In the spirit of Small Business Saturday® taking place this month and the start of the holiday shopping season, Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors is proud to introduce you to Sarah Grosso, a recent college graduate and owner of Sonder Company, maker of handmade and heartfelt small-batch ceramics.
Sarah is a Newtown Square resident who attended Archbishop John Carroll High School. After graduation, she was accepted to The University of Scranton, where she graduated from its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program (SJLA), one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in SJLA pursue a rigorous education designed to develop enhanced writing, oral and critical-thinking skills through specially designed courses in philosophy, theology and literature.
Sarah graduated from Scranton, magna cum laude, as an English and Philosophy double major. “As an English major, I am a big fan of words and the power they hold,” she explained. “The word “sonder” is really special to me because a beautiful perspective is wrapped up in just six letters.” Sonder is a noun describing the profound realization that everyone, including strangers passing in the street, has a life as complex as one’s own, which they are constantly living despite one’s personal lack of awareness of it.
“Everyone is living their own complex lives with their own set of dreams, fears, and hopes. It’s pretty powerful to think about, and it helps me have more compassion for those around me,” Sarah said. “My hope for this business is to create cozy art that helps fend off the fear of these uncertain times.” Since graduating, she has been searching to find a meaningful path and found that in making her art, she feels a little better and hopes it can help make us feel better, too. “I love knowing that my art can bring joy and happiness to others.”
Sarah’s handmade and heartfelt ceramic pieces include mugs, teacups and planters for your home and office, and she has recently added coffee-scented soy candle mugs to her inventory. One look through her website, and you’ll see adorable options like bear and cow planters as well as inspirational messages and trendy designs on coffee mugs and teacups.
“All of my work is handcrafted by me,” Sarah said. “Each piece is unique and made with love and careful attention to detail.” Sarah detailed the process of creating her pieces from start to finish. “I work with stoneware clay that I first weigh and wedge to ensure uniform consistency,” she explained. “Then I “throw” the clay onto my wheel.” Throwing is the process that involves centering the clay and bringing up the walls without having
it collapse.
Sarah said that after a piece is formed and trimmed, it must dry before being painted and glazed. When the piece is “leather hard,” it is the consistency of soft leather, and features can be added, like mug handles and custom textures using specific carving tools. Once complete, the clay must reach the “bone dry” stage, which can take up to one week, before entering the kiln for the final step.
“Once the clay is completely dry, the glaze is applied, and the piece is placed in the kiln for the final fire,” Sarah explained. “There are many ways to apply glaze, such as dipping, spraying, brushing and pouring. I love experimenting with different glazes to create unique patterns and pieces.” She plans on adding many more pieces to her collection including dinnerware, vases and tasteful home decor.
To view Sarah’s work and order a few pieces for the upcoming holiday season, visit her website at www.SonderCompany.com or follow her on Instagram @sondercompanyy.