Today we’d like to introduce you to Kale & David Bridges.
Hi Kale & David, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Castor really started with a completely unexpected conversation back in 2021. David was teaching a pottery class at a local rec center, and after everyone packed up one evening, a student hung back. He told David that his late wife, Sandy, had spent her life as a potter. He wanted her studio tools to go to someone who would actually love and use them the way she did, and he asked if we’d take them.
We said yes on the spot—even though at the time, we were living in a tiny townhome with zero space for a wheel, let alone a full kiln. But an offer like that doesn’t happen twice. We made a pact right then: buy a house with a garage and build a real home for a pottery studio.
For three years, we squeezed work into cramped quarters, selling wholesale and building the brand however we could. By the summer of 2024, we bought our house in Denver’s Valverde neighborhood, and Castor finally got its proper physical home.
Today, David is the maker and technical mind behind every piece coming out of our kilns, while I handle color theory, design, brand direction, and all the face-to-face side of things at pop-ups around town. Sandy’s legacy gave us our start, so paying that forward is a huge part of what we do; whether that’s through local giveaways, civic advocacy, or the studio classes we’re getting ready to launch.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not even close! We have hit plenty of rough patches along the way, mostly from learning hard lessons in real time.
Early on, we got ahead of ourselves and jumped into wholesale way too fast. Ceramics will teach you patience whether you like it or not, but we tried to push through a massive order on a tight deadline anyway. We rushed the drying phase, loaded the kiln, and ended up blowing up entire batches of pottery into tiny shards. Opening up a kiln to see weeks of hard work destroyed because you tried to speed up time is a brutal way to learn respect for the material.
Then there were the physical hurdles of building out our studio in Valverde. The building itself is over a hundred years old and has lived multiple lives, starting as a small residence, then turning into a detached garage, and finally becoming our ceramic space. Running enough heavy-duty electrical output out there to power commercial kilns was a massive financial hit and a logistical nightmare that took months to sort out.
We also had to completely rethink our shipping early on. Pottery and long-distance transit don’t naturally get along, and we quickly realized standard box packing wouldn’t cut it. After a trial-and-error period of testing custom structural boxes, eco-wrap layers, and drop-testing our own packages, we finally engineered an airtight system that gets our ceramics to doorsteps in one piece every single time.
Through all of it, the smoothest part has actually been our partnership. Running a business with your spouse definitely tests your patience, but our mutual respect for each other and for the craft keeps us grounded when things go sideways.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We produce functional stoneware ceramics out of our Valverde studio, but we are probably best known for two specific designs: our Double Helix Mugs and our ceramic bandana slides, which we call Conchos. Both of those ideas came straight out of Kale’s creative side.
Kale grew up in Austin, Texas, where Western motifs were just a natural part of daily life. She lovingly calls her dad Cowboy Rob, and her family’s Texas roots go back generations, so those rustic, functional aesthetic influences show up in our work all the time. The Conchos were a fun way to bring that classic Western leather-and-metal detail into clay.
The Double Helix Mug came from a desire to push traditional forms. Right now, we stick to a pretty intentional, uniform palette with glazes that we formulate and hand-mix right here in the studio. Since our glaze line is consistent, we wanted to play with shape to make something distinct. The double handle study started as an experiment in symmetry and grip, and it quickly turned into our signature piece.
What sets us apart, and what we are most proud of, is how we blend technical craft with personal storytelling. David brings rigorous precision to the wheel, while Kale brings brand vision and deep cultural roots. Every single piece is handmade from scratch, mixed in-house, and designed to bring a little bit of functional art into everyday daily rituals.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I spent a huge chunk of my childhood growing up in Wimberley, Texas, which is this sleepy little town tucked away in the Texas Hill Country. My grandparents built an incredible home out there specifically to serve as the gathering point for our whole family, so weekends and holidays were always packed with people and activity.
My grandma was deeply creative, and she used to sit with me for hours having me practice drawing and painting. When we were not making art inside, we would wander the property hunting for flint arrowheads scattered across the land, or ride horses through the brush. On top of all that, their neighbor Lee was an actual rodeo clown, so there was never a dull moment.
Looking back, those days in Wimberley really laid the foundation for everything I do now. Getting your hands dirty, paying attention to raw materials, and finding art in everyday life started right there on my grandparents’ porch.
Pricing:
- Double Helix Mug ($45+)
- Concho ($35)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.castorceramics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/castorceramics
