I am not alone in this activity, as it turns out there are other Mug Collectors that seek out Deneen Pottery mugs. We started realizing this back in the early 80s when my dad would get calls inquiring about Inns that have our mugs. As technology continued to improve, and our ability to create a database and website, we started a map so that Collectors would easily be able to find mugs. Today that map looks like this:

“We had some guests stay with us for 2 nights last weekend to celebrate their anniversary.  Come to find out that the reason they chose us was because we sold Deneen Pottery mugs!  They found us on your “Collect them all” page of your website.  Apparently they bought mugs a few years back at an inn on the east coast, and loved them so much they wanted to buy more!” Julie McAferty who owns the Greenlake Guesthouse in Seattle, WA wrote this to me just yesterday.

Julie also went on to share that her guests, “purchased 2 of our mugs (and a bouquet of flowers) to have waiting in the room at check in.” While all B&B’s are different and unique there are some things that are synonymous – Excellent linens, privacy, warmth, delicious breakfasts, and maybe Deneen Pottery Mugs. Here is a picture of the dining room’s central table at Greenlake Guesthouse, you can see the Flare Mugs in our hunter green glaze, at each of the 4 places.

Making the best handmade mugs is what we love to do, and when we hear about guests that collect them, it just makes us feel so proud of our work… This is also something that our Innkeepers enjoy as well, and as Julie put it.

“Gotta love it!”

If you want to find out more about our company, or have questions about finding or ordering mugs, just give us a call 888-646-0238.

Thanks for reading our blog!
Niles Deneen, CEO
Deneen Pottery

I am pleased to report that 5 of the properties listed are customers and have our mugs right now, they are: Inn at Round Barn Farm, El Farolito B&B Inn, The Goldmoor Inn, The Hartstone Inn, and The Empress of Little Rock! Here is the article in it’s entirety as published on Yahoo.com, written by the Editors of SmarterTravel.com.

Add a roaring fireplace, warm cookies, and friendly innkeepers to your travels this fall and you’ll likely find yourself at a nice little bed and breakfast. Autumn discounts abound at BnBFinder.com, while BedandBreakfast.com offers no shortage of inspiration. While there are countless options for travelers seeking an intimate stay this fall, here are the 10 B&Bs we think are the coziest from coast to coast.

Photo: Jumping Rocks, Inc.
More from SmarterTravel.com

Carter House Inns
Eureka, California

Close to Redwood National and State Parks and Pacific beaches, the four buildings that make up the Carter House Inns are the perfect spot to rest your head after romping around outdoors. Local organic products, as well as herbs, greens, and vegetables from the inn’s own gardens, are used to create dishes, and guests can join the chefs from Restaurant 301 each afternoon to collect produce for the evening meals. All reservations include fireside wine and hors d’oeuvres, turndown with chocolates, evening tea and cookies, and daily full breakfast. Many rooms are equipped with fireplaces and whirlpool tubs, and all come with a basket full of local treats. Rates begin at $195 per night.

Vertical Horizons Treehouse Paradise
Photo: Jodie Cowan Moskios

Vertical Horizons Treehouse Paradise
Cave Junction, Oregon

Revisit your childhood dream, or just prepare to get super cozy at Vertical Horizons Treehouse Paradise in Cave Junction, Oregon. The property features three houses, each with a unique theme. Organic fruit and local products are used in each morning’s breakfast, which is delivered directly to your tree house with the Winter Nesting Packages. If you’re looking for leaf-peeping opportunities, fall is the perfect time to sleep amongst the leaves and wake up to the sun lighting up the red, orange, and golden leaves. Recreational technical tree climbing is available for guests who want to monkey around; while horseshoes, fishing, disc golf, and a swimming pool are available during summer months. Rates begin at $200 in the winter and $225 in the summer.

Inn At The Round Barn Farm
Photo: Inn at the Round Barn Farm

Inn At The Round Barn Farm
Waitsfield, Vermont

Down comforters, Tempur-Pedic beds, individually controlled heat, and warm robes are only a few of the reasons why rooms at the Inn at the Round Barn Farm are so comfy. Every room has a view of lovely rural Waitsfield, Vermont, while some also have fireplaces, steam showers, and oversized whirlpool tubs. Cookies, the music of Mozart, a glowing fire, and books galore greet you in the library, while the aromas from seasonal and local foods, often from the inn’s own organic gardens, lure you into the dining room. Feeling adventurous? The inn’s 245 acres include a trail system, and guests have access to complimentary snowshoe and cross country ski passes. Or, hit the water in the 60-foot lap pool located in the historic Round Barn, which extends into a greenhouse. Rates start at $165 per night, with a two-night minimum stay on weekends.

El Farolito Bed And Breakfast Inn
Photo: Jumping Rocks, Inc.

El Farolito Bed And Breakfast Inn
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Private casitas? Patios? Kiva fireplaces stocked daily with wood? El Farolito Bed and Breakfast Inn has it all. Located in historic downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico, this B&B is furnished in a south-of-the-border style, complete with local art and comfy sofas. Wireless Internet is available throughout the property, and all rooms come equipped with cable TV. A buffet-style breakfast of homemade baked goods is served each morning, and if you want to stray from the property, you’re just seconds from shops and restaurants. Rooms start at $160 per night in the low season (November through January).

