Sierra Loew

Some of the best businesses start with a simple gift. For Ursa Minor Outfitters, that gift was a single, hand-thrown Deneen Pottery mug, and it turned into a whole company built on craftsmanship, community, and a love of the outdoors.

 A Christmas Gift That Sparked a Business

Before Ursa Minor Outfitters existed, its husband-and-wife founders were just looking for a meaningful Christmas gift for family and friends. They found their answer in a Deneen Pottery mug, adding their own artwork for a personal touch. The response was immediate: the mugs were a hit, and a new design followed every year after. Eventually, the couple realized they had something worth sharing more widely, and Ursa Minor Outfitters was born, offering products designed by local artists and inspired by the outdoors, the north woods, local pride, and the American landscape.

“That’s where Deneen came in,” they shared, “and we added our own artwork to give it a personal touch.”

Design Built to Last

For a husband-and-wife team who run every part of their business together, from mugs to hats to social posts, attention to detail matters. One founder, a graphic designer by trade, wanted their artwork to live on a product that matched the same standard of craft. Deneen’s range of glazes and shapes made that possible, letting each new mug feel distinct while still fitting naturally alongside the designs that came before it.

“We want to break the mold of slapping a stock design on something and seeing the same thing over and over again when you walk into a shop,” they explained. With Deneen, that individuality never came at the cost of quality.

Deneen Pottery was Ursa Minor Outfitters’ very first business connection, and years later, it’s still their strongest. What began as one mug design has grown into a catalog of seven, soon to be eight, with mugs almost constantly in order to keep up with demand. Their mugs have shipped to customers in nearly every U.S. state and into Canada, and along the way, the partnership has opened doors to new collaborations and organizations. After all this growth, the mugs remain Ursa Minor’s best-selling product.

More Than Just a Mug

Ask the founders what they hope customers notice, and the answer is simple: quality and thoughtfulness. Every mug is meant to be a small piece of art, but one that still holds up to a busy, everyday life.

That connection between form and function shows up in some of their favorite customer moments, especially their oversized “mega mugs,” which make appearances at events and never fail to turn heads. “People love to take pictures with them,” they said. Some even ask to buy one, though the mega mugs aren’t for sale. What sticks with the founders most is watching each person gravitate toward a different mug for a different reason, some drawn to the scale, others to the story behind the design.

From one Christmas gift to a growing outdoor lifestyle brand, Ursa Minor Outfitters is proof of what happens when craftsmanship meets community. Check out their full mug lineup and outdoor-inspired gear at ursaminoroutfitters.com.

Thank you to Ursa Minor Outfitters for sharing your story!

Sierra Loew