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 addition 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.
By the 1960s, the Pottery was the largest U.S. importer of home goods from Asia; and by the early 1980s, the Pottery was bringing in between $60 million to $70 million a year. The Pottery expanded rapidly to add a campground and factory outlet stores that sold clothing, furniture, linens, foods, and crafts. It grew to occupy 200 acres (0.81 km2), 32 buildings, 8,000 parking places, and had an inventory of 120,000 items gathered from all over the world. This 200 acres (0.81 km2) did not include the campground and the acreage it owned on U.S. Route 60.
The Pottery began a decline in the 1990s with the rapid growth of Prime Outlets on Route 60 closer to Williamsburg and struggled with the death of its founder in 2005. In 2008, the Pottery put up for sale 21 parcels of land that include the Pottery shopping complex along U.S. 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.
Locals began to hear rumors that the Pottery was going to be sold; however, in May 2008, Kim Maloney, President and CEO of the Williamsburg Pottery, issued a statement about news articles concerning the Williamsburg Pottery.
"Recent news reports that the Williamsburg Pottery is for sale is false. We are exploring the sale of our land holdings and our real estate advisor has established a web site to make prospective purchasers aware of the opportunity. But we have no plans to sell the Pottery. Our only plan for the Pottery is to continue to offer the highest quality goods at terrific Pottery prices as we have for 70 years. I sincerely regret any confusion and hope that our customers and friends will come and see the exciting new products and enjoy the unique shopping experience at the Williamsburg Pottery."
Read more about this topic: Williamsburg Pottery Factory
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