Tucked away in the back of a used appliance store in Victoria, BC, is Fruity Ceramics Cooperative, a colourful hidden gem of a pottery studio. Fruity Ceramics stands out in Victoria’s art scene as a unique safe space for working-age queer artists and allies to connect over a shared passion. 

The studio was initially founded as a for-profit venture, but it was evident early on that that model wasn’t viable. Today, Fruity operates as a community service co-operative, which incorporated in late 2025. 

“When we opened Fruity, we were running with having classes open to the public and really more of a [private business], and trying to make a living making art,” said Ess, a member and one of Fruity’s original co-owners. “It became pretty clear in the first year that that wasn’t the way for us to run it, and that it actually needed to be a collective effort.”  

Finding Strength in Numbers

Operating a ceramics studio is a demanding task, requiring high overhead costs, operational knowledge of specialized equipment, and late nights spent cleaning. Fruity’s early employees knew that they had something special, but if they wanted to continue operating their studio, major changes had to be made to keep the space viable.  

“I more or less was single-handedly running Fruity as a business for [almost half a year] and was burning out very quickly,” said Paulina, Fruity’s Vice-President, “because I could see the potential in the space and the value of the people who are already part of it, so I wanted to find a way to make that sustainable…[we] very quickly decided, ‘Hey, I think we can actually make this a co-operative. I was very happy to hear that because the business wasn’t really sustainable, and I really wanted Fruity to continue, and I didn’t know how else to do that until Juniper came in.” 

“It’s a lot of work running a pottery studio,” said Juniper, the co-op’s current president, “and … the business owners just had less and less time to focus on the business. We were having people pitch in more and more, and people are only going to contribute so much without getting some of the agency and benefits and being able to have a say in how things are run.” 

Now, members and directors alike appreciate the division of labour and democratic process facilitated by the co-operative model.  

“I’m a director, but every director is also a member as well,” said Joanne, Fruity’s Director of Studio Operations. “I really appreciate the fact that we’re still kind of on equal footing. Any time we have a vote, we all have one vote, so it’s not like the directors have any more sway than any of the members … we try and make things as equitable as possible.” 

Maisie, a member of the co-op, said that as a busy grad student, Fruity offers an ideal creative space for her. 

“Having a board that kind of does all the overhead is really nice [so I can just] come into this space and do what I want to do and still contribute with cleaning [the studio] and the bathroom, the laundry, and all those things,” she said. 

Making Art Space Accessible and Inclusive

While there are many for-profit pottery options in the Victoria area, they tend to be expensive, limited in space, and prohibitive towards the schedules of working adults. Additionally, as far as Fruity’s members are aware, there are no other studios in the city that cater specifically to queer artists.  

“Our studio is 24/7,” Juniper said. “The members get a key, they can come whenever they want, they pay a flat rate, no matter how many hours they use in this space. On top of that, it is a queer and trans-centered space. In addition to pottery being like kind of hard to access in the first place, there aren’t any other places that are centered around our community. It’s really important for queer and trans people to have places that are safe and welcoming to them to do art and to recreate.” 

Despite the co-operative’s relative youth as an organization, it is already flourishing with high engagement in decision-making, a membership of 18, and plans to take in new applicants — a strong start that Juniper attributes to the co-operative’s queer-centred identity. 

“When we had our board election, we had more people accept nominations than we had seats on the board, so we actually had to do an election, which I think is amazing,” they said. “…I think a part of that is that it is a queer space. I think queer people — and just underserved people in general — do need to be really good at supporting each other and know the value of community and mutual aid.” 

Fruity Ceramics Cooperative’s story highlights one of the co-operative model’s major strengths: it offers a more sustainable way to deliver services that might otherwise be infeasible for underserved communities. 

While the space may not have been sustainable as a for-profit business, the value of a dedicated space for Queer artists is priceless to the co-operative’s members. 

As Kaela, a member and one of Fruity’s original founders, puts it: “Without [Fruity], where would we be creating? The space was really needed, and the response from the community showed that.” 

A huge thank you to the members and guests of Fruity Ceramics Cooperative for welcoming our team, showing us your studio, and letting us try some pottery! 

Have an idea for a co-op? Reach out to us at info@cooperativesfirst.com.