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

What a fun treat to have find that Deneen Pottery made the front page of the local news for the Billings Gazette! It’s all about the timing and I was luck enough to get in just as the staff photographer was grabbing shots of the set up at the Plaza. I believe there was more of a story with some of the other vendors, but I guess when you have handmade mugs that looks this good, who needs a story? Just Kidding.

In all honesty this was a successful show and we met up with some new ranches that were excited about finding mugs that are handmade in the USA. One friend rancher actually said to me, “I really like you mugs, they are so much nicer than most of the crap that have, and our guests do buy them.” When I jotted that note down the rancher, who will remain nameless, said it would be ok if I used his words – Thanks Barry.

Looking forward to getting all the artwork and orders finalized over the next week!

A big thank you to the DRA for hosting another fantastic show!

Thanks for reading our blog ~ Niles Deneen

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

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