Conversations with Kate Langley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Langley.

Kate, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Kate: I guess we’re a couple of restless and creative souls who’ve narrowed in their energy toward a particular craft. With the desire to work for ourselves, it took about 10 years to get there. Charlie and I have been together for 11 years, and in that time we’ve explored a lot of outlets like leather-work, macrame, music… We ultimately made the most money and had fun when throwing pottery and it continues to challenge us. I’ve decided to stop selling leather products as an option and plan to only do custom and personal projects in the future. Unfortunately, my hands can only handle so much action these days, and I’m excited to see where working with clay leads me.

Charlie: I found a passion for clay when I was 25. I worked at a geode crackle coaster production job in Minneapolis and got bit by the bug when I started to fire wheel-thrown and slab-built vessels of my own. I would get advice from the potters who had degrees in ceramics. Eventually, I bought a wheel and began throwing at home. Kate and I began to sell our pottery at local craft fairs. We moved to Denver and would sell our pottery through Etsy and at her workplace, Revampt Goods. Once the pandemic hit, we had to move to Albuquerque. That’s where we started our business full-time in March 2021. We missed the myriad streams of western Colorado however, so we rented a house on the south end of Grand Mesa in a town called Cedaredge. From here we’ve been able to work on building our own tiny house trailer. We plan to make pottery while living out of it this summer.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Kate: I’ve never viewed our business, Ninth House, as a smooth road. Funny enough, our tiny house that we’re building will be our ninth home together!

Charlie: You could say moving has been a theme, along with paying rent mostly in large cities. We haven’t had much in the way of money, but we’ve been able to get out and make a life for ourselves.

Kate: I graduated with a degree in retail merchandising back in 2011, right after the recession. The job outlooks weren’t good, and I knew that I wanted my own business one day. I began to work for small business owners in leatherwork, floral design, and custom furniture design. All along, I would spend several evenings working on my own creations or playing drums along with Charlie’s guitar. The sacrifices I’ve made with the goal of self-employment have been many. I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Our decision to move out of Denver was motivated by the desire to live off-grid and camp in the southwest during winter. We knew we would likely end up in Albuquerque, as a family member of mine was planning to move there that late spring. Once our eight years old dog Siri was diagnosed with cancer early on during our trip, we settled in Albuquerque with the plan to take our creative endeavors seriously and care for her during her last days.

Charlie: Losing our first dog together was tough. Kate’s family members, due to their job, had to move elsewhere. We found ourselves paying an exorbitant amount to fire our work at the only accessible facility. We decided to invest in a kiln with which to build our business. We then found a rental home with a garage where we expected to use the kiln. Due to the prohibitive cost of changing the electrical capacity in the garage, we had to put our firings on hold until we could discover a place to use our kiln. Finally, the road smoothed out at the Creamery in Hotchkiss where our kiln, “Bertha,” resides for the whole studio to use today.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Kate: We’re known for our landscape and marbled clay. The glaze is dipped in a way that makes the mesas, the mountains, the plateaus, the dry landscapes… We’re so proud of our mugs. The smooth lips, the wide variety of choices, they really have been the most popular. We select our clays based on color and texture. We aim to make functional wares with them always, whether they be wall hangings for plants; candle holders and bud vases; dinnerware… What sets us apart is that we’re a married couple working together to make great pottery and foster continually evolving relationships with our stockists. We love to see a person proudly display a vessel of ours.

Charlie: We just want to make people happy, doing what people have been practicing as long as an art form goes back in human history.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Kate: There’s no tv screen. We don’t have any streaming subscriptions these days, of any kind. I cook most of our meals. I grew up on the Food Network and have a natural inclination to cooking, due to my mom. Charlie and I have been writing together for nine years, but have shared very few of our songs publicly. I picked up the drums in late 2012 because I wanted to be able to play music with Charlie, other than using my voice and words. We often write about modern life and the many characters we’ve encountered.

Charlie: I play guitar and sing my own songs, as well as ones Kate has written or collaborated on with me. I took a shine to geology while living in Denver seven years later. The science of it refocused the lens through which I view clay. I’ve rescued three mixed herding dogs in my life. After we had to put Siri down, we just had to get Bimini, who was born 1/23/21. She deserved a friend, so we got Nutmeg, who was born 11/25/21. They keep us plenty busy and we love hiking and camping with them.

Kate: Did I mention we love wandering the outdoors? That’s kind of why we moved west from Minnesota. The amount of public land out here, and the dry weather that comes with it offer us more time for activities in nature. We love Colorado.

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@ninthhousegoods.com
• Website: www.ninthhousegoods.com
• Instagram: @ninth_house_goods