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

And that true story is told by Joshua and it goes like this:

“Just as we were unpacking your delicious shipment at the front counter (we call it the ‘front counter’ but it’s by the back door), our friend Philip (long-time customer) came in to buy Christmas gifts for his (prodigous) family.  He was immediately entranced by the mugs, and selected 8 as stocking-stuffers.”

So the very first day that EIGHTH day books had their mugs, they sold EIGHT… How Cool!

Eighth Day books first opened in September of 1988 and is far from being a super chain, “we’re selective, offering an eccentric community of books based on this principle: If a book – be it literary, scientific, historical, or theological – sheds light on ultimate questions in an excellent way, then it’s a worthy candidate for our catalog” said Warren.

This catalog of books was the connection that brought our handmade mugs into Warren’s sights, as they supply another customer of Deneen Pottery called Agia Sophia in Colorado Springs, CO. On a past trip to Agia Sophia Warren noticed their display of mugs and bought one to bring back to Wichita. “We’ve had mugs before, years ago, and were looking for someone to do a new series.” With our handmade quality Warren said that “[Deneen Pottery] perfectly fit he bill.”

From a independent coffee shop in Colorado, to an amazing book shop in Kansas – We appreciate the small connections that bring stories like this to our family business.

Thank you for reading our blog.

Niles

P.s. I thought it best to return to that quote that I first found as Warren so kindly explained where it cam from. “St. Justin Martyr in his Second Apology (paraphrased a bit): that which is true, is ours.”

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.

Sorting through the importance of Facebook, and finding relavent material and ideas to share on a blog can be TOUGH. A few weeks back when I figured that I’d like to use our Facebook page to showcase ‘Innkeepers Mug Displays’ I was given a tip by  Linda Hayes from the Inn at Riverbend in Pearlsburg, Virginia about her friend Selena. “You should get [a picture] from Selena at Bed and Breakfast on Tiffany Hill, her retail wall with your mugs is beautiful.”

After thanking Linda I got a hold of Selena and we opened a dialog about her mugs, the display, and her Inn… Lucky timing, as a professional photographer was scheduled to come out to take pictures later that week! Amazing ‘professional’ images would soon be available, which got me to thinking that facebook might be, too, small of a stage.

As we continued talking Selena and I thought that we could come up with a small ‘article’ that we could incorporate the images… The natural next step was to do a Q&A. As we are both busy we didn’t conduct the interview on the phone, instead we took advantage of emailing.

I’m hoping that the information, and images will be helpful for other innkeepers, fans of B&B’s, and those that love our handmade stoneware mugs! Without further ado:

Q. What is your favorite thing about your Handmade Mugs?       A. They are a great reflection of the Bed and Breakfast on Tiffany Hill! Our slogan is Casual Elegance filled with Southern Hospitality and the Deneen Mugs fit the slogan!

Q. Do you use the mugs to serve coffee and/or tea?      A. I have to tell you a little secret on how I sell the mugs so effectively… Upstairs on both sides of the B&B, I have Keurig coffee makers. Guests love making their own coffee, hot chocolate and tea without having to come downstairs.

Q. Can you think of a story or comment to share about your mugs?     A. One of my guests is collecting 12… 2 at a time! Another guest posted a review on BedandBreakfast.com and included a comment about purchasing a mug: “…Ms. Einwechter was delightful, knowledgeable, and making guests’ stays a great experience is her priority. Don’t leave without a mug!”

Q. Where did you first hear about Deneen Pottery?     A. Over the years, I have visited B&B’s myself and [had] seen [Deneen Pottery mugs]. Then when I started going to the PAII conferences, I received one as an attendee. I use that collection for myself in the kitchen and guests comment on the different ones. Then, my mentor Linda Hayes of the Inn at RIverbend stsrongly recommended that I order the mugs at last year’s [Innkeeper] conference. As a newly constructed B&B with many things on my purchase list, I am glad that I made the decision to order them! Guests love them! And it brands my property!

