The three-day retreat is offered to those who are undergoing treatment for any type of cancer, not just breast cancer.  Some of them even have multiple forms of the disease.  There is no cost to the women who attend because of Kathy’s tireless efforts to provide funding for the event.  Not only has she applied for and received grants, but she also approaches local businesses for their support. She has been successful at getting the retreat covered under the Ventura County Medical Group’s 501(c)(3) status which recognizes it as a nonprofit program. According to the article, a locally-owned grocery store offers food that the ladies use to prepare meals together in the kitchen.

We were so moved by this article that we wanted to do something for Kathy and the ladies who will attend the next retreat.  Since making handmade stoneware mugs is what we do best, we decided to create the first-ever INNcourage commemorative mug as our way of thanking Kathy for her noble and benevolent work.

Because of the close connection that Heath established with Kathy, he was able to get logos for both the Lavender Inn and INNcourage so that we could design this special mug without her suspecting a thing.  Teena, our talented art director, was able to combine the two pieces to create the beautiful medallion. For this unique run we selected the round belly mug because of its graceful shape and it’s a perfect size for wrapping your hands around. This is our first announcement of the special project for Kathy and the INNcourage retreat!

The entire retreat is designed around serenity.  Facials, makeovers, and yoga by candlelight are just some of the examples of the special treatment that Kathy provides. One-on-one therapy as well as group sessions led by a certified therapist are also offered. Those who attend are always encouraged to participate in the activities but are free to spend time alone.  Kathy’s goal is to make them feel as comfortable and as welcome as possible.  They are also treated to dinner at Ojai’s Feast Bistro. The owners there have supported Kathy since day one.

The most touching part of this story for us is that these ladies are hand-selected by nurses at the local oncology clinic. Those who get chosen are ones who wouldn’t normally have the chance to experience this type of retreat due to financial or familial obligations. Many of them don’t even have insurance, and some of them are single parents working two jobs. This year each guest will receive her own INNcourage mug that we created especially for the retreat.

Teena lost a dear aunt who survived two bouts with breast cancer but ultimately lost her battle with liver cancer. Heath lost both grandmothers to the disease. Kathy Hartley’s own father is a cancer survivor and wanting to give something back was what compelled her to launch this program.

We hope that our small donation will not only raise awareness for cancer itself, but will also be a call to action for others to make a difference whenever and however possible. We are so fortunate to have grown our family business within this industry where individuals like Kathy continue to inspire and INNcourage us every day.

Niles Deneen – VP, Marketing
Deneen Pottery

“We wanted a well-made, handcrafted mug to honor the 10th anniversary of our fundraising bike ride,” says Ayleen Crotty.  “I spent two full days researching mug options before I settled on Deneen Pottery.” And we’re certainly glad she chose us. We are now a second-generation family business with 40 years of experience, and we love working with groups like this!  Ayleen tells us that she couldn’t be happier with her choice, and she’s just placed an even larger order for next February’s race.

Last year was the first year that they created a mug, she says, for the simple reason that they wanted to offer something that people could cozy up with to enjoy a nice warm cup of coffee or hot cocoa and enjoy great memories of the ride all year long.

When Niles began helping her decide on glazes, Ayleen was hesitant at first about one of his ideas.

“Niles was extremely helpful in color choices,” she says.  “He suggested we try a color we would have never picked on our own, and it was the first to sell out.” That color was wisteria w/plum white top, which is quickly becoming a favorite among our customers.

The Worst Day of the Year Ride is a paradox in itself.  Ayleen says that in the past 10 years, the weather has never really been that bad.  February in Portland should be cold and wet, she says.  But riders have never awakened to significant rain, and she says the temperature is usually pretty nice. That’s a huge contrast to the frosty, snow-covered, and frigid land of 10,000 lakes we call home.

The Worst Day of the Year Ride raises funds for the Community Cycling Center whose slogan – Every child deserves a bike! – pretty much sums it up. Some 4,000 riders participate in the annual 18-mile trek through downtown Portland, and there’s even a huge costume contest.  Not only do the participants dress themselves in whimsical outfits, but they decorate their bikes as well. You can see from the photos that everyone has lots of fun. Isn’t it awesome when people can help others, especially kids, and have a great time doing it? We’re excited that our custom handmade mugs will again have a part in such an important event.

And Ayleen had such high praise for us that we thought we’d include it here as well. “The company is excellent to work with, completely organized, very knowledgeable, and of course, the mugs are of amazingly gorgeous quality,” she says. To receive such praise from promoters of an event like this means the world to us. Thanks so much Ayleen!

