Mission: What We Do

Simply put, our mission is: To provide good food and conversation to all, regardless of means.

We break this down into three components: good food, conversation to all, and regardless of means.

Good Food: We hope to bring people together through our menu; our food should allow everyone to feel at home and ready to pull up a chair!

Conversation for All: Through our events and curated bookstore, The Potter’s House aims to expand our connections with others through diverse, accessible events.

Regardless of Means: We’re meeting the needs of our community. We don’t just invite people in, we create opportunities for safe and open expression.

Vision: Why We Believe in Our Work

The Potter's House is a Pay-What-You-Can cafe & bookstore that seeks to actively dismantle systemic societal barriers that prevent community members from living self-defined fulfilling lives. We come into work every day believing that we can make real positive changes to our neighborhood and empowering others to do so.

Values: How We Put our Words into Action

Our nonprofit initiatives put our mission and vision to work. Our programs are crafted to support our neighbors with dignity and honor as they deserve them.

Pay it Forward, our daily meal program, increases access to fresh meals from our kitchen and our food donation partner, Food Rescue DC. Everyone has a right to a warm meal and a space to enjoy it.

Page it Forward, our book access program for children, creates more opportunities for children to learn to love reading. Children’s literacy begins with access to books, and we’re hoping to ignite their passion for new worlds and perspectives through discounted and free books in our store.