We are not currently accepting custom orders
Our goal this next year is to allow space and time to complete our current order load, and create an awesome selection of inventory on ours shelves to choose from.
Should I order custom pottery?
We can certainly create our pieces to order. We often make anything from a matching pair of our mugs to entire dinnerware sets. We are excited for your interest in our work. The best option is to stop in our shop so we can give one-on-one consultation and show you specific examples in person. We enjoy making beautiful quality sets and work very hard to provide the best quality and craftsmanship in our work. Listed below are a few good points to consider before placing an order with us.
Please allow time for us to create your order. We try our best to complete most orders in 3-4months, but this is not always the case. We regularly struggle with time management between making and running a business. Seasonally the volume of orders and demand can greatly increase. Sometimes with the nature of clay our first or second or even third attempt at a piece may not work out. If you are willing to be patient and flexible we will work very hard creating our pieces with quality and craftsmanship in mind. We value quality rather than quantity. It takes a much higher degree of skill and patience to make sets as opposed to one-of-a-kind pieces. This also makes it harder for us to hire extra employees as a simple way to increase supply. 98% of our custom orders are created and finished by only two people, which is a bottleneck for production. We value, and are so appreciative that we have such patient and loving customers…Thank you
Please be ready to embrace the uniqueness and individual nature that is expressed in each piece of handmade pottery. This is the beauty in our work. We are not using molds or machines. We are creating on a small scale with individual human hands. We try our best to make quality sets, but there will always be some variation in size, and glaze consistency and color. Each firing, each batch of clay, and each batch of glaze will be slightly unique in addition to the handmade consistency. This is what is attractive to handmade pottery enthusiasts and collectors. If your standards or personality are not compatible, or uncomfortable with things not matching exactly in size and color and consistency, then handmade pottery is not recommended. We strive to get good consistency, but it is truly not the nature of handmade pottery.
In our experience customers whom have bought off the shelf are the most consistently satisfied. Buying off the shelf involves seeing the results without expectation. Please be reserved or aware in your expectations when ordering custom pieces. We try hard to communicate well up front, but it is hard to explain all the technical bits easily. We