Pot-Pourri, with two independent, partnering locations, is a family business for Christopher, Julia, Andy and Maxmillian Diez.

Christopher Diez’s parents, Andy and Julia, never set out to open a gallery together, let alone one that primarily offers pottery. In fact, neither of them had any interest in pottery until, in an effort to find a hobby they could enjoy together, they signed up for a ceramics class. ‘I wasn’t very good at it,’ laughs Julia, ‘but Andy soon mastered the art, taught pottery classes and eventually wanted to open up his own shop.’

By 1968, Andy had already quit his job as a paper broker. He opened Pot-Pourri in a small shopping mall in California’s residential neighborhood of Oakland Hills. He later moved into larger spaces within the mall.

To support the family, Julia retained her job at the phone company where she ultimately climbed the corporate ladder into management. ‘As long as Julia was working and we didn’t need to pay a babysitter to watch the boys, I was able to put all the money I made back into the store,’ says Andy.

The store initially featured the art of struggling street vendors who sold their work on Berkeley’s famed Telegraph Avenue. Today, Pot-Pourri’s Oakland location continues to sell work by the same, now-famous artists.

Pot-Pourri’s inventory has expanded beyond ceramics to include glass, wood, fountains, chimes, jewelry, books and cards, lamps and wall art. Situated in a 5,000-square-foot space, the store features the work of approximately 400 artists. It’s a thriving family business that supports Andy, Julia’who joined the team in 1991 after retiring from her corporate job’and their younger son, Maxmillian, who manages the store.

Working with their children has been a wonderful experience that neither Andy nor Julia anticipated. ‘We’re very happy that both of our boys have taken an interest. Chris is doing very well at the Burlingame store and has opened our eyes to a lot of new ways of doing business. And Max has been managing and making changes to the Oakland store for about 5 years. We look back and can’t believe that Andy used to run this store seven days a week. It takes a lot of energy, and it’s nice that Chris and Max have the desire to continue Andy’s legacy,’ Julia says with a smile. ‘Tiffany Carboni