about
Garrity Tools
Garrity Tools is a worker-owned cooperative that designs and manufactures pottery tools in St. Louis, MO. Our small but mighty team handcrafts wood pottery tools that are used worldwide by potters to shape clay. Founded in 2018, our company transitioned to a worker-owned model in 2022 and continues to grow rapidly through new relationships with ceramic suppliers, direct sales to customers through our online store, and our online community @garritytools on Instagram.
Our Values
We believe in collaborating with one another and learning from each other in order to be successful.
We honor the dignity of labor; that all types of job tasks are important to the success of the company and deserve to be respected equally.
We work through a lens of equality, inclusion, and diversity.
We acknowledge the complex convergence of oppression and privilege that exists in each of us.
We prioritize investing our profits in our staff and our community.
We encourage the freedom to experiment and play in order to innovate.
We support the arts and the artists behind the work.
We believe creative problem-solving is essential to being sustainable.
We strive to grow our business to have a bigger impact for our employees and our community. We work to lead our industry to a new place and fundamentally change the way businesses operate.
2012-2016
Garrity Tools was founded by woodworker Collin Garrity. Inspired by his ceramicists friends, he began experimenting with wood rib shapes that could help them achieve their pottery dreams.
2017-2018
After vending at a few ceramic conferences and getting feedback from industry pros and artists, Garrity Tools went into full swing with Collin making every tool by hand.
2019:
Collin brought on a few local creatives and woodworkers to help with production and fulfillment, and all were inspired by what Garrity Tools could be!
2020-2021:
The pandemic didn’t slow business down, but it helped us rethink our business model and growth. Team-members brought the idea of transitioning the company to a worker-owned co-op to Collin, and he was excited about the idea!
2022:
Collin Garrity sold the company to the workers and Garrity Tools became a worker-owned co-op with three initial worker-owners: Jenny Murphy, Brie Cella, and Collin Garrity.
2023-2024:
The new Worker-Owners continue to strategize creative ways to grow our company and team. Focusing on increasing our production while balancing the needs and health of our people, Garrity Tools continues to reach potters all over the world with our high-quality tools.