Production Schedule

Blog New

26 Jan

Posted at 10:41h in Press Releases by
2 Likes
    By Lee Egerstrom
Economic Development Fellow
[email protected] A company of artists in St. Paul is proving that making art objects can sustain a small business, that entrepreneurs can survive economic cycles, and that quality can still trump quantity in this age of big box stores and mass marketing. Deneen Pottery is a family owned business that has endured various trials and tribulations since 1972. It makes hand-thrown stoneware products for institutional and business customers who want to exhibit glaze engraved logos, which result from a trademark protected process that Deneen master potters invented. The biggest categories of Deneen's 2,700 customers are hospitality industry companies such as bed and breakfasts, country inns and golf courses. Right behind are college bookstores, corporations that want promotional items for products or their corporate image, and restaurants. Renaissance festivals and community events that appeal to tourists who may be collectors is another important but smaller category, and Deneen has a small number of retailers as customers who specialize in merchandise for tourists.

25 Jan

Posted at 12:59h in Announcements by
2 Likes
With the defeat of the Vikings to the New Orleans Saints yesterday night, the mood here in Minnesota is somber... This is why we, here at Deneen Pottery, will turn our attention to more positive things, like the new mug for the Innkeeping Conference & Trade Show hosted by PAII (Professional Association of Innkeepers International). We've been proudly making mugs for PAII and their Innkeeping Show since 1992, when JoAnn Bell first sent out a form letter seeking a 'handmade mug supplier' to provide an item to commemorate PAII's second biennial event. There is much more to this story that I will be reporting on in the weeks to come. We have been honored to produce a collectable mug for each conference since 1992 and are ready to unveil the tentative mock up for this years show in Austin, Texas. Working with Pat Hardy and JoAnn Bell was a joy for my father, Peter Deneen, and I an just as pleased to be working with the President and CEO of PAII today, Jay Karen. If you are an innkeeper and are curious about PAII, and the Innkeeping Show.

14 Dec

Posted at 07:44h in Announcements by
2 Likes
Just before Thanksgiving Tammie, owner of The Coffee Cup located in Cameron, OK, was searching google for handmade mugs when she came across our website. "I looked at others but your product, professionalism, and website blew the others away."  Now we have her design ready for approval and we are eagerly looking forward to working on her first order of custom mugs!

10 Dec

Posted at 11:20h in News by
1 Like
It's a snowy COLD day here in Minnesota - single digit highs and -30º below at night with the wind chill. Sorting through the importance of Facebook, and finding relavent material and ideas to share on a blog can be TOUGH. A few weeks back when I figured that I'd like to use our Facebook page to showcase 'Innkeepers Mug Displays' I was given a tip by  Linda Hayes from the Inn at Riverbend in Pearlsburg, Virginia about her friend Selena. "You should get [a picture] from Selena at Bed and Breakfast on Tiffany Hill, her retail wall with your mugs is beautiful." Front of Tiffany Hill Bed and Breakfast

21 Oct

Posted at 08:33h in Testimonials by
1 Like
When you work hard people take notice... Because we work REALLY hard on all of our orders, occasionally we hear back from our customers as they 'take notice' of their handmade stoneware mugs. Whether it is in the shape of a hand written card, letter, emails, or pictures, these notes are a joy to receive. 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..." exterior

24 Sep

Posted at 12:05h in News by
0 Likes
In the throws of summer we begin to prepare for the holidays... It's crazy to have to think down the road 4 months, but when it comes to making handmade stoneware everything takes time! In August we send out an email to all of our customers offering a free set-up for anyone that hasn't ordered our ornaments, or 5 additional free ornaments to those that have ordered them in the past. We started doing this about 3 years ago and with that first special I received an email from Emily Hoche-Mong the Innkeeper at the Goose & Turrets:

"One Christmas season I gave all guests a handmade ornament from Deneen Pottery with my Goose & Turrets logo. One guest, a young lady from Australia, began to cry, and she flung her arms around my neck and said, "You are just so sweet, that's the only present I've gotten this Christmas." I will never forget that experience nor that Deneen Pottery was a part of it.

Here is what that ornament looks like:

The goose and turrets, bed and breakfast ornament

06 Aug

Posted at 07:18h in News by
0 Likes
This entry isn't really about our custom handmade mugs, instead it is on our mascot Olive. In May of last year my wife Annie gave me a long awaited Christmas present in the form of a Mini-GoldenDoodle who we named Olive. She arrived weighing just over 3 pounds but took up a lot of space in our hearts!

The breeders wrote our name on her belly.