employer Island Pottery Ltd. Mr. Faulkner, 24, has set up Bermuda Clay Works at the Dockyard as a workshop and retail outlet for his pottery.

He left Island Pottery in 1994 and set up a workshop in Somerset the following year. He opened the Dockyard store last month to showcase his work. The workshop area has two kilns.

"There is a market there for my work,'' he said. "This time of the year its mainly tourists who are buying but during November to April I plan to make terracotta garden pots for the local market.'' He said he was barely managing to keep up with the demand. He handpaints his pottery.

"I hope during the offseason I will have time to be more creative,'' he said.

The store employs two other staff.

Mr. Faulkner studied his craft in the UK, beginning when he was 15 years old.

There he learned how to glaze pottery and produce high quality work. He arrived back in Bermuda and began working for Island Pottery, which is also located at Dockyard. He left after two years and decided to branch out on his own.

Island Pottery's survival is in doubt because it is being sued by Dockyard landlord West End Development Corp., which wants to liquidate the company because of non-payment of back rent. Mr. Faulkner believes he won't get into a similar fix as he can manage his store better and he won't have overheads as high as his old employer.