Like the character of Blanche DuBois in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” who always depended on the kindness of strangers, owners of a new pottery studio in Germantown have discovered that you don't necessarily have to have bundles of money to open a business if you have the support of the community.

With the help of an online network that encourages neighbors to share, lend and giveaway, the owners of Rebel Potters were able to open last month at 6139 Germantown Ave., and will host an open house this Sunday, Nov. 3. 

“We have done so much so soon, thanks to the community,” said Susan Swartz, of Chestnut Hill, a co-founder. “Buy Nothing Chestnut Hill/Wyndmoor/Flourtown is an amazing method for getting things you may need for no money and getting rid of things you no longer need but that other people can use instead of just throwing them out.”

The owners’ involvement in Buy Nothing network helped supply them with cinder blocks (from a man who donated them), along with furniture, shelves, aprons, trash cans, and wood furniture that originally was used at Yale University. “Someone's mom was going to throw it out, so she gave it to us instead. Her mom was so happy that we are going to use it,” Swartz said. 

“And it is astonishing how nice and generous everyone in this neighborhood has been. Not everyone does pottery, but apparently the people in this neighborhood can all appreciate it.” Swartz continued.

Fellow businesswoman Holly Bird, owner of Move with Love yoga studio, even advertised the new pottery studio, said Rebel Potters co-founder Vanessa Chan, “We are all helping each other. This is really a wonderful community.”

Chan, Swartz and other pottery artists and friends who had met through pottery classes in other locations — Beth Burns-Lynch, of Germantown; Margo Petersen, of Ambler; Doramarie Parra, of East Falls, who has her own pottery business, Parraphernalia; and Janice Strawder, of Manayunk, the studio manager and instructor — all agreed to be partners in their jointly-owned operation.

After finding the vacant property at 6139 Germantown Ave., which had everything the group was looking for, they signed a lease on Sept. 10 and started teaching their first classes on Sept. 23. However, soon after, a pipe burst and flooded the facility, so the founders had to postpone classes for a week. Nowm there are more than 40 students, and the number grows every week.

Rebel Potters is open seven days a week. There are classes for people of all ages, even children starting at age 5 and teenagers, with subjects including clay and pottery wheel basics. The studio hosts private parties, “Clay Dates” on Friday nights, birthday parties, team building events, corporate events, wedding weekend get-togethers, trips to Chester Springs (coming up on Nov. 8 and 9) and community activities.

“And we have plans to reach out to schools in the area,” said Strawder, who came to Philadelphia 30 years ago as a resident artist at The Clay Studio, the largest studio of its kind in the Philadelphia area and one of the largest in the country. Strawder has taught at The Clay Studio for 30 years and also teaches at Rebel Potters. “Janice is the best hand-building instructor ever,” Swartz  said.

The new studio also offers wood firing and raku, which consists of glazed ceramics taken from a kiln when they are still glowing red hot and then placed in a material that would be able to catch fire, such as sawdust or a newspaper. This technique is used to starve the piece of oxygen, which creates a myriad of colors within the glaze. 

Jimmy H. Hamilton III, of Laverock, who has been creating pottery for 40 years and exhibits at local shows, said he “loves the conversation and the joking around at Rebel Potters.” He has become part of Rebel Potters’ multigenerational creative family.

“We have people of all ages, and we all enjoy each other's company,” Chan said. “We have one thing in common, clay. And you don't have to be good to start as a clay student. You just need friends who are good, and we all have that here.”

Connecting with a community is important, Swartz said. “We are all fairly insular (in a big city), so it is important to get involved in the community. And the clay is very therapeutic. Everybody leads busy lives, so when we come together, it is something to celebrate.”

Rebel Potters’ Open House will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 3, and the studio will host a holiday sale, noon to 6 p.m., Dec. 13 to 21. For more information, email rebelpotters@gmail.com. To register for classes, visit rebelpotters.org. There are links on the website for class registration and for the gofundme page and an e-vite to the Open House. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.