Williamsburg Pottery Factory

. The Williamsburg Pottery Factory markets itself as one of Virginia's largest tourist attractions. Referred to by the locals as "the Pottery", the 200-acre attraction offers a vast selection of various handmade articles and imports from other 20 countries. The Pottery is famous for its "bare bones" appearance.

History

In 1938, James E. Maloney founded the business, located near Colonial Williamsburg, making eighteenth-century saltglaze reproductions to sell at low prices. As time passed, Maloney added china and glassware, discounting prices so that shoppers would return. The small structure mushroomed into many warehouse buildings. Sales grew, and the size of the facility grew to serve the interests of the increasing people visiting the place. In additon to their famed saltgaze pottery, the pottery grew to include artisans that sold a variety of handwork: custom lamps, floral arrangements (dried and silk flowers), and made-to-order picture frames. The Pottery expanded further to sell a variety of items including baskets, china, glass, stemware, wines, cheeses, plants and many unique items, both foreign and domestic.

The Pottery also added a campground and factory outlet stores that sell clothing, furniture, linens, foods, and crafts.

Currently, the Pottery occupies 200 acres with 32 buildings, 8,000 parking places, and an inventory of 120,000 items gathered from all over the world. The 200 acres does not include the campground and the acres it owns on Route 60.

At one time, it was estimated that more than 3,000,000 people visited the Pottery on a yearly basis, and it was a top tourist attraction in the Historic Triangle. Recent figures are not available.

Present

In recent years the Pottery has struggled with the death of its founder and the rapid growth of Prime Outlets on Route 60 closer to Williamsburg. In 2008, the Pottery put up for sale 21 parcels of land that include the Pottery shopping complex along Route 60 and the campground behind it. The land in the Lightfoot area is spread across James City and York counties, and about a quarter of the acreage sits east of nearby Interstate 64. [ [http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/williamsburg/dp-local_pottery_0702jul02,0,912125.story Williamsburg - dailypress.com ] ]

References

1. http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/williamsburg/dp-local_pottery_0702jul02,0,912125.story