The Goldmoor Inn
Photo: The Goldmoor Inn

The Goldmoor Inn
Galena, Illinois

Perched on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi in Galena, Illinois, the Goldmoor Inn is the quintessential “room with a view.” Fireplaces or Ben Franklin stoves warm up each room, and the daily hot breakfast is available in the dining room overlooking the Mississippi, or in the privacy of your own room. The inn has its own wine cellar, and with it comes an extensive wine list. Warm up your robe on the heated towel bar and slip it on after a dip in your whirlpool. Unwind with a massage, available in suite, in an open-air pavilion, or in the spa room. In addition to cottages and suites, the property’s log cabins abutting the forest offer maximum seclusion. Though you may not want to leave your room, hot air balloon rides, local wineries, and local historic sites are the perfect diversions. Stays begin at $215 per night November through May, or $235 Memorial Day weekend through October.

Hartstone Inn
Photo: Rare Brick

Hartstone Inn
Camden, Maine

While roosters are perhaps overly represented in the wall art and knick-knacks at the Hartstone Inn and nearby Hartstone Hideway, the two Camden, Maine, properties are the very definition of cozy. Rooms include soft robes, fluffy featherbeds, down quilts and pillows, candlelight, fresh flowers, and chocolate truffles. Several also feature gas fireplaces and Jacuzzi tubs, while others have extras like a private garden terrace or a bathroom with heated floors. Herb-scented bath amenities make bubble baths look extra appealing, and the inn’s cooking classes, multi-course breakfast with dishes like lobster and asparagus quiche, stellar wine list, and cocktail hour with complimentary hors d’oeuvres will make you wish you had three stomachs. Rooms start at $105 per night.

The Empress Of Little Rock
Photo: Nancy Nolan

The Empress Of Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas

Listed in the National Register of Historic places, The Empress of Little Rock, with its ornate Victorian architecture, is a Little Rock landmark. The three-and-a-half story corner tower, stained glass skylight, and octagonal-shaped rooms keep this B&B from blending in with the rest of the block, and the two-course breakfast served by candlelight will make your belly glad you chose to stay here. For an extra-snug stay, book a spa suite with a Jacuzzi, aromatherapy steam sauna, and spa amenities. All rooms offer separate sitting areas, fireplaces, robes, and king or queen feather beds, while some rooms have a multi-jet massage shower or footbaths. If you’re into history, teatime at the inn includes food and a detailed historic tour of the property. For fresh air, hit the verandahs overlooking the town’s historic loop. Rooms begin at $139 per night.

Cozy Cactus Bed And Breakfast
Photo: Cris Mitchell

Cozy Cactus Bed And Breakfast
Sedona, Arizona

The name says it all at Cozy Cactus Bed and Breakfast, located in the heart of Red Rock Country in Sedona, Arizona. Choose from a standard room or a one- or two-bedroom suite at this five-room bed and breakfast. Reservations include a three-course breakfast, along with hiking and biking access to the Coconino National Forest. All five rooms have private outside entrances. Eight separate outdoor seating areas with umbrellas and heaters will keep you relaxed no matter what the weather. Hosts Mark, Carrie, and resident pooch, Margarita Rox, will make you feel right at home with fresh baked muffins and breads. Rooms begin at $150 per night during the off-season summer months for single or double occupancy.

Star Of Texas Bed And Breakfast
Photo: Deb Morelock

Star Of Texas Bed And Breakfast
Brownwood, Texas

The Star of Texas Bed and Breakfast in Brownwood, Texas, is an ideal location to stash away your cell phone and just relax. Candles, music, and the starry night sky set the tone for your getaway. Most rooms have private Jacuzzis or outdoor hot tubs, while one room even has a tree house-style balcony. Travelers looking for something a bit more unique will enjoy the Dancing Buffalo teepee or Room 55, a restored 1955 Spartan Park Home decked out in vintage 50s furnishings. The inn also has a Texas Ranch Retreat—a ranch house on 50 acres adjoining the main property. At this B&B, you don’t even have to worry about getting out of your pajamas for breakfast. A full hot breakfast is delivered to each private cottage around 9:00 a.m. Baked crème brulee or Mexican quiche are favorites, cooked with eggs from the inn’s own chickens. Rooms begin at $129 per night.

Whispering Pines Bed And Breakfast
Photo: Randall Schieber

Whispering Pines Bed And Breakfast
Dellroy, Ohio

You’ll find a lakeside oasis at Whispering Pines Bed and Breakfast, which overlooks Atwood Lake in Dellroy, Ohio. The rolling hills of Carroll County provide the backdrop to the nine guest rooms, each decorated with antiques, and many with two-person whirlpool tubs, in-room fireplaces, and private balconies. Many rooms also come with their own sitting area, bathrobes, blanket throws, and wine glasses. On-site massages are available. The seven-acre property boasts a two-person wing and a fire pit for popcorn or roasting marshmallows. Got a sweet tooth? Homemade chocolate chip cookies and tea are always available. Reader skgarcowski enjoyed the inn’s food: The “owner is a wonderful cook. Delicious, inventive breakfasts, great cookies, wonderful tea-time cake.” Rates begin at $169 December through February, or $189 March through November.

By Lee Egerstrom
Economic Development Fellow
lee.egerstrom@mn2020.org

A company of artists in St. Paul is proving that making art objects can sustain a small business, that entrepreneurs can survive economic cycles, and that quality can still trump quantity in this age of big box stores and mass marketing.

Deneen Pottery is a family owned business that has endured various trials and tribulations since 1972. It makes hand-thrown stoneware products for institutional and business customers who want to exhibit glaze engraved logos, which result from a trademark protected process that Deneen master potters invented.

The biggest categories of Deneen’s 2,700 customers are hospitality industry companies such as bed and breakfasts, country inns and golf courses. Right behind are college bookstores, corporations that want promotional items for products or their corporate image, and restaurants. Renaissance festivals and community events that appeal to tourists who may be collectors is another important but smaller category, and Deneen has a small number of retailers as customers who specialize in merchandise for tourists.

Coffee and tea mugs are the largest selling pottery products. Each is an art piece, shaped and fired by 24 pairs of hands from clay and the potter’s wheel on through to packaging and shipping, and each is especially popular with collectors.

That became evident during the end-of-semester and holiday break season at Century College, the community college and technical school in White Bear Lake. Students were buying, returning and swapping textbooks in the Century College bookstore and picking up gifts for the holiday season that proudly showed the college’s logo.

Minnesota’s liberal arts and community colleges are special customers for the pottery works, said Peter Deneen, founder and president. About 30 of Deneen Pottery’s 200 academic customers are Minnesota college bookstores, he said, and most are private NCAA Division III schools or public community colleges.

“No licensing problems with big conferences,” he said. “The bookstores make their own purchasing decisions. This eliminates a lot of complications and paperwork.”

The University of St. Thomas has a special place in the Deneen family’s hearts, said both Peter and his son Niles, the vice president for marketing. In discussing an order for the St. Thomas Bookstore a few years back, [bookstore manager, Tony Erickson] alerted them to a scheduled tri-state trade show for college bookstores at a St. Paul hotel.

Northfield has become an important center for Deneen Pottery from such networking contacts. Both Carlton College and St. Olaf College are steady customers for high quality stoneware.

Century College is among institutional customers that learned about Deneen products from the bookstore fair, said Jill Hanson, who purchases for the bookstore. Most of the retail customers for the upscale mugs and ceramics are faculty and staff, she said. The make especially popular gift items for important visitors and guest speakers on campus.

Jeanine Riley at St. Thomas said the St. Paul campus bookstore has high-quality mugs and some vases on hand for visitors, faculty and staff shoppers. Students tend to buy less expensive mugs with “St. Thomas Mom” or similar logos, she said.

But parents, faculty and staff “go upscale,” either for themselves or for gifts, Riley added. “We see parents buying these when they brings their students to school, and homecoming is big with alumni sales and graduation is also good for sales.

“These are emotional items,” she said.

Information about Deneen products, the artistic processes involved, and a directory of upscale inns and bed and breakfasts where personalized mugs are sold as collectibles can be found at www.deneenpottery.com.

Minnesota 2020 promotes Minnesota made and sold products each year through the online Minnesota Gift Guide. Research shows that returns to the Minnesota and community economies are far greater from Minnesota made and sold products than derived from local markups of other non-local retail sales.

Deneen Pottery is a local manufacturer. What economists call “upstream,” “downstream” and value-added benefits from Deneen are more evident than at most retail establishments.

Key ingredients at a pottery factory involve clay. Deneen gets most of it clay supplies from two Twin Cities firms – Minnesota Clay in Edina and Continental Clay, Minneapolis. Packaging supplies are mostly local, and the community benefits from the 25 jobs this small business generates.

A base of Minnesota customers, such as the colleges and such companies as Pillsbury, General Mills and Land O’Lakes, benefit in various ways from the products sold or used for promotions.

Deneen Pottery started as Cloth & Clay Inc. in 1972. It moved to different sites in St. Paul over the years, filed for bankruptcy, had its assets sold to a holding company, and then came back as Deneen Pottery but in its original form in 1992 when the holding company shut down its operating unit.

Four former potters are now following their own dreams and have started pottery companies in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Local and state economic development professionals and policy makers would get mixed messages about how to help entrepreneurs like the Deneen family. The city of St. Paul helped with finding factory space and the federal Small Business Administration did help their company financially in an earlier form that didn’t succeed.

But the company is back, still in St. Paul, strictly operating on cash flow. Market growth of new customers has helped it weather the current recession despite 10 to 15 percent sales reductions at many of its repeat customers.

Looking back, Peter Deneen said the company has constantly confronted the two universal problems for entrepreneurs – access to capital and marketing plans. Without the latter, a company can’t handle the capital it does access, he said.

In the end, he added, what makes both problems manageable is having products that people want. That becomes apparent in the bookstores at Century College and St. Thomas.