Meet Michaela Maes of Maek Friends

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michaela Maes.  

Michaela, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Ryan, now my husband, and I met in a college ceramics class at Point Loma Nazarene University. During that class, Ryan got asked by some friends to make the for-here wares for their new coffee shop, OB Beans. Predictably and over-confidently, he said, “Yes.” While working on that project, we fell hard for each other and for making things with our hands out of clay. As fresh college grads, we decided the time was then to take a stab at the creative life; for us, that looked like a studio in my dad’s barn-turned-woodshop in a small Bay Area town ironically called Clayton, CA. We had the grace of good and supportive parents, the beauty of Northern California’s colorful seasons, and the freedom to dream up Maek Ceramics. 

After a year and a half creating our brand and practicing the craft, we moved back to San Diego to get married and open our first storefront! Our studio had a small retail shop in the front, our workspace in the back (where we made everything), and a loft upstairs where we lived a very dusty life. It was perfect for that time in our life–we were a block from the ocean, got to really show customers the process of the pieces they were buying, and had the opportunity to collaborate with local restaurants, coffee shops, and retail stores on functional wares made in the locale. 

One of our very favorite takeaways from Maek Ceramics was the relationships that were formed from it, the local network of people who came together because of this medium. So, after a few years, we started thinking about ways to involve even more people in this process. We were constantly getting asked if we did classes, but just didn’t have the space. We asked ourselves the question, “What do we want Maek to look like in the world?” Believe it or not, our answer was unanimous. We wanted Maek to form community, to bring people who otherwise had very little in common to one space where the goal was to get weird and create freely. The idea of Maek Friends was born in that conversation, and a few months later, a second commercial lease was signed in OB. Like all of us, Covid taught us tough lessons in patience and perseverance, but after lots of time, money, and tears the world opened back up, and so did Maek Friends. We opened our doors to the Ocean Beach community in January 2022! 

It has been the sweetest thing to watch Maek Friends bloom into something that quickly became bigger than Ryan and me. We quickly realized that there was room to grow into other communities, so in January of 2023, we opened our second location in Encinitas alongside Necessity Coffee, a new project by our dear friends Jon Runion and Curtis Northum. 

As a small business owner, it is easy to get caught in the day-to-day operation of it all, to sink in the sea of details or get burned out from the ever-growing mountain of work, but zooming out has become my way forward. Taking the moments to look at our story as a whole – from kids playing around with clay to young people who have been gifted with an opportunity to create spaces for folks in our community. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Is there such a thing as a smooth road in small business??? As I mentioned before, Covid threw a major curve ball in our plan for Maek Friends. We signed a lease for the OB location in January of 2020, just a few months before the world shut down, and did not open the doors until January of 2022… everyone felt the effects in one way or another, and we honestly felt fortunate that ours was in the form of time and resources. But even with a healthy perspective, it was tough for us to make it through that time–we spent every cent we had and then some, permitting was a nightmare due to city closures, and morale was real low. Here we were, trying to open a community space during a world pandemic where I couldn’t even hug my family. It truly was the support of our people that got us through it all. I look at the photo of us on our opening day in OB and see two very tired humans who got carried across that finish line (which was actually much more similar to a starting block). But quickly after we opened, the energy in the space was a healing balm for our tired souls. People were welcomed in and became collaborators in spirit and craft. It’s no longer my goal to make all the struggles go away but to face them with a posture of curiosity, confidence in resilience, and the strength of our community. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Maek Friends is a member-based ceramic studio that runs on a month-to-month basis. Similar to a yoga membership, members book their time in the studio through our app, and we provide all of the clay, glaze, firing, and tools necessary to take part in the full process of ceramics! Our studios are best for the hobby potter at any level. For those who are just starting out and want a little more guidance we offer Beginner Hours once a week at both locations, where there are a couple instructors present to answer any questions and help when needed! Once members have that base knowledge, we try to create an environment where members are constantly learning from each other and to encourage practice and repetition. Our studio is focused on the autonomy of the creator and a reciprocity with the rest of the community–take only as much as you need and do well with it: That little mound of clay in your hands came from our earth; how will you return the gift? 

After members have 40 hours logged in the space, we offer keyless entry so that folks can be in the studio during unstaffed hours! We wanted the space to be as accessible as possible. Members have been so respectful and responsible with the space; the more we trust and expect the best from our members, the more likely they are to prove us right! 

We also have events and workshops happening monthly! We have brought in famous potters, done weekend workshops, taken field trips to different studios, joined in on other firing methods (raku, pit firing, soda), and try to host a healthy amount of studio sales (we know how quickly pots fill up your kitchen). 

Our studios have become places of rest in the midst of busy lives. Hands are dirty, so phones take a back seat, and attention is on the moment you are in. We are proud to create a peaceful environment that welcomes people in; join us! 

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was a pretty free-spirited gal. I loved anything that was tactile or outside, and if it was a combination of the two, I was lost in it until someone said otherwise. There was a lot of creative freedom given to me as a kid, which I am forever grateful for. Our backyard was adjacent to hundreds of acres of open space, so free time meant a lot of cow interactions and creek adventures. I was also into sports my whole life, which added a team mentality and determination that has had a strong influence on how I work with people. Love me a good group effort. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.maekfriends.com
• Instagram: @maek.friends