MONTANA CITY — A year after a fire at the Iron Front devastated JMACS Pottery, owner Jeremy McFarlane has a new home making pottery in his Montana City Studio and selling it in a Reeder’s Alley storefront. His drive to continue is a testament to his resilience and passion for his craft.
JMAC Pottery was located on the ground level of the Iron Front building, which suffered heavy damage from a fire last August 2023 displacing McFarlane’s business and 29 other tenants.
“Having an interesting life of constantly getting knocked down and having to get back up again, you can’t give up; if something makes you start life over, go again," said McFarlane.
McFarlane emphasized that picking up the pieces after the tragedy was difficult but important to keep family memories alive.
“It was a struggle at first to remain positive but the funny thing I noticed the first day I opened the store made me realize the drive I had to reopen was my daughter at the retail store. She did not want to leave the front desk, and she wanted to help that was her life she loved helping at the store and also play with clay, I really missed that. I think you could say that’s my driving force,” said McFarlane.
McFarlane hopes his new storefront can help revitalize Helena’s oldest and most historic neighborhood, Reeder’s Alley.
“I’ve found up there, I do have different customers, locals that walk by, and that part has been interesting. And this is sort of a team effort to try and get Reeder’s Alley going again,” said McFarlane.
And that the studio will be a place for his students to learn the art while he continues churning out his Montana mugs and practicing a passion that began in his teens.
“As a sophomore, I signed up for a pottery class, and the teacher accused me of being intermediate on the first day because I could center, and it just became natural,” McFarlane said.
The Iron Front building store of JMAC pottery lives on at JMAC’s Reeder’s Alley storefront, through the store’s sign, which survived the fire and flood from water used by first responders to save the building.