We hope the 2012 Worst Day of the Year Ride will again be the perfect day to buy a custom handmade stoneware mug from Deneen Pottery.

Thanks so much for reading our blog. We welcome your comments, and don’t forget to check us out on Facebook!

Heath Croft

Director of Communications

It’s not very often that we get orders from our friends in the north.  We generally ship using UPS, and due to the customs brokerage fees that apply when shipping to Canada, many prospective customers find it too expensive to order.  Even ordering the minimum number of mugs can result in a fee upwards of fifty Canadian dollars in addition to the normal shipping rates.  However, one customer recently found a way to avoid the costs, and we wanted to share that story with you just in case you’re reading this in Canada and have always wanted to offer your very own handmade stoneware mugs at your bed & breakfast, inn or restaurant.

Lynn Ferguson and Michael McClacherty, owners of the Bee & Thistle Guest House in Vancouver, used a shipping address in Washington.  Well, we were curious so that we thought we’d ask them how they did that exactly. It turns out that it’s very easy to do, and it can save customers lots of money.

“We were amazed how easy it is to have a U.S. address,” Lynn says.  “There are several mailbox places in Blaine, for example, that are right across the border from us.”  Lynn told us that the service she uses only charges them $10 annually to receive their parcels along with a minimal fee if they receive a large package.

“When they receive something for us, they immediately email us, and they are quite willing to hold it until we can get down there to pick it up,” she says.  Both Lynn & Michael first heard about us and met us earlier this year at an industry conference in Portland, Oregon.  Lynn says that she met several other bed & breakfast owners who were already loyal customers.

“One woman mentioned that she has numerous guests who collect them in different colors each year they visit,” she says.  

When we first began designing the medallion for Bee & Thistle Guest House, Lynn provided us with the graphic below, and we worked directly from that.

Teena, our art director, was able to duplicate it exactly as you can see on the first proof that we sent Lynn and Michael to approve.  However, Lynn had something different in mind and gave Teena the creative license to depart from her usual logo and design something fresh and exciting for the mugs.

“We love what she did with her revision of the logo,” Lynn says.  “She was very responsive to our feedback, and we so much appreciated that she really heard our concerns, and the adjustments she made were perfect.”  Here at Deneen Pottery, we take great pride in our custom handmade stoneware mugs, and we want your artwork to reflect the image you want to convey to your customers.  With that in mind, we’re not ready to put the medallions on the mugs until you say the artwork is approved.  We can generally duplicate your logo or a photo of your property, but we’re happy to make changes to that as well in order to make you, the customer, happy.

Within a matter of weeks after receiving their first shipment, Lynn emailed me to order 50 more mugs!  She says that they had sold quite a few and were almost out of the light teal with cinnamon white mugs.  Lynn also mentioned that she had given several mugs away to repeat guests and to a former guest who referred friends to Bee & Thistle Guest House.  She says that she gave one to each of her employees as well.

“We gave one to each of our staff because we want them to feel a part of our guest house,” she says. While we understand that some of our customers are hesitant to give the mugs away, there are occasions when it’s nice and maybe even wise to do so.  Oftentimes, the return on your investment goes much further than you know.

And, as for the shipping rates to Canada, we are always looking for new ways to provide our products to more people.  We have recently learned that shipping the mugs using the U.S. Postal Service provides more affordable rates to Canada than by using UPS.  So, even if you don’t have access to a mailbox in the states, you still have the option to offer beautiful handmade stoneware mugs from Deneen Pottery at your property. It’s such great news that Niles has been singing O Canada for a week straight! Now, if only we could get him to stop.

Thanks for reading our blog!
Heath Croft
Director of Communications

Teena says that she considers herself one step above a tourist because of all the research she has done on sea turtles, but even she was not allowed to touch them. The hatchlings have bacteria on their bodies that are good for them but harmful to humans. Once a nest has hatched, excavators wait three days to allow the able-bodied turtles enough time to make their journey into the ocean.  After three days, they go and rescue the “runts” from the nest and assist them in getting into the water.  Without the dutiful volunteers, these smallest of sea turtles would likely perish in the nest.

For 28 years, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch has been educating the public on the importance of conserving the sea turtle’s habitat. With more than 80 volunteers, 100 percent of the shoreline is monitored at dawn each day from May through October. Since its beginning, the Turtle Watch has protected more than 3000 nests and has seen over 215,000 hatchlings make their way into the water.

