Snoqualmie ceramics studio aims to be safe, inspiring for artists

Published 4:00 pm Friday, August 8, 2025

It all started with ceramic cats.

After being invited to a makers market, ceramicist Ashley Grammer decided on a whim to make little cats in costumes to fill extra space on her table. When market day came, the cats were the first things to go, somewhat to Grammer’s surprise.

She continued making cats and began posting her process on social media.

Now, one very viral video and 100,000 Instagram followers later, Grammer has a successful online pottery shop and a new ceramics studio in downtown Snoqualmie, complete with two real-life studio cats.

Grammer opened June and Gem, located at 8054 Falls Ave. SE, in December 2024. She offers group classes, private lessons and memberships.

June and Gem has three instructors, one glaze technician and three studio assistants who contribute to maintenance of the studio in exchange for a free membership. Members get a set number of open studio hours per month and can use the studio’s equipment and materials as needed.

Memberships are currently at capacity, but Grammer is hoping to grow the number of class attendees to give her instructors more opportunities.

Grammer, a Washington local, graduated from the University of Washington with an arts degree in 2020 after a 15-year career as a hairstylist. She majored in interdisciplinary visual arts with a focus in printmaking.

Grammer’s first run-in with ceramics came at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when she worked as a studio assistant for a ceramicist in Fremont. Here, she not only learned how to use a potter’s wheel, but how to properly care for a studio.

“The beauty of that was I got an insane amount of one-on-one attention,” she said. “I learned how to recycle clay, I learned how to properly store things, I learned super basic stuff about how to mix the glazes and things like that. And then he taught me how to wheel throw, and I gave him haircuts. That was our trade.”

Not having a wheel of her own at home, Grammer taught herself the handbuilding technique. Grammer’s preferred method remains handbuilding, and she still sells her handmade cats online.

Four years into her ceramics journey, Grammer said she began to miss being around other artists.

“I really started missing that feeling I had when I was in art school,” she said, “that feeling of being inspired by other artists around me and that sense of community.”

At that point, Grammer was living in Snoqualmie and decided she wanted to open her own studio, but it took her a while to find the “homey” space she was looking for.

“I also really want to feel like the space itself is a form of art in a way,” she said. “Quirky, fun — because that’s what art is to me. To me, it brings joy. … I wanted to bring out those childlike feelings you had when you were young.”

The space Grammer ended up leasing is a house built in 1910 that had been neglected by the former tenants, Grammer said.

She and her loved ones put three months of renovation into the space before it was ready, but today, it’s the colorful, quirky studio she dreamed of.

Most of all, it’s welcoming. Grammer emphasized that all types of people and all levels of ceramicists are welcome at June and Gem.

“I wanted to be able to be a place where those within the community could come here and create art and be in a safe space and feel completely accepted for exactly who they are and to make whatever art they want to make,” she said.

Fighting for pink

Grammer loves color — specifically, she loves pink. The studio has pink sinks, pink baseboards and more.

Eventually, she wants to paint the exterior accents of the building pink with blue trim.

But until recently, that wasn’t possible. Snoqualmie had a resolution that only allowed certain color palettes — mostly shades of gray and brown — for the exterior of historic downtown Snoqualmie businesses.

“The purpose was to stay true to history, and I support that wholeheartedly,” Grammer said. “But we could probably use a few more colors.”

Grammer pleaded her case to the Snoqualmie City Council over the course of several months, including research that showed the popularity of pastel colors for trim and accents during the late 1800s. She argued that businesses deserved to have more creative freedom and use colors that aligned with their brand.

Grammer presented the city council with paint swatches from the Sherwin Williams historical section — all colorful but muted, she said.

“I was fighting for pink, but I was like, whether I get pink or not, it’s not about me getting pink,” she said. “It’s about having more options for not just me, but other businesses, too. That’s what I care the most about.”

In July, the council expanded the new list of paint options from 12 to 53 colors, including the pink and blue Grammer will be using. She is now saving up money to have the exterior of the studio painted.

“It would be really fun to have little pops of color in Snoqualmie, because it’s eye-catching compared to the other cities, where it’s like shades of gray and tan,” she said. “I think it could bring in a lot of attention.”