Membership · The Clay Hole

Take the break. Keep the shelf.

Life gets loud sometimes. The money gets tight, the calendar fills up, something happens that nobody planned for. None of that has to cost you the thing you actually look forward to. Pause your membership and everything you’ve built here stays exactly where you left it.

From $25 a month Your shelf stays yours Your classes keep waiting Nothing for you to cancel
Pause my membership
A rainbow-glazed pot with the words Pause Your Membership on the front

Before anything else

The break is the point. Quitting isn’t.

Nobody joins a pottery studio because they needed more bowls. You came for the hours where your phone is face down and your hands are too covered in clay to reach for it. For the table where somebody notices you’re back. For the thing sitting on your shelf that did not exist until you made it.

And that is almost always the first thing to go when life gets heavy, which is a shame, because a hard month is exactly when a person needs one night that belongs to them. Time gets gobbled up. Money gets tight. Sometimes things go sideways in ways nobody signed up for. We are not going to pretend any of that is a character flaw.

So take the time. Take three months if that is what it takes. The studio isn’t going anywhere, your shelf isn’t going anywhere, and neither are the classes you already paid for. When things settle, you walk back in and pick up the piece you left half finished.

More than 9 in 10 members who pause come back. Which is the whole reason we built it this way instead of making you start over.

What a pause actually holds

Everything stays exactly where it is.

A pause isn’t a softer goodbye. It’s a hold button. Here is precisely what stays yours while you’re away.

✓ Your shelf, with your name on it Nothing gets moved and nothing gets cleared off. It is still your shelf, in your spot.
✓ Your unused classes Classes never expire while you’re a member. Every one you’ve stacked up is still sitting there waiting for you.
✓ Your rewards progress The months you’re paused simply don’t count. The clock stops rather than resetting.
✓ Your clay and your work in progress The half finished piece, the bag of clay, the tools. All of it stays right where you left it.
✓ Your spot in the studio You’re not giving up your place and coming back to the end of a line.
✓ Your billing, on autopilot When the pause ends it picks straight back up at the same level. There is nothing to re-enroll in.

Set up your pause

Two taps and you’re done.

Pay for the months you need and that is genuinely the end of your to-do list. You don’t touch the member portal, you don’t cancel anything, and you don’t need to text us to confirm.

1What level are you right now?
2How long do you need?

Up to three months in a calendar year. Black level is capped at two, because there are so few black shelves.

Your pause coversChoose your level above
Back in the studio—
Total, paid now—
Pauses always start the next calendar month, and the deadline to set one up is 4 PM on the 24th.

You’ll still come to the rest of this month — every class you have left is yours. We move your next charge date on our side, so your card never gets hit for a full membership while you’re paused.

The honest numbers

What the fee is actually for.

It isn’t free, and we’d rather say why than let you wonder. While you’re paused your shelf is still your shelf, so nobody else can be given it, and your clay and your work are still taking up room in the building. The fee holds the space. That is all it does.

LevelMembershipPaused
Green $145 / month $25 / month
Yellow $170 / month $30 / month
Purple $200 / month $35 / month
Black $275 / month $50 / month

Whichever level you’re at, a pause runs at roughly a sixth of your membership — and it keeps the shelf, the classes, the rewards and the spot.

Same flat fee for everyone at that level, including Heroes discount members and shared memberships.

If you got here from the cancel page

Read this part before you decide.

We are not going to make cancelling awkward, and we’re not going to hide the button. But the two choices are not as similar as they look, so here they are side by side.

If you pause From $25 a month
  • ✓Your shelf stays yours, untouched
  • ✓Your clay, tools and unfinished work stay on it
  • ✓Your unused classes keep waiting for you
  • ✓Your rewards progress freezes instead of resetting
  • ✓Your spot in the studio is held
  • ✓Billing restarts on its own at the same level
If you cancel Free, and permanent
  • ×Your shelf has to be cleared by the last class of the month. Every canceled shelf gets cleaned off — all of them, every month
  • ×Pottery left on it is thrown out or given away to other members
  • ×Clay, aprons and tools left behind become studio property
  • ×Your unused classes end with the month
  • ×Your rewards progress resets to zero
  • ×Coming back means signing up again at whatever membership costs then

If there is any real chance you’ll be back, pausing is the cheaper and considerably kinder version of the same decision. If there isn’t, that’s honestly fine too — here’s how to cancel, no retention pitch and no hard feelings.

