Podcast Summary: The Entrepreneurs – Can Stoke-on-Trent’s Pottery Industry Be Saved? Monocle Radio | Host: Tom Edwards | Guest: Sarah Watson, Founder of Ballinaum | Aired: July 30, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of The Entrepreneurs explores whether Stoke-on-Trent—a city famed for its historic pottery industry—can reinvent and sustain itself in the face of decades-long decline. The core of the episode centers on Sarah Watson, an Australian entrepreneur and founder of Ballinaum, who unexpectedly took over her key tile supplier, Phoenix Tile Studio, to preserve both her product and local ceramic manufacturing. The discussion delves into the realities of preserving heritage industries, choosing artisanal quality over mass production, and the personal and communal challenges of entrepreneurship in a diminished, yet proud, industrial region.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sarah Watson’s Unlikely Journey to Stoke-on-Trent

• Background & Ballinaum’s Focus
  • Sarah, Australian by origin, moved through global cities before founding Ballinaum in London in 2007, specializing in bathroom decor (Tiles were added in 2013).
  • “Ballinaum is a retail brand. We design and sell products... we work with small manufacturers and have a lot of flexibility in what we design and produce.” (02:00)
• Partnership with Phoenix Tile Studio
  • Ballinaum relied heavily on Phoenix, eventually accounting for 40% of sales and becoming their largest client.
  • When the owners, Paul and Geoff, neared retirement—and closure loomed—Sarah stepped in and bought the business in 2023, saving 10 jobs.

2. The State of the Ceramics Industry in Stoke-on-Trent

• Industry Decline and Local Challenges
  • Stoke-on-Trent, once bustling with 30,000 ceramics jobs, now has around 3,000 remaining—a stark decline due to industry collapse and lack of supporting infrastructure.
    • “Stoke was really built on coal and ceramics and both have been completely decimated over the last 40 years.” (06:41)
• Interdependent Infrastructure
  • Sarah highlighted how, as large companies close, specialized suppliers and repair services vanish, threatening even the small high-end producers.
  • “I also need a supporting infrastructure around me...we all had that shared infrastructure. So even when someone like Johnson's...ceased production, I did worry about the impact that has on my supporting infrastructure.” (06:41)

3. Artisanship vs. Mass Production—A Mindset Shift

• Embracing Small-Scale, High-Quality Production
  • Sarah sees survival in niche craftsmanship, not volume. Artisanal jobs, she argues, are more sustainable and socially responsible—even if margins are thin.
  • “There's been an increasing polarization between cheap mass-produced volume...and expensive handmade crafted. And there's nothing in between.” (09:49)
• On Pricing and Value:
  • The high cost of handmade tiles reflects actual costs—fair wages, lean retail, and sustainable techniques—not luxury markups.
  • “Phoenix last year lost £100,000. Balliname...made about a 5% profit last year...the truth is that is how much that product should cost to be made.” (11:52)

4. Consumer Expectations and Sustainability

• Hierarchy of Consumer Values
  • While consumers expect sustainability and ethical production, Sarah believes design and price remain their top considerations.
  • “I think the first question is, do you love it? Then the second...can you afford it? Then...is it made well?...But I think ultimately people will make the decision to purchase something because they love the design and then they can or cannot afford it.” (13:10)
• CSR & Brand Values
  • The headwinds for companies to prove their sustainable, ethical credentials remain, but Sarah feels substance outweighs awards for true validation.

5. Carrying the Heritage Forward—Responsibility or Burden?

• A Reluctant Yet Devoted Custodian
  • Despite not seeing herself as a natural entrepreneur (“I don't particularly enjoy running a business...I find it actually pretty stressful and pretty uncomfortable most of the time.” (04:43)), Sarah is driven by care for her team, the city, and the craft itself.
  • “I just love factories. I love them...My parents had owned a roller shutter manufacturing when I was growing up. Maybe that's in my DNA...” (14:46)
• Validation & Rewards
  • True fulfillment comes from respect and appreciation of her factory team—not journalists or awards.
  • “Actually I would be...far more pleased when someone who really knows me...says, hey, Sarah, I thought that was really great.” (16:12)

