There are many great places to shop for nice custom made pottery pieces in large and small cities and towns across the country. While many of these places are a little off the beaten path and often will not be found at the local ‘mega mall’ or ‘super center,’ there are plenty of shopping options available to most who are interested in buying unique and interesting pieces of pottery to add to their collections or even in order to begin a collection.
The first to consider, and often overlooked, would be local garage sales. There is no small degree of truth to the saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. You will be amazed at some of the amazing pieces you will find at garage sales for next to nothing. Many of the people selling these items are people, who do not appreciate pottery, were given these pieces as gifts, or who inherited them and have no real idea of the worth of these pieces or do and just do not care. Regardless, you can find many great pottery pieces at garage sales for a fraction of what you will pay elsewhere. The only problem is that you must often sacrifice a little bit of sleep for the better bargains or finer pieces.
Flea markets are another excellent source of pottery pieces for the avid or even casual collectors. You never know what you will find at antique shops or flea markets and there have been many beautiful pieces gotten for a steal at places such as these. You will pay a little more than garage sale prices in these venues so be prepared to make an investment if you are truly interested in developing a pottery collection or adding to an existing collection.
Ebay and similar online auction websites are other excellent sources for finding the treasures you seek in pottery. There are often plenty of pieces from which to choose and many of them fetch a rather low price. Be careful however that you do not find yourself sucked into a bidding war and pay well over the actual value of the piece unless it’s something you really want from a personal standpoint rather than that of a collector. In a best case scenario you would only select pieces that add value to your collection and get them well below cost. Of course, life doesn’t always work out in best case scenarios.
Local craft shops and art galleries are another great place to find new and talented artists and vendors in your area for the pottery pieces you seek. If you develop a good working relationship with some of the local talent or a local vendor he or she will inform you of when new work is being presented, going on sale, and being marked down. Local vendors realize that the bread and butter of their businesses and they are also the ones most likely to buy something else when coming in to check out items on sale. Regardless it’s always a great idea to support your local talent and local businesses whenever possible and assuming you actually appreciate the pottery pieces being sold.
Traveling or annual craft fairs are also excellent for finding the pieces you want to add to your collection. Many artisans work year round in order to create a nice display of pottery for the local craft fairs and many of these pieces are quite stunning in beauty and design. Visit your local festivals and craft fairs and pay close attention to the different artists that have their works displayed. Pick up business cards, visit websites, and view gallery showings.
You never know when you’ll find that perfect, must have, piece for your pottery collection. Hopefully, the places mentioned above will provide you with a few excellent places to begin your search. The Internet also provides many excellent opportunities to find beautiful pottery pieces if you know exactly what you are looking for.
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