After you pay

Here’s exactly what happens.

1 You pay for the pause That is the entire to-do list. You don’t log into the member portal, you don’t cancel anything, and you don’t need to text us afterward.
2 We move your next charge date We do that by hand on our side. Your card is not charged for a full membership while the pause runs.
3 You finish out this month Pauses start the next calendar month, so the rest of this one is still yours. Come use it.
4 You’re paused, but not gone You can still come pick up finished pieces, work you already dropped off still gets fired, and you’re still welcome at workshops, parties and events. Classes are the part that’s on hold.
5 You come back Billing picks up at the same level automatically. Walk in, and everything is where you left it. Ready sooner than you planned? Text us and we’ll bring you back early. Need one more month? Buy another one right here.

One more thing

If the reason is money, you have three options.

Nobody should have to quit something that keeps them sane over a gap in a budget. Pausing is one answer. It isn’t the only one.

Pause The cheapest way to keep everything. From $25 a month, up to three months in a calendar year, and you keep the shelf, the classes and the rewards.
Drop a level If you still want to be here, just for less. Downgrades are arranged with the studio and start the following month, and you can change levels up to twice a year. Text 385-241-5528 and we’ll sort it out.
Ask about a trade Dan has a limited amount of studio work he can trade for a month of membership. You can always ask what he’s got. There is no guarantee there will be anything available, so treat it as a maybe rather than a plan.

The fine print, said plainly

Questions people actually ask.

Can I come into the studio while I’m paused?
For some things, yes. You can come pick up finished pieces, work you already dropped off will still get fired, and you’re still welcome at workshops, parties and events. Classes are the part that’s on hold — that’s what makes it a pause rather than a membership.
How long can I pause for?
Up to three months in a calendar year. Black level is capped at two months, because we have such a limited number of black shelves.
When does the pause actually start?
Always the next calendar month, as long as you set it up by 4 PM on the 24th. You keep coming for the rest of the current month — you already paid for it.
What if I buy one after the deadline?
We don’t pause retroactively, so the next month has already gone through and your pause will cover the month after that instead. Please come use the month you’ve been charged for. If you bought it thinking it would cover next month, text us at 385-241-5528 and we’ll refund it.
Do I need to cancel or pause anything in the member portal?
No. This is the one place it differs from cancelling. You pay for the pause and we handle the rest by hand on our side, including moving your next charge date.
Can I come back earlier than I planned?
Yes. Message us at 385-241-5528 and we’ll work it out with you.
Can I add another month once I’ve started?
Yes — come back to this page and buy another one, as long as you stay inside your yearly limit.
Is the fee the same for everyone?
Yes. It’s a flat monthly fee per level, and it’s the same for Heroes discount members, shared memberships and shared shelf members.
What happens when the pause ends?
Your billing resumes automatically at the same level you were before. There’s no need to re-enroll or jump in and out of the system.
What if I decide to cancel while I’m paused?
That’s allowed, and there are no hard feelings. Please pick everything up off your shelf by the 25th of that month, or the shelf gets cleared.
Will pausing always be an option?
It’s offered as long as space allows. If shelves fill up we may have to pause future pausing, or cut the number of months allowed. If that happens we’ll tell you and give you time to either come back or clear your shelf off.
I forgot, and my full membership renewed. Can I get a refund?
No refunds on memberships, for any reason, including a missed deadline. We’d rather say that plainly here than surprise you with it. The upside: you’ve paid for the month, so you’re very welcome to come hang out and make things with it.

Still got a question? Text us at 385-241-5528 or read the full FAQs.

Your shelf will be right where you left it.

Take the time you need. The kilns will still be running, the table will still be loud, and there will still be a seat with your name on it. We’re here whenever you’re ready to get back in the mud.

Pause my membership ↑

Not sure which option is right? Text us at 385-241-5528 and we’ll talk it through.

Green · one month $25