Salinians Tara and Hardik Joshi are combining their respective skills in pottery and robotics for Clay + Code, their new learning center and retail store.
“The goal for me is to unite the community through creativity and critical thinking,” says Tara, a ceramic artist. The classes are STEAM-themed (science, technology, engineering, art, and math), from crafting beginner “pinch pots” to learning hardware fundamentals, and the shop offers a curated selection of engaging toys and quirky gifts.
“That’s the whole vibe I wanted going on here, where you feel like it’s very earthy with the clay, but then modern with the electronics,” she says. It’s a “one-place shop where you come learn, or, if you need a birthday gift or a retirement gift—any gift—you can come in here and I know it so well I can help you find it for any age range.”
The retail choices emphasize women-owned enterprises (including her own pottery and line of soap products) and hands-on toys appealing to kids and parents alike, “so they both can interact together and spend quality time while learning,” Tara says.
Hardik, a Michigan Medicine software engineer, aims to prepare young makers for college-level robotics, utilizing the U-M-developed MBot robotics platform and an array of kits from Freenove. “AI can do the coding nowadays,” he says. “But if you know how the coding works, then it’s easy.”
Clay + Code, 106 W. Michigan Ave., Saline. (734) 625–4794. Tues.–Fri. 4:30–7:30 p.m. (and when “open” sign is on), Closed Sat.–Mon. clayncode.com