Summing up, Deneen Pottery mugs, Casual Elegance, Southern Hospitality, Keurig, and Guests are turning out to be a very successful thing for both Selena and Deneen Pottery! We love making mugs for Innkeepers, and are just tickled when we get to hear that guests love them too.

Thanks for reading our blog!

Niles Deneen, VP, Marketing

* On a side Linda and Selena reconnected at the PAII conference in Myrtle Beach after 30+ years from when they graduated from high school together… And today they are both happily running successful Bed and Breakfasts!

We recently received one such email from a wonderful customer in Vermont that first contacted us in May, ‘visionkeeper’ of Peace of Mind Emporium Julie White RN:

“We are Vermont’s Premier Stress Reduction Store and Wellness Center created by Nurses. Our name, Peace of Mind Emporium, and lovely buildings and grounds, draw people in who are looking for an oasis from their stress – filled lives. They often remark that they want to take a piece of Peace of Mind home with them after visiting in our store…”

“In honor of our 15th anniversary we were looking for a new logo item, not a tschatkees you find in the personalization catalogs, or the business ID catalogs. We accidentally came across a Deneen Pottery mug when visiting a nearby Vermont Inn, and were impressed. Our artistic staffer, Brenna Flanagan, worked closely with Niles and designer Teena, to create our look…”

Originally We thought that an image of the sign would work and we came up with this version:

It became clear that this design wouldn’t be it so we went back to the drawing board with the idea to “… capture the lovely building and gardens on the logo. We wanted to squeeze as much as we could into the logo and [Teena] did just that.” Working from a photograph and taking a bit of artistic license to remove the roofline and replace it with heavenly clouds we came up with this version:

“We love the luscious rich color palette and mug styles. We placed our order and waited with excitement for the results. We were thrilled. We choose the colors used in our logo and the results were terrific!”

“We began selling the mugs at our 15th anniversary sale. Customers were thrilled to see our wonderful building and logo on the mugs. They were delighted to find the mugs MADE in the USA! They proudly bought mugs for gifts and one of each color for themselves. We set a breakfast table (even though we are NOT an Inn) and love watching customers stop and look at the table as they walk by. We now can offer customers a way to begin every morning with ‘Peace of Mind’. We Accompany the display mugs on the table with daily meditation books, affirmation calanders, wellness CDS, green and herbal teas, and Peace of Mind body card products.”

“Congratulations Deneen Pottery on customer service, and a tremendously well-made and exquisite mug. We are glad to be your customer and sell your delightful mugs. Here’s to many more orders (and colors) in the future!” Julie White RN and Brenna Flanagan

We are proud to post this blog and hope that all who are in need of reducing stress will visit Peace of Mind Emporiums new website by clicking here!

Thanks for reading our blog,

Niles Deneen

]]> http://www.deneenpottery.com/blog/2009/10/peace-of-mind/feed/ 1 http://www.deneenpottery.com/blog/2009/05/mugs-and-stoves-craftsmanship-at-its-best/ http://www.deneenpottery.com/blog/2009/05/mugs-and-stoves-craftsmanship-at-its-best/#comments Fri, 08 May 2009 14:28:30 +0000 Niles Deneen http://www.deneenpottery.com/blog/?p=209

Mountain Man Stoves – Design 1

When you look up the word ‘craftsmanship’ in the dictionary there are two definitions:

1.      a person who practices or is highly skilled in a craft; artisan.

2.     an artist.

When I was first contacted by Rodney Zell – a true craftsman, and owner of Mountain Man Stoves, I realized something about the timelessness of functional creativity and craftsmanship. The antique stoves that Rodney restores, were created in a time when many everyday items were made by hand – like our mugs. The similarities that Deneen Pottery shares with Mountian Man Stoves, is also tied to the ability for both of our business to succeed. People value craftsmanship!

In today’s world of imports and comparisons on price and only price alone it is a wonder that anyone would want to simply pay more for something… That is until you take a moment to consider the value of craftsmanship, and artistry. Yes I believe our mugs are amazing in their detail, durability and form, as are these baseburner stoves.