And, now back to the matter of handmade stoneware mugs. As it turns out, the Island Turtle Watch had a few items with its logo on them, but there were no handmade stoneware mugs from Deneen Pottery.  Prior to Teena’s departure to Florida, we sent Suzi a couple of sample mugs to look at, and Teena even took more with her on the trip.

It turns out that Teena returned to St. Paul with more than just fond memories and an even greater love for sea turtles.  She came back with an order for 50 mugs!  Using an original design that was made specifically for the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch, Teena was able to create artwork for the special mugs which included the website address. It’s another one of the ways that our mugs make powerful marketing tools.

For the first order, Suzi decided on the Round Belly, our most popular signature style mug.  The color she chose was wisteria with plum white, a perfect choice for the serenity of the island.  Before the mugs were even shipped, Teena snapped a photo of them and sent it off to Suzi who then posted it on the Turtle Watch’s Facebook page.  Education Director Glenn Wiseman said, “Those mugs are way cooler than I ever imagined. I may buy the first 50 myself!!”  Well, you can guess what happened next – there was such a positive reception to our mugs that Suzi decided to place a second order immediately!

The second order is already in production. She’s getting 100 mugs this time just to be on the safe side. And, she’s added a second color this time around – sage with burgundy white.  We always think it’s important to try a new color on a reorder even when it’s placed before the first order arrives! So, in the end, Teena got to see the turtles. We got a new customer. And, the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch gets a beautiful mug that will serve them well in raising awareness for the sea turtles. We call that a WIN-WIN-WIN situation!

For more on the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch, please visit www.islandturtlewatch.com

Thank you for reading our blog!
Heath Croft
Deneen Pottery

The style of the mug that we are focused on today is our latest and greatest called the patriot. This 12 oz. mug was designed by our potter Wade, who has been throwing pots here for coming up on 15 years. He is also fast becoming our glaze chemist, and we will have some new matte finishes very soon thanks to him. Anyway, back to the story, the Patriot mug! This mug was named on in honor of Independence Day with help from a close knit group of our fans on Facebook.

Pictured in our Navy w/Sand marble glaze and our fieldstone matte – These mugs are on now on their way out to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania’s
first state park, which was established in 1893. “In 1976, the bicentennial year of the Declaration of Independence, the park was transferred to the National Park System as Valley Forge National Historic Park.” The image that was chosen for the mug is George Washington’s head quarters and the intricacy of the each stone of the building is visible in the design.

Seeing this important building on our Patriot mug reinforces what it is that we are doing – Creating timeless permanent pieces of our nations history, one handmade mug at a time.

Look for more mugs at National Parks this season and you can always use our map www.deneenmugcollector.com to find your next original piece of Deneen Pottery – Handmade in the USA since 1972.

Thanks for reading our blog,
Niles Deneen VP, Marketing
Deneen Pottery

Absolutely you may post my comments.

I feel it is so important for each of us to do our part in supporting locally owned and operated companies for our survival as a country.

My husband and I learned about your company upon visiting T’s Restaurant in Cranston RI for breakfast.  After drinking my cup of tea I flipped the mug over to see where the mug was made and was VERY HAPPY to see that they are made in the USA and not in some foreign country.

I purchased a set T’s mugs for my brother for Christmas since he was the one who invited us out to T’s Restaurant that day.

Upon reviewing your website I realize that you cater to businesses for their local advertising.  I hope one day you will carry a full line of products for in home use for customers like myself who believe and “Trust” in items made in the USA.  There are may of us out here that would prefer to get back to locally made products!

Keep up the good work and best wishes to you and your family and company in 2011 as well!

Yours truly,
Martha Brown

12/28/10 Could this be the last testimonial for 2010?

“I just wanted to drop you a quick thank you for our mug order. We were very happy with the quality of the [handmade] mugs and the delivery before the holidays. I have received many favorable comments relative the the quality of the mugs from our clients. I would like to thank Teena especially for a great job on the design of the emblem! John Gormley PMP • Warwick Neck Associates – Warneck, RI

When you want a beautiful handmade mug, unparalleled customer service, and YOUR customers to comment on the quality of the finished piece then give us a call 888-646-0238. We are a family owned and operated pottery company that LOVES making beautiful handthrown mugs!

Thanks again John for allowing us to post your email on our blog!

