Business Chat: James Potter, The Suffolk Bowl Company
Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do.
Some people within the local business community, will recognise me as the managing director at Superstructures, a structural engineering and design company based in Ipswich, which I started from my bedroom 14 years ago. Today, we are a team of 19 working from our office in Queen Street, Ipswich, providing structural engineering and design services in all sectors of the construction industry. I am a chartered structural engineer, but unusually my original degree is in Industrial Design and Technology as opposed to the usual Civil Engineering.
Tell us why you decided to start a side hustle making handcrafted wooden bowls.
As business owners, we all have highs and lows and periods of higher stress. During one of the more stressful periods, I was scrolling through my social media feeds when I was inspired by a woodturning video I saw on YouTube. I had only recently given up competitive cycle racing and was looking for something else to fill that gap and enable me to switch off from the ‘day job’. Me being me and never able to sit still, three months later I had myself a workshop, a lathe, and a real passion for taking wood from the ground and turning it into beautiful, hand-crafted items.
Why do you love it so much?
Over the past few years, The Suffolk Bowl Company has become my haven and a vehicle to express the creative design ability that I developed during my Industrial Design degree. I love everything about it, from visiting the wood yard in Suffolk with my chainsaw and sourcing the logs I want to use, to shutting myself away in the workshop and creating these stunning wooden bowls.
I work at my own pace and it is not a quick process; every piece is a one-off and is very carefully considered. Most of my bowls are twice turned – once when the wood is green (wet) and once after it has dried out, moved, and gained even more character. I have my bowls in my home when they’re drying out so I can keep an eye on them and, over time, decide how best to finish them in the next stage.
How’s it going?
What originally started as a hobby has led to a retail sideline. After initially giving my bowls away as gifts, I developed my skill level and realised there could be a demand for them. To begin with, I stocked them with a local independent retailer, then moved online to Etsy, and have now launched my own website. I’ve also work on commission pieces, where the customer gets regular updates on progress, which is really good fun.
Where can we look at what you’ve made and where can we buy them?
My bowl making journey, production videos, and stock updates can all be found on my Instagram page #thesuffolkbowlcompany, and you can visit my website to buy www.thesuffolkbowlcompany.co.uk.