To heat a room or to drink a cup of coffee there are a wide variety of options on every price point. Inexpensive space heaters from Home Depot or Menard’s will get the job done, as will a paper cup… The joy and satisfaction one receives from sitting in front of a flawlessly restored antique stove while drinking coffee out of a handmade stoneware mug are far immeasurable!

Those creature comforts and simple pleasures must explain why our mugs went over well with Rodney’s customers:

Hi Niles -

We are very pleased with the quality of the pottery mugs that you make for us, the artwork is beautiful. It compliments the antique stoves that we sell and the beautiful mountains surrounding the Estes Park area. Thank you for a quality product and great customer service.

The handmade mugs have a style and character all their own, much like the old antique stoves we show and restore. In just two months we had make a second order.

The mugs are such beautiful  pieces. They don’t chip or hardly break… and they don’t tip over and spill, and they feel comfortable in you hand. Our customers love the mugs almost as much as they love these beautiful antique stoves – both are an easy sell because they sell themselves. We have several customers who have bought more that one – mugs and stoves – that is, and they make great gifts.

Thanks again,
Rodney

For Rodneys design we worked from a few images that he sent looking out of his shop in Estes Park – Not a bad view if you ask me!

For more information on Mountain Man Stoves visit Rodney’s site by clicking here.

Thanks for reading our blog.

Niles Deneen

Now for the mug shots:

Located in Blacksburg, Virginia – The Clay Corner has been a customer since 2008 and this is their second order. Last time the two colors that were chosen were Burgundy and Cinnamon… This time around Joanne Anderson (the innkeeper) changed out the cinnamon for butter (not pictured) for half of her order of custom handmade mugs, and a repeat of burgundy. Guess the burgundy was a bit more popular.

Besides the handmade mugs, we also make other useful items like pitchers! Tori McGough from the Gros Ventre RIver Ranch ordered a small quantity of our newest item the 6 oz. Pitcher. These handmade 6 oz. pitchers are perfect for cream to be served with coffee or for heating up syrup. As we fire our handmade stoneware up to 2350º F there is no risk of placing these tough little guys in a microwave to heat up the syrup. This is the first order that we’ve made for Tori and we wish them well this season!

Located in New York, The Coffey House has duplicated their first order of stoneware mugs in the Colonial style all in our custom Navy Blue Glaze. Although we try to suggest offering at least 2 colors, so that you guests will have a choice, not everyone sees things our same way. Ellie Coffey has a beautiful 4 room inn (www.thecoffeyhouse.com) that is furnished with antiques, high quality plush comforters and linens, and bathrobes. Next time I get to East Marion I’ll be staying with her… When I do I’ll suggest bringing in a new color on her next order.

I can’t tell you how excited I am with this order going out! Instead of saying too much I’ll just say that the innkeeper of the Romantique Lakeview Lodge, Chris Fischer, and I talked a few weeks back and these mugs might mark the beginning of something really, REALLY, good. I can say that that Fieldstone is our newest color, and a satin finish, has been getting great reviews from our customers… Pictured here in one of our most popular styles of Signature Mugs – the Round Belly Mug!

Lois Hoover from Kansas City, Missouri has been a customer since 2002! I have had the pleasure of meeting up with her on a few occasions and the last time was in Independence for the MO-KAN conference where she placed this order for more handmade stoneware mugs in a VIBRANT coral glaze. Her property is celebrating it’s ‘10th Anniversary’ this year and has an in-ground pool and movie theatre! Can’t wait to stay with her next time I pass through KC!

Another exciting order that is just about to head south to Washington, Texas… The is the first order of custom hand-thrown mugs that are just coming off the kiln for Barbara Segal and her Lilian Farms Country Estate! The picture that we used was photographed from a hot air baloon and the detail on the medallion is AMAZING!!! In her first order she selected 2 different styles of custom mugs each in their own color. As pictured above the Jr. Executive Mug in burgundy, and the other selection was the Round Belly Mug in our custom glaze – Hunter Green. Can’t wait to hear how her guests respond when she serves her first cups of coffee and tea!!!