Local Celebrity Profiles
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Gene King | Seagrove Pottery
[Perma Link]Gene King | Seagrove Pottery
Q: How is Seagrove Pottery different than the other shops in Seagrove?
We are different mostly in the fact that we feature the works of so many different potters, not just one or two.Q: How many potters do you have?We have the work of 50 local potters, and 10 regional potters; and even a few from out of the area.Q: Are you a potter yourself, or do you come from a family of Seagrove potters?No, I am not a potter, I am simply a lover of potters and pottery. My wife and my family have always loved pottery. In fact, when I was young I remember having our storage places and our attic filled with antique pottery that my family had collected. When people would come to visit us I remember them telling me to run and get our visitors a piece as a gift. I didn't really understand it at first but as the years passed I realized how much people cherished those pieces we gave them, and I grew to appreciate that gift of giving pottery myself.Q: How long has Seagrove Pottery gallery been here?My grandfather actually built the building and gifted it in the 1950s as a fire station. When the town built their new station in the 80s, we bought it back from them. So the building has come full circle in my family. Then in 1999, we opened the Seagrove Pottery Gallery.Q: Even though you have so many different potters, do you have any particular specialty, or is it a bit of everything? And what are your top sellers?Despite our many potters we actually do seem to mainly have utilitarian pieces of pottery that people use on a regular basis. As a result, our best selling pieces are soup bowls and coffee mugs. There are so many people that love to drink coffee, that they make easy gifts to give, and it's great to have nice things you use every day.Q: When is the best time to come to Seagrove?We've been really lucky to be right off of Interstate 73/74 so it's a great pit stop for people to make all year long. I would say January and February are the slowest times but every single month after that is pretty consistent and just builds as the holiday season approaches. We are so busy that we're only closed four days a year - News Years, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas!Q: Are there any particular colors or trends that you've noticed over the years? Is that even noticeable?I would say that there are definite trends just as there are in fashion. Right now, for instance, owls are very popular and many people collect owl items. As far as color, the reds and golds are popular right now. In the past, other trends have been turtles, or cats, or different patterns. A few years ago it was all about greens and blues. Before that, it was earth tones and other patterns. Even though the pottery is traditional, the decorative aspects change just like trends in magazines. Dragonflies seem to always sell well, though!Q: When people ask you what else they should see while they are in the area, what do you typically recommend?People love to visit the Historic Pisgah Covered Bridge and of course the North Carolina Zoo, but I tell them it's really worth it to see the two Visitor Centers we have. They are great buildings and one even has a living roof with and beautiful natural landscape. Plus, you can learn so much about the area there. Two of my other favorite places are the North Carolina Aviation Museum and the Petty Museum.