I Call a Mall Success!

Yesterday was a really great day! 

It turns out that the mall was a really great location.  I was worried that the pottery-loving crowd would be down this year since the location had to be changed, but that didn't seem to be the case.  There were LOTS of people there, and all of the comments that I heard about the location were positive.  Since the potters were spread out, it didn't feel as crowded.  Everything was all on one level so we didn't have to worry about folks tripping.  It was much easier for those in wheel chairs to move around and see everything.  The temperature seemed to be more comfortable--not cold in the morning and hot by afternoon as is usually the case.

I saw a number of good friends yesterday--many that I'd not seen in a while.  It's always good to catch up.  Thanks for coming to visit Claire, Lilly, Joyce, Beverly, Cindy, Millie, Jeanie, Jordan (social networking at its best!), Amy, David, Athena, Michelle, Violet, and I'm sure that I'm leaving some out.

Here are some more pictures that I took right before we opened for business.  

This is the area where my booth was set up.  We were inside an empty store between the Hallmark and Bath and Body Works.  

In addition to the groups of potters in the other two empty stores (the old Walden Books location and Belk's Juniors department), there were booths set up in the hallway stretching from Kay Jewelers...

...all the way to Belk's.  

I'm all set up for the pottery show tomorrow.  Thanks to Mom and Dad for coming to help me with the set up.  It is not particularly fun, but many hands make the work go faster.  Sometimes many hands make the potter a little crazy.  I'm grateful that they are willing to put up with me.  We got finished in just about two hours which makes me wonder what I've forgotten to do.  I guess I'll figure that out in the morning.

I'd share a picture, but things aren't quite picture ready yet.  My booth is in an empty store right across the way from Chick-fil-a.  I'm in good company right next to Robert Martin and across from Ron Philbeck.  (I really hope that I am too busy tomorrow to get to talk to them much.)  Anyway, where my booth is located I had to leave room for the gate to close for the night.  Once it is opened up in the morning, I can spread out a little bit more and then finish getting all set up and ready for customers.

If you are in the area, I hope that you will come see us at the mall tomorrow.  This show is always a lot of fun.

Pottery Show Moved

For the past 11 years, the Carolina Pottery Festival has been held at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds.  This year, we have had to move.  There was an outbreak of E.coli at the fairgrounds earlier this fall that has not yet been resolved, so the decision was made to move the festival to be sure that no one is exposed.  

The 12th annual Carolina Pottery Festival will be held on Saturday, Nov 10 at the Cleveland Mall in Shelby. Kudos to the Board of Directors for making this difficult decision and for finding another location that would suit our needs.  

Potters will be set up in public spaces and several empty stores on the Belk's side of the mall.  Due to the open setting, there will be no admission charged for entrance to this year's festival.  The money raised from admissions normally makes up a significant portion of the operating budget for the next year.  The loss of this money could impact next year's festival, so if you attend, I hope that you will consider making a donation.