Archive for April, 2010

Innkeeper Q&A: Katherine Brown of Bloomsbury

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

The snow and cold is a distant memory, but the mornings are still starting out on the chilly side – Today it was 35º when dawn broke here at the pottery shop. Finding things that fit makes life more fulfilling, and definitely makes work more fun… Be it a perfect pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes as spring comes, or a perfect mug.

I’ve been waiting to find the next Innkeeper to interview and after hearing from Katherine Brown of Bloomsbury located in Camden, SC earlier this week I knew she would be perfect. In October of lat year we first talked about her property and our mugs and a few weeks later we combined a photograph of her property, and a drawing, by Randall Peterson, into this beautiful creation by Teena our Art Director.

At the start of the week I received a sorta tap-on-the-shoulder email that, more or less, hit me over the head and prompted me to see if Katherine would want to be the second official participant of  our Innkeeper Q&A.

“Good morning Niles – this is where you can share a ‘great laugh’ with everyone at Deneen Pottery!  When we ordered mugs a few short months ago, it was primarily because I like them–I wanted to try them on our breakfast table.

As it would never have occurred to me to buy a mug (with some logo) when I was traveling — I rather dismissed when you said how well they sell.   OK – I need to place an order.   Quit laughing and tell me what you need.”

I don’t mind being dismissed especially when I get to hear about it – That’s why this statement is also on our testimonials page… It helps to look back at positive statements when you are having a rough day – And I figure if I keep stacking up the positive things that have been said, more will KNOW that we ARE the best at making Custom Stoneware Coffee Mugs! (more…)

Tale of Tankards for the Porterhouse

Monday, April 5th, 2010

In January of 2008 Gabe from the Porterhouse Brewpub and Restaurant emailed in a catalog request as he was looking for a durable, USA made tankard for the Mug Club.

Located in Lahaska, Pennsylvania

After some conversations between our president, Peter Deneen, and Gabe we got the green light to produce a first order and by March. Gabe was really excited to have  the tankards in hand and emailed me a few weeks into production, “just wanted to send a follow-up regarding the order.  Any estimates of when we might see them?”

I just happened that Gabe’s order was on the kiln that had opened up that morning… With my camera in hand I snapped a couple of pictures and emailed them back saying that the order would ship out in the next few days. The tag line that year was “24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Hmm?”

Round Tankards – Lt. Dijon w/ Cinnamon White Glaze

Gabe wrote back with a glowing testimonial that I haven’t published until now, “I gotta tell you, I am very impressed [Deneen Pottery].  To include photos of our mugs blows me away and lets me know that I made the right choice with you.  They look amazing!!! I look forward to receiving the mugs.  Thanks again!”

Since that first order in 2008 Gabe has returned to us in 2009, and again in 2010.

This year, however, he put us to the test by waiting until March 1st to give us his new slogan. Part of what makes the Porterhouse’s Mug Club so special is that each year a new mug is rolled out with a new saying. In 2009 they went with “Life’s not all Beer and Skittles,” and for 2010? Well, for the 2010 slogan you’ll have to visit their website or have a meal with them in Lahaska.

Getting back to this year’s order… With a delay in receiving the art, and a shortened production schedule, when we were able to get a partial order out Gabe was even more impressed with us and wrote an email to us over the weekend. “Just a quick note to let you know that the mugs look incredible!!!  I am so happy that I found your company.  You helped me out with a late order and delivered!!!  Once again, you have exceeded my expectations!  Thank you so much for everything!”

Because our tankards are handthrown and high fired to 2040ºF they are tough enough to bang around in a brewpub… Did I mention that they are also lead and cadmium free, dishwasher, microwave, freezer and oven safe as well??? Getting to work with more Breweries or Pubs like the Porterhouse would be fantastic. If any such establishments find this blog and are interested in seeing a sample give us a call and we’ll send one out 888-646-0238. We’ll stand behind our work, and help you in anyway that we can!

Thanks for reading our Pottery Blog.

Niles Deneen

Frequently Asked Questions…

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

It’s April Fool’s Day today and I haven’t played any tricks on anyone. Yet… What I have been doing today is organizing some of our archived printing and advertising projects. In a file from 2002 I found a FAQ sheet about our handmade mugs:

Not a bad layout…

Realizing that none of this valuable information is posted on our website I figured that I could post it here so that it won’t languish in it’s small archived 2002 file. Unbelievably, most of the questions and answers are still the same.

Q: Are these mugs dishwasher safe?

A: Depends on who is washing your dishes… Just kidding, every piece of stoneware we make will be fine in the strongest industrial dishwasher. Just don’t drop it when you are putting them away.

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