Williamsburg Pottery Factory facts for kids
The Williamsburg Pottery Factory is a big shopping area in Lightfoot, Virginia. It's about 6 miles (10 km) west of Williamsburg. This place started in 1938 as a small workshop where James E. Maloney made pottery. Today, it's known as one of Virginia's biggest tourist attractions. Locals often call it "the Pottery."
The Pottery covers about 200 acres (81 ha). It sells many different items, including things made locally and imports from 20 countries. Williamsburg Pottery used to look very simple, but it got a big makeover in 2012. This change cost millions of dollars and gave it a new, modern look.
Contents
The Story of Williamsburg Pottery
How It Started
In 1938, James E. Maloney opened Williamsburg Pottery. It was close to Colonial Williamsburg. He started by making copies of 18th-century salt glaze pottery. He wanted to sell them at low prices. Maloney bought a small piece of land for $150 and built a kiln (a special oven for pottery) and a simple workshop.
Over time, Maloney added other items like china and glassware. He always focused on keeping prices low. Besides Maloney's famous pottery, other artists also sold their handmade items there. These included things like baskets and lamps.
Growing Bigger
As more people bought things, the small workshop grew into many large warehouse buildings. By the 1960s, Williamsburg Pottery was the biggest place in the U.S. that imported home goods from Asia.
The business first started on Route 60. In the mid-1970s, Maloney expanded it across the railroad tracks. Williamsburg Pottery eventually added a campground and more factory outlet stores. It grew to cover over 200 acres (81 ha) and had 32 buildings. By the early 1980s, Williamsburg Pottery was making between $60 million and $70 million a year.
However, the business started to slow down in the 1990s. This happened because many new shopping centers opened closer to Williamsburg on Route 60. The Pottery also faced challenges after its founder, James Maloney, passed away in 2005. In 2008, there were rumors that the business was for sale, but the president, Kim Maloney, said this was not true.
A New Look: Redevelopment
.jpg)
On August 31, 2010, Kim Maloney announced plans for a big new shopping area. This project would cost $20 million and cover about 146,800 square feet (13,640 m2).
Construction for the new Williamsburg Pottery began in December 2010. It was built at the original 1938 location on Richmond Road. The old buildings there were torn down first. The new design is much smaller than before. It looks modern, sleek, and more upscale.
The renovation makes the area look like a Dutch-inspired European Marketplace. It only covers 19 acres (7.7 ha). It has three separate buildings with almost 160,000 square feet (15,000 m2) for shops and restaurants. There is also over 10,000 square feet (930 m2) of office space.
Local companies designed and built the project. Demolition started in September 2010, and a groundbreaking ceremony was held in early December. The construction finished in the spring of 2012. A grand opening was held on April 5, 2012. This date would have been founder Jimmy Maloney’s 100th birthday. They had a special ribbon-cutting ceremony when they opened to the public.
Who Visits Williamsburg Pottery?
Williamsburg Pottery used to be a very popular place to visit in the Historic Triangle. In the mid-1990s, it became so popular that Amtrak trains even made it a regular stop for passengers. However, this train stop ended around 1996.
It was thought that more than 3,000,000 people visited Williamsburg Pottery every year. By 2010, the number of visitors had dropped to 500,000 a year. We don't have the visitor numbers yet since the 2012 makeover. The owners are hopeful for the future, but they have said that the new development has not brought in as many new visitors as they had hoped so far.
See also
- Williamsburg Soap and Candle Factory