Niles Deneen VP, Marketing
Deneen Pottery

/12/21/10 It happened again…

“I have not received my mugs yet, but if they are half as good as Deneen Pottery’s customer service I will be beyond satisfied. The staff at Deneen Pottery is friendly, knowledgeable, and shockingly accessible. I am going to find a reason to use Deneen Pottery again.” S. Beaux Jones • LSU Law J.D./D.C.L Candidate 2011 –Baton Rouge, LA

_________________________________________________________________

Although we do have a full running list of testimonials on our website I thought that it would be nice to have mug designs accompany the glowing words from our happy customers. I am not sure if I will do new blogs for each new testimonial yet but I have found the first one for this effort – Kaleidoscope Yoga:

Dear Peter,

& Niles, Julie, Teena & the those of you that I don’t know the names for who have brought joy & light to my life through your creative gifts & talents emerging from Deneen Pottery…Thanks for the awesome craftsmanship, quality, & beautiful translation of my logo & the organically wonderful feel & look of “my” mugs.

Kaleidoscope Yoga is slated to open mid-January & I look forward to having the mugs available for “sampling” with my students/clients’ drink selections after classes/sessions.  I stayed at a B&B in Asheville a little over a year ago & was introduced to your product with my morning coffee & purchased a couple mugs & thought “one day” in my own studio I would want to offer these.  And, here “we” are.

May the holidays bring peace & contentment & health to your hearts which continues throughout 2011 & beyond.

Gratefully,
Roberta Johnson
Kaleidoscope Yoga

Thank you for reading our blog

Niles Deneen – VP, Marketing

The next thing that we Minnesotans cope well with, besides snow, is COLD temperatures… And it is now SUPER COLD with wind chills at -35ºF! There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing! But once you come in from the cold and take off all the layers it’s nice to grab a hot handmade mug of coffee or hot chocolate. I prefer coffee, and the best thing that I’ve found to keep that coffee hot is to warm up my mug.

In an article that ran in Innkeeping Quarterly, the PAII journal for innkeepers, summer edition written by Heath Croft, there was mention of a warming tray. Julie Rolsen, of the Garth Mansion, has been using one of these for years to keep her mugs warm for guests first cup of coffee. I searched high and low and found the Waring Pro WT90B, available on Amazon for just $59.99 (free shipping), and I have it plugged in here at Deneen Pottery. After taking the picture on the mountain of snow I came and grabbed a hot mug from the tray and am now sipping my hot coffee.

The Garth Mansion sells about 800 mugs a year, every year, and keeping them warm is just one of the ideas… The other idea is to offer MANY different colors. Over the 10 years that we’ve been making custom handmade mugs for Julie, she has ordered just about every color that we make. When returning guests see a color that they haven’t seen before they are compelled to grow their mug collections. We couldn’t be happier about these idea, or working with Julie.

To read the full article you can download it from our Order Form Download page on our site (here).

Hope you all are staying warm, and remembering to enjoy your coffee in a Deneen Pottery mug!

Thanks for reading our blog.

Niles Deneen, VP Marketing

]]> http://www.deneenpottery.com/blog/2010/12/warming-hearts-big-snow/feed/ 1 http://www.deneenpottery.com/blog/2010/09/stoneware-for-military-spouses/ http://www.deneenpottery.com/blog/2010/09/stoneware-for-military-spouses/#comments Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:15:47 +0000 Niles Deneen http://www.deneenpottery.com/blog/?p=773 This story begins with a nondescript catalog request that I received back on the 30th of July. Since all catalog requests arrive into my inbox I make a point of answering back and asking a few questions, like how did you find us, and what type of business do you have. Sometimes people don’t answer back but this time I did get an answer back from Janene of Charlottesville, VA.

“I am a volunteer for a military spouses group and we order lots of different items with our crest on it to sell, mostly to spouses.  We have done jewelry items, bags and such and would like to come up with something different so I was just cruising around the internet for ideas.”

Somehow Deneen Pottery surfaced in google and Janene filled out our CATALOG REQUEST page and we began bouncing ideas around. Instead of a handmade military mug, Janene was more interested in our handmade champagne coolers (sometimes called champagne chiller, buckets or crocks) and sent this piece artwork for us to look at:

The wooden ornament provided the perfect amount of detail for us to create this emblem design – The only change that Janene wanted to make was to remove the stars.

