The Avid Reader was founded with a simple but powerful vision: to create a place that fosters imagination, equity, and empathy through the love of reading and play. It’s a mission that has carried them through generations of readers, and their ability to adapt and grow while staying rooted in their values is what keeps the store thriving today....
27 June, 2025 Customer Spotlight No comment0 LikesRecently I was working with Sarah Stotts, from BedandBreakfast.com, on an article about my family’s Custom Pottery Mug business When she asked me for any new images of our handmade stoneware Jumping Rocks popped into my head. So I got on the phone and......
23 April, 2009 Pictures No comment1 LikeAs my family has been making mugs for customers for over 30 years from time to time we hear from folks like Vince Smith of Houston, Texas: Dear Niles: Approximately 12 years ago, my wife and I were in Ithaca, NY and had the pleasure......
17 April, 2009 Testimonials No comment4 LikesIf you requested a catalog and didn’t receive one in February or March your information did not makes its way through our website to us. We apologize for this miscommunication and failure to send you our catalog. The problems have been fixed and the “Catalog......
15 April, 2009 Announcements No comment1 LikeSpring is finally in the air and I had a few minutes this morning to take pictures of the firing that took place yesterday. We fire the kiln 4-5 days a week, each glaze firing heats the stoneware inside up to about 2350º F and......
15 April, 2009 Just off the Kiln No comment1 LikeNot sure where you were from the March 30th – April 2nd… My family (mom, dad, aunt and wifey) spent 4 days in Atlanta talking about our custom handmade stoneware mugs with some of the best innkeeping professionals in the country. We’ve been working with......
09 April, 2009 Conferences No comment1 LikeOn February 13th we shipped an order of custom handmade mugs to Christina and Charlie Ward in Yanceyville, NC and on February 18th we received this email: Hello Niles, Yesterday I received the handmade mugs, they’re PERFECT! it’s exactly what I was looking for. I......
27 March, 2009 Testimonials No comment1 LikeNo early retirement for Peter Deneen. At the start of this year with all of the economic uncertainty we decided to head out to more bed and breakfast conferences in the hopes of attracting new customers. A few weeks back my dad attended the Illinois......
27 March, 2009 Conferences No comment1 LikeWith each order that we ship, we hope to meet or exceed our customer’s expectations… Now and then we are lucky enough to have a reaction like this: Dear Niles and Teena, I want you to know that our new custom mugs are simply spectacular. ......
23 February, 2009 Testimonials No comment1 LikeIt was a cool and sunny weekend here in Minnesota and we had a firing that took place. Today I photographed a few pictures of some of the handmade stoneware custom mugs that are just about to be shipped....
16 February, 2009 Just off the Kiln No comment2 LikesWe've been saying that our mugs are touched by 24 pairs of hands and now we can say that our company was touched by greatness. On Tuesday, Mayor Chris Coleman (and three key members of his staff) stopped by for a tour and conversation. As our family business...
Making mugs is what our family business is all about...
Getting into a groove can have it's benefits and drawbacks. I remember a specific experience like this when I installed closet rod supports in our bathroom just before Eloise was born. This seemingly simple project turned out to be just a bit more challenging. Somehow...
As we are eagerly anticipating the birth of baby boy Deneen [4/22] we have been hard at work creating a new glaze for our handmade stoneware: Kiwi. For this new addition we have to thank two very inspiring innkeepers, Debbie Mosimann of the Swiss Woods...
The Farmers Guest House, located in Galena, IL, shared a change. "We re-did our coffee service with Deneen mugs and Keurig K-cups. What a difference." Wrote Don and Susan Steffan, the owners and innkeepers. "The revenue in additional mug sales makes up the difference for...
It is official - Our handmade mugs are a hit with our partners, Western National Parks Association, and we are proud to make this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------- John Fasino, Purchasing Manager, sent this message today: --------------------------------------------------------------- "I would like to congratulate Fort Davis, Pinnacles and Channel Islands. These three Sites are...
Crafting beautiful handmade mugs is what we LOVE to do, but since we started creating our new satin & matte glazes we are now even more inspired about the finish. After our initial launch of that new category we have narrowed the offer to 4...
"We're selling a lot more mugs now and [Darlene] thinks it's because we've set up the 4 mug display, along with mugs in the presentation boxes, right in our dining room," Eric Johnston from the Ash Street Inn wrote in an email to me today. If...
Logo mugs are what we love making, and hearing from friends when they see our work is a highlight. On November 1st I received an email from a good friend named Herb Dickson after he and his wife, Sandra, ate breakfast at Another Broken Egg...
Rebecca Gallagher, the proprietor of Historic Smithton Inn, emailed me last night with a link to a story that took place at her property on Veterans Day. After I watched the piece it made me think of my grandfather even more since the last blog...