6. The Path to Survival: Knowledge Transfer & Recruitment

• Succession & Skills Preservation
  • Sarah’s next years are focused on extracting her aging team’s vast experience (“Paul and Geoff...hopefully I’ve got eight more years before they leave”) and standardizing processes for the eventual next generation (MRP system implementation).
• Engaging the Next Generation
  • Recruiting young talent is challenging (“you can go and get a job in an Amazon warehouse or at bet365...probably that pays better than a ceramics factory”), but family ties persist in some cases.
  • “Deborah...our most experienced decorator...her mother was a ceramics decorator for 40 years. And now Deborah’s daughter Becky has joined us and she’s 26 and we’re training her...” (19:05)

7. Building Community & Stoke’s Fighting Spirit

• Creating Networks Among Survivors
  • Cross-pollination and camaraderie with other surviving companies (Emma Bridgewater, 1882) to nurture civic pride and revive the sector.
  • “We're just trying to build just a greater sense of community and pride for those of us who are still left working in ceramics.” (20:19)
• Regenerating Interest & Outreach
  • Planning to campaign for the industry and highlight its relevance and reward.

8. Visiting Ballinaum & the Factory

• Showcasing Work & Stoke's Attractions
  • Ballinaum welcomes visitors in London (Hampstead studio) and by appointment in Stoke, especially during events like the Ceramics Biennale.
  • “We've just recently put together like a Visit Stoke guide...you can come and see Phoenix Tile Studio and then go to the Biennale to see a celebration of ceramics.” (21:42)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I did think, this is not my fight to be had...then eventually I looked around, I'm like, oh, fuck. No one else is gonna step up. It's gonna have to be me.” — Sarah Watson (06:41)
• “Stoke on Trent is a hard city to love...It is grey, it is miserable...There's a lot of boarded up shops. The industry...has been completely decimated.” — Sarah Watson (06:41)
• “I've seen big manufacturing and I've seen small handcrafted manufacturing...I can't put my time and energy in it. I don't believe in the soul of it.” — Sarah Watson (09:49)
• “The happiest I’ve ever been is working on a dip line in Stoke on Trent.” — Sarah Watson (15:41)
• “We have a chip on our shoulder, we have a real fighting spirit, like we're the last men on the dance floor...” — Sarah Watson (20:19)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:00] — Sarah’s background and founding Ballinaum
• [05:58] — Facing the prospect of losing Phoenix Tile Studio
• [06:41] — The decline of the Stoke pottery industry and the challenge of infrastructure collapse
• [09:49] — Polarization of the ceramics market & stance on artisanal craft
• [13:10] — Consumer priorities: design, affordability, sustainability
• [14:46] — What drives Sarah: factories, craft, and community
• [17:08] — Knowledge transfer & systems to prepare for succession
• [19:05] — Multi-generational workers in ceramics & challenges attracting youth
• [20:19] — Community-building and outreach among surviving ceramics firms
• [21:42] — Visiting Ballinaum’s Hampstead studio or the Stoke factory, recommendations for ceramics tourism

Tone and Style

The conversation is candid, thoughtful, and laced with dry humor and realism. Sarah Watson appears humble, honest about her fears and stresses as an entrepreneur, and passionate about both her people and the craft. There’s pride, but also a pragmatic sense of urgency and duty—the preservation of a community, an art, and a way of life.

In Summary:
This episode offers an unvarnished but deeply hopeful view into the realities of sustaining Britain’s heritage crafts in the modern world, anchored by one woman’s leap from reluctant entrepreneur to advocate and ambassador for the soul of Stoke-on-Trent pottery.

For more:

• Visit ballinaum.co.uk
• Visit the Hampstead studio or book a tour of the Phoenix Tile Studio in Stoke-on-Trent
• Attend the Stoke-on-Trent Ceramics Biennale (September–October)

(The second half of the episode, focused on Japanese coffee innovation, begins at [22:40] and can be summarized separately if needed.)