Homa Studios: Sustainably sourced NJ clay transformed into beautiful ceramics
Altarik Banks, a native of East Orange, once said “I would be the one in a business suit, even after coming from a lineage of master carpenters.”
Fast forward a decade later, he loves to get messy as the founder of Homa Studios, a design studio with a focus on making innovative forms that are produced locally using sustainable materials.
Altarik founded Homa, after completing a designer residency at Montclair State University’s MIX Lab, “ an interdisciplinary hub for transformative innovation, and digitally mediated making.” He currently leads the charge as design principal, designing forms with a deep interest in materials, sustainability, and fabrication processes.
All of Homa designs are locally crafted in a New Jersey studio using clay sourced from a brook in Montclair. Homa produces an endless amount of forms, by using digital technology and experimenting.
We caught up with Altarik Banks to discuss his business, his journey as an entrepreneur and so much more!
What was the hardest thing for you getting started?
One challenge I faced early on was producing to the right scale. The designs were much wackier than our designs are today. The early designs were really cool, however we had to start producing products we could actually sell.
Describe your day as a business owner.
My days as a business owner starts with me doing normal things… waking up, making breakfast and reading. When I’m not working on Homa, I spend my time as an Uber driver. I’m also a freelance designer. In the evening, I have access to my university. That’s when I work on Homa… designing, sculpting, and creating. Some day to day things include marketing, business design, studying new technologies, researching the market and my favorite part of the day, creating!
How is your business impacting people/the community for the better?
Homa enhances people’s space from the bedroom to the dining room. We are a brand that is well-crafted and we want our customers to buy a product that they can be proud at showing others entering their home. As for the community, we extract clay from a river that runs directly behind Montclair into our designs. We are for high quality at a fair price. People can assure uniqueness as nothing is mass produced.
What do you think about Makerhoods?
Makerhoods is awesome. Makerhoods is giving entrepreneurs something a business outline to turn their product/idea into a scalable business.
What are your plans for 2020?
Expand our objects. Add new collections. Work on new shapes and colors. I also want to expand our store locations and our staff.
What advice would you tell your younger self?
Everything is a learning experience. Begin what you are with what you have.
Anthony Smith, Community Outreach Coordinator
After graduating college and returning back to my hometown of Newark, NJ I became a member of the Newark Makerhoods team. This transformative experience put me in touch with many local entrepreneurs who are all in different business stages, ranging from established to upstart. Newark is a thriving city for talented creators. I'm here to share their stories and launch their business to the everyday public’s eye.