Favorite pottery sources

where to find those interesting ceramic pieces, for form and function

There are a few very specific things that I have penchant for, and often just have a hard time passing up when I find them at an antique store, estate sale, or elsewhere. The item categories themselves are pretty general- glassware, ceramics, silver, pottery, etc.- but the exact subtypes are where go crazy, and can get carried away when I see them. A table full of tarnished old silver (plated, even) pieces, tucked in the corner of an antique store? I’m there, digging through the piles, likely with armfuls of bowls and serving pieces. That shelf in either the local small shop or thrift store with sculptural or dusty (respectively) glassware that surely no one absolutely needs? I’m on my tippy toes, grabbing as many coupes and goblets as I can hold between my fingers (which, and I don’t mean to brag, is quite a lot, as I used to bartend in college and can safely hold 10-12 wine glasses at a time- and yes, I’ve absolutely counted). That small town folk arts fair, streets lined with tented booths blowing in the wind and pop up shelving absolutely filled to the brim with handmade pottery pieces? If this one sounds oddly specific, it’s because this scenario is exactly what happened when I was home in North Carolina visiting family last weekend, and I left with four unique pieces wrapped in brown paper bags and carried all the way home to DC. This got me thinking about those general but also specific things we all have weaknesses for, and how these things come and go in waves- if you like the thrill of the hunt, you know exactly what I mean. And at this moment, I’m happily riding a wave of ceramic pottery finds, which is what is inspiring this post. So, I thought I’d share the specific sources that I keep coming back to, and how and what to look for from these vendors (old and new).