SANTA FE CLAY LEAVES RAILYARD DISTRICT FOR BANANA LANE

Santa Fe Clay left its longtime home in the Railyard District, relocating to three acres of land at 5 Banana Lane, north of Tesuque Pueblo. Santa Fe Clay opened next to the train tracks off Paseo de Peralta in 1974 with studio and gallery space for ceramic artists and became known for its public lectures, classes, and workshops. Rod Andres and Mark Grischke purchased the business in July 2017 and soon decided that the warehouse-style facility no longer suited their needs. The new space, which opens Monday, Aug. 5, offers studio members and customers the same array of services and will include an expanded retail store for art supplies, as well as ample parking.

“The Railyard District’s much-touted redevelopment hasn’t brought in any significant business,” Andres said in a written statement. “Many of the buildings are still unoccupied and even though we’ve read recent news stories about filled vacancies, the incoming tenants are unlikely to attract any sort of real activity to the neighborhood.” He said that the Santa Fe Clay owners felt forced out of the area by constant problems with vagrants, drug users, and other criminal behavior, and by limited parking and rising rental costs.

“Santa Fe prides itself on being a great supporter of the arts,” Grischke said in the statement. “Unfortunately, that’s not been our experience. We took over a well-known but struggling business and quickly realized that the goals we’d set — better pay for employees and teachers, health benefits and a 401k plan, along with more involvement with local artists and schools — weren’t sustainable in this environment.”

For more information, call 505-984-1122 or go to santafeclay.com.