“Walked into a lovely little cafe,sat down and exclaimed to my husband. ‘Hey this mug is was made by the Deneens.’ Sure nuf… met Trasi and she had talked to you even previouly in the week,” wrote Anna. Trasi, who is the owner of the Over Easy Cafe in Sanibel, FL has been using our custom handmade mugs to serve coffee and tea to her guests since 2007, and before that we made mugs for Amy Horton the previous owner.

Here is a picture that Anna’s husband snapped of Anna and Trasi in front of the cafe… In the busy months there can be a line of people waiting to have a delicious breakfast or lunch. It is always fun to talk to Trasi because she love trying out new colors for the handmade mugs that we make for her – We have 169 different glazes to choose from!?! Here is a picture of her mug display – How many different colors do you count?

Making restaurant proof mugs is great – Our mugs are so durable they can handle the abuse of busing, and the commercial dishwasher… “I swear by your mugs, I sell a ton of them – They are durable, we are tough on them and serve over 600 people per day,” Trasi once told me. Being able to feed 600 people in a single day it’s no wonder I get emails like this. “It’s been kinda crazy here I’ve lost track. I’m about out of mugs – So I need to put in another order in.” That is never a problem since our dedicated staff of 24 loves making custom stoneware mugs, especially for our friend Trasi!

If you own a restaurant, or have a favorite restaurant, that would love our mugs let us know!

Thank you for reading our blog!
Niles Deneen – CEO
Deneen Pottery

Like most businesses and cycles there are good times and, well, some not-so-good times. Over the last 18 years that we have been vendor members of Paii, we have seen some high highs and some lows… Ever since Jay Karen became president, things have slowly but steadily started to change. Change takes time, but in just a few short years with Jay focusing on the innkeeping industry and as president of Paii, amazing things have started happening, and the Charleston Innkeepers Conference is proof.

We met more new customers, and wrote more orders for existing customers that we have in at least 6 years. “This is the best conference in a long time”, Peter Deneen mentioned after the closing. Peter also said that “more innkeepers increased their orders for our handmade stoneware mugs, and that shows that Jay is doing a great job.” We heard that the attendance was up by 20% over last year! Also the overall mood of all that we talked to was of positivity, filled with renewed hope, excitement for Paii, and the innkeeping industry as a whole.

Since we have many orders for our custom handmade stoneware mugs to enter, approvals to send off and new customers to set up and request artwork from, I am keeping this entry short. Here is one picture from our booth from left to right: Matthew Carroll (Inn at Irish Hollow), Texas Teena, Niles Deneen, Martha Winter, and Mary Deneen.

If any innkeepers have more picture from the conference please email them to me… I forgot my camera and failed to take our my iPhone to capture the day.

Back to work for the family that loves making mugs -Thanks for reading our blog!

Sincerly,
Niles Deneen – VP, Marketing

P.S. Jay is not alone in his efforts and we have to thank all the members of the Paii staff and the board – THANK YOU!!!

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!

Enough of the blog blabbing here – Time to get to the Questions and Answers.

Q.) Where did you first hear about Deneen Pottery? Deneen Pottery mugs have been around the B&B industry for years.  I do not really recall when or where I first heard about them…most likely from an innkeeper when Bruce and I were visiting an inn who featured the mug.  We love upscale B&Bs — upscale B&Bs are where travelers find the mugs.  So, we have encountered them often in our travels (CO to VA, TX to NH)…long before we decided to be innkeepers…long before we decided to feature Deneen Pottery at Bloomsbury.

Q. Do you use the mugs to serve coffee and/or tea? Yes, we use them for both coffee and tea…primarily for coffee.  We use them in our Bloomsbury gourmet breakfast service and whenever a guest requests a hot drink when not a breakfast.

Q.) What is your favorite thing about your mugs? This is not a fair question…there is no one favorite thing:  Favorite things:  great size with great handle size, beautiful glaze options and wonderful branding of Bloomsbury, keeps hot drinks hot, dishwasher friendly, and our guests love them!

Q.) Can you think of a story or comment  to share about your mugs? My Favorite Mug As a young female lieutenant assigned to an all male Air Force Field Maintenance Unit, I chose a gracefully unique coffee cup from which to consume some of the worst coffee ever brewed (or should I say rebrewed).  Through 25 years of serving our great Nation, I followed my tradition of using a “pretty” cup.  When we opened Bloomsbury Inn in 2005, I continued to use a cup unique to all the others in the house.  Yes, cup as in cup and saucer — never a mug.   With the arrival of Deneen Pottery mugs at Bloomsbury, I decided I should try them.  Well as I write, my Royal Crown Darby cup and saucer are well-displayed in the kitchen, and my coffee sits before me in a Deneen Pottery mug. (PS…no Niles, I did not make this up as a good “story” for the interview…it is oh so true!)

Just as Katherine has served our country for the Air Force , our mugs are now serving her and the guests of Bloomsbury! I do feel sorry for the Royal Crown Darby cup and saucer, much the same as I feel for Winnie the Pooh, but new relationship has emerged and that brings me joy… Much the same way that Katherine now enjoys coffee from her handmade, hand-thrown, made in the USA  – Custom stoneware mug. While what we do may not be on the cutting edge of technology, or will save the world, we do bring a moment of peace and joy when you stop to savor your first sip of the day.

Thank you Katherine – We wish you the best of luck, this season!

Thanks for reading our blog!

Niles Deneen – VP Marketing

John and Dawn have such a timeless and elegant B&B that is perched up on Laine Street overlooking the bay. The conference wasn’t the best as far as business goes, but our trip was… As we were able to visit Big Sur, Santa Cruz and San Francisco. The highlight was being able to look out the windows of the Mimsy Suite each morning at the Monterey Bay, and then come downstairs for breakfasts that were delicious, rich, and fresh! The coffee was amazing as well, and it didn’t hurt that it was served in such beautiful custom handmade mugs

The last morning of our trip we ran across the Golden Gate Bridge… A nice activity considering in Monnesota that day it was -15º. Luckily we have our kilns back here at the pottery that keeps us warm! There are some definite positives to growing up in a family that makes custom handmade stoneware!

We apologize for this miscommunication and failure to send you our catalog.

The problems have been fixed and the “Catalog Request” page is now working. We promise to send one to you if you’ll request one again. Click here to request another one.

Sincerely,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Niles Deneen VP, Marketing                                                                                                                                                                                            Deneen Pottery