of BB teammates how to produce this charming style of pottery. As Christian discovered the importance of friendships, he and his parents, Mike and Helen Royal, then decided to gift the studio equipment and techniques needed to continue this fantastic work. We are eternally grateful to receive the “gift that keeps giving,” we are excited to continue Christian’s legacy alongside him!
Beyond Handcrafted is a company that creates incredible ceramic pieces in support of a local non-profit, Beyond BASIC Life Skills. Through this initiative, we aim to provide a vocational experience where teammates can practice job skills, learn new skills, and add fulfillment to their lives.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We are so lucky to have such a supportive community that continuously rallies around us. Beyond Handcrafted is fueled by a collective love for beautiful and functional work that serves as a testament to the ability of our team. The challenges we have faced are always overcome by the unending support of our community. When we opened our brick and mortar storefront in 2024, we faced the struggle of not having the ideal location for foot traffic. We continue to show up in markets throughout the community, as well as host special in store events to get new faces in the door, but getting people to see the amazing space we have created is one of our biggest challenges.
We’ve been impressed with Beyond Handcrafted (Beyond Basic Life Skills), but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Beyond Handcrafted is a unique company that works with a local non-profit, Beyond BASIC Life Skills. We aim to provide a vocational experience where teammates can practice job skills, develop creative skills and work in an inclusive environment, that delivers quality products.
Our story started with the passion to open more doors for adults with intellectual disabilities. Seeing the progress and growth of each individual in the program, we knew we could do more. Our teammates infuse each creation with dedication and care, ensuring that every item tells a unique story.
From elegant platters to charming ornaments, our ceramics blend traditional techniques with unique artist design, bringing a story and artwork to your home
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Our greatest successes often arise after we take the hard road. Our entire mission about Beyond Basic and Beyond Handcrafted hinges on the belief that we are all capable of doing difficult things, and that is risky. As we began to integrate pottery as one of our skills in the Beyond Basic program, we took risks with the sheer amount of investment that ceramics takes to maintain.
Our move to open our storefront in a location that is so close to our headquarters at Beyond Basic is ideal for our needs in our program, but it isn’t the best location to receive organic foot traffic. Despite this we have seen an increase in support from our community, both with returning visitors, and new faces.
The riskiest moves have always paid off for us in part due to the steady support we have from our friends at Beyond Basic and our community partners throughout Summerville who always help us come up with creative solutions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.beyondbasiclifeskills.org/beyondhandcrafted
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyond_handcrafted/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondhandcraftedpottery
