Nestled between the cities of Cleveland and Akron lies a lush, unexpected stretch of wilderness that has become one of Ohio’s most beloved treasures, Cuyahoga Valley National Park. With winding trails, peaceful forests, and the steady flow of the Cuyahoga River, this park offers a different kind of grandeur, one built on resilience, history, and calm beauty....
19 June, 2025 National Park 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 LikesThis story begins with a nondescript catalog request that I received back on the 30th of July. Since all catalog requests arrive into my inbox I make a point of answering back and asking a few questions, like how did you find us, and what...
Getting to work for a family business can be a challenge. The rewards of working for a family business, especially one that makes things, like Handmade Stoneware Mugs, are many. One such perk is being connected to the act of creating functional, durable, and safe mugs...
Occasionally we hear from people that are just looking to buy a single mug or two...
Estes Park, CO - Owned and operated Lois H. Smith - Stoneware by Deneen Pottery
We are now in our second year of working with the Baldpate Inn and we are just into the heart of the busy season. Thing are going well... Really well actually:
"HELP! The mugs are flying off the shelves! We can barely use them in the restaurant we have sold so many!!! Can we get another order ASAP? I think you have already sent all I had on my January Pack & Ship order."
"I guess I should have realized these would sell so great, but just didn't anticipate the demand" wrote Lois in a second email after her next order of 350 handmade custom mugs was approved.
If finding the highest quality, American made mugs for your military unit is your goal - You've found the place to order. Our family business has been making mugs (in Minnesota) by hand since 1972, and custom is the only way that we work. This is...
We have more fun when we are given a challenge... For Camp Lejune we combined the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor along with the famous tree from the entrance of the base for a custom design that looks like this:
