Meet the Team
Mallorie + PJ
Owners + Founders
Mallorie founded Jars of Dust in 2015 when she was getting her undergrad at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Among the many hats that Mal has put on over the years of JOD’s rapid growth, she continues to throw all of the tableware collection on the potter’s wheel.
PJ is the mastermind behind all of the buildouts of the spaces that Jars of Dust has occupied over the years. With carpentry as his specialty, and lots of experience in general contracting and construction he plays a vital role in studio/shop design, functionality, and scalability.
Outside of business ownership, PJ and Mal live a vibrant life of becoming first-time parents, hanging out with friends + family, surfing, gardening, being neck deep in a renovation, sewing, adventuring with Brown and Cowboy, and dreaming big.
Lydia
General Manager
Lydia joined Jars of Dust in the fall of 2018 as a studio assistant after completing her undergraduate studies at VWU. Today, she manages our studio operations and develops all of our in-house glaze recipes. When she’s not elbow-deep in glaze, you’ll find her running with the VB run clubs, baking sourdough, going on coffee walks with friends, investing in the local community, swaying to live music, or collecting shells by the ocean.
Community is one of the many reasons she loves working at JOD. From coworkers who make her laugh until there are tears in her eyes to customers who remind her of her passion for the craft, people are what continue to inspire her both at the company and beyond.
Steph
Head of Production + Product Design
Steph has been with us since 2021, crafting and designing all of our slab-built pottery pieces, managing the clay recycling process, and getting down and dirty in the studio.
She attended Westminster College in western Pennsylvania where she earned her degree in Fine Art, Biology, and Psychology. She also studied art and ceramics internationally at Universidad Veritas in Costa Rica and Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo in Spain.
Super duper passionate about ceramics, Steph is constantly creating both inside and out of work— you can check out her own small batch pottery work here.
Betty
Sales + Order Fulfillment
Betty went to school at Virginia Wesleyan University. She then participated in the Virginia Beach Fellows program shortly after. As a local to the area, she has a deep love for community, surfing, and all things bright and fun.
When she is not packing up your orders you can find her, checking the waves, thrifting her newest treasure, reading a classic novel or spending time with those she considers family.
She loves working at Jars of Dust because of the opportunity to get to know the people that walk through the door each day.
Elizabeth
Sales + Order Fulfillment
Elizabeth discovered her love for ceramics when taking art classes during her childhood. She spent her formative years studying the theories behind pottery and the concepts of hand building with clay until she was given the opportunity to become an instructor for Jars of Dust. This led her to working in the Jars of Dust shop which she enthusiastically agreed to do.
When she's not in the shop, she can be found surrounded by nature. Either gardening, fossil hunting or fishing. Her love of flora and fauna is greatly reflected in the ceramic pieces she makes.
When the weather is gloomy, she can be found cooking nourishing meals with her partner or crocheting while being harassed by her cats, Ouija and Monty of which the sweetest revenge comes in the form of countless unflattering photos of them.
Brown + Cowboy
Shop dogs, Self-proclaimed Bosses
Brown Bear Terranova (close friends call him Brown) is the real boss at Jars of Dust, and his little brother The Cowboy Cub (better known as Cowboy) is Brown’s apprentice-in-training. Brown tells us what to do and when to do it, inspects every piece of pottery, and signs off on if it’s good enough or not. He’s teaching Cowboy the ways of being a proper shop dog. Their tails and enthusiasm have broken many, many, many pieces of pottery over the years. If they’re not running around the production studio, they’re probably sound asleep on their bed next to the potter’s wheel.