The design was approved and an order for 30 Champagne Coolers was placed and we began working on this special JAG CORP military stoneware order. A few weeks after first talking to Janene we shipped her order out and shortly after she wrote back to us. “Hey Niles – I got the pottery!  It’s great!  Thank you so much for everything!”

Here is a picture of the finished piece, done in navy w/white marble glaze:

Supporting those that support our troops is an honor, especially when we are given the opportunity to create handmade stoneware that bears the U.S. Army Jag Corps seal. For more information on how you can get your first order started just send us an email or give us a call – We are here everyday!

niles@denenpottery.com or call us toll free: 888-646-0238

Thank you for reading our blog!

Niles Deneen

Following the Minnesota Bed and Breakfast Conference Jay Karen stopped by and toured our studio. Halfway through my dad, Peter Deneen, sat Jay at a wheel and let him give it a spin! Keep in mind Jay is not a professional potter…

The mug, that has now just come out of the kiln, is truly one of a kind.

With an instructor like Peter Deneen, who is narrating, what could go wrong?

Thanks for reading our Blog.

Niles Deneen

Well, the response to that ad? It was good. And last week I began to do follow up calls to those that we sent mugs to. In the course of my calls I came across a property called Harpole’s Heartland Lodge, an Illinois hunting lodge / bed and breakfast located in serene Pike County.

I am a very visual person and one that likes to find connections… This connection hit me when looking at Harpole’s Heartland Lodge was one of a big buck. As I’ve been adopted by my in-laws into the traditions of white tail hunting in northern Minnesota, anytime I see a buck my thoughts turn to the season in which we wear blaze orange and sit quietly in the woods.

The second thing that hit me was that Harpole’s Heartland Lodge had an authenticity similar to one of our most successful Inns located in Gatlinburg, TN – Buckhorn Inn.

Besides the fact that one is a hunting lodge, and one is not, both properties are bed & breakfasts and I figured that Wanda, the owner of Harpole’s, might benefit from knowing a bit about Buckhorn. That’s when I picked up the phone and called Lee, the owner of Buckhorn.

“We love our mugs, – More importantly, our guests love our mugs,” was one of the very first things that Lee said. Since 2005 we have been making Footed Mugs in Hunter Green, at a rate of about 200-400 a year. Pictured below is one of the mugs as it is coming through production – The artwork for Buckhorn prominently features a majestic looking multi-point buck, one that any hunter would sure be proud to bring home.

The difficulty of bagging a big buck was kinda like the decision that Lee faced when trying to find the right mug for her property.  “[We] couldn’t find anything that looked as good as your mugs [with the] feeling that they’ll hold up,” Lee said.

“We thought the mugs were too expensive – You’ve got to be kidding, we’ll have to sell them for at least 16, and we thought that they wouldn’t sell.” But that all changed once that first order arrived…

“We’ve just been delighted and the sales have been fantastic – Sure some guests won’t buy them but we are probably selling 375 per year – That is a lot of money for no extra effort.” The secret is that you just serve coffee in the mugs, “you don’t have to build a room, people just have them at breakfast.”

Since we’ve been perfecting the craft of handmaking mugs for over 30 years, ensuring their durability is paramount. “[Deneen Pottery is] known in the industry – I have seen your mugs in some really nice places,” Lee mentioned.

Having a mug with your name on it can be a great marketing tool, but if that decal wears off, or the mug is easily broken, it will end up in the trash. Our mugs are made to be used, handle abuse and still look good! “We love them, and use them for serving morning coffee, we’ve only broken one as the mugs are sturdy, and most importantly they have a great look” Lee said.

Lee also said that she “likes dealing with a small company – We know you and you know us!” It’s been wonderful to have the opportunity to work with Lee over the years and we look forward to continuing that relationship in the years to come.

At the end of our conversation I suggest that Lee try a new glaze color on her next order… Be it known that there will be 20 Footed Mugs in a new color – Our Marble Hunter w/Blue White Top going to the Buckhorn Inn. If past performances are any indicator of future results, then we had better get another order of Marble glazed mug into production! I have a feeling the new color will be very popular this summer!

In closing I’ve pictured the home page of Harpole’s Heartland Lodge – As you can see the prominence of that buck is what sparked this blog. Hopefully the similarities that I see will be noticed by others… It’s never fun to extend trust and open yourself up to a new relationship, especially a business relationship in these economic times… Hopefully this blog will help ‘others’ know that with Deneen Pottery is worthy of that trust!

Thanks for reading our Pottery Blog!

Niles Deneen