LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The shelves, once full, are sparse and the final orders for a Louisville landmark are being wrapped.
Hadley Pottery came to fruition in Butchertown in the 1940’s thanks to the distinctive blue and white artwork of founder Mary Alice Hadley.
She was looking to create easy, fun dinnerware for their Ohio River houseboat.
For generations, people like Brook Smith grew up going to the pottery store. Smith is now returning as the new owner of the business.
“I mean Louisville is its home and like I said, I’m standing in the same spot I stood in 45 years ago when my mother brought me to Hadley,” he said.
It’s the fifth time since the death of Mary Alice, Hadley Pottery has escaped closure.
Jerry Day, who has worked at the store since 1974, is the most recent owner. He sold it after announcing its closure earlier this year.
The reaction?
“We had to stop after four days. We took in 8 months-worth of orders and we weren’t sure the machine was going to hold up that long,” Jerry said. “When we opened the sales room up, it only took a matter of two days. They took everything we had.”
The kiln dates to the early 1980s. They need a new one. The two presses from the late 1960s need to be replaced.
So, what is Smith getting into?
“Most people would look at the building or look at the equipment and run the other way and that’s when you need to run into something as it relates to our community,” Smith said.
He plans over the next few years to invest a few million dollars.
“It’s a complete honor, I have goosebumps about it,” Smith said.
The building opened 28 years before the first Kentucky Derby. Butchertown’s Andy Blieden handled the real estate sale to Smith.
“This unbelievably, critically important,” he said. “This is one of the original buildings in Butchertown. This used to be a woolen mill and it was an important part of commerce along Story and Frankfort Avenue.”
Like a lot of Louisville, my favorite part is the bargain aisle – that’s where the pottery is marked down.
Everywhere you look, Mary Alice is here, her paintings cover the walls.
It’s a happy ending to what appeared to be “the end” – the wording inside of one of Hadley’s most popular pieces.
“I remember seeing that in the bottom of the mug – I had some soup – “the end.” There’s some whimsy around Hadley in a sense, you know.”
Smith says while the implementation of the improvements are in process, the business will be open on a limited schedule. They believe it would be fully open by mid-2023.
“We want it to be a step back into time to what it was.”
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