Williamsburg Pottery Factory is a large, multi-structure retail outlet store located in Lightfoot, Virginia, about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Williamsburg. 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 (0.81 km2) attraction offers a vast selection of various handmade articles and imports from other 20 countries. The Pottery is famous for its "bare bones" appearance.
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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.
The Pottery also added a campground and factory outlet stores that sell clothing, furniture, linens, foods, and crafts.
Currently, the Pottery occupies 200 acres (0.81 km2) with 32 buildings, 8,000 parking places, and an inventory of 120,000 items gathered from all over the world. The 200 acres (0.81 km2) does not include the campground and the acres it owns on Route 60.
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.[1]
In May of 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."
In April of 2009, the Pottery begain the process of renovating its stores. Today, over half of the 1.5 million square feet of retail space has been completely renovated. New stores have been added including Linens N Plus, Kitchen & Things and Furniture Expo.
Visitors
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.
References
1. http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/williamsburg/dp-local_pottery_0702jul02,0,912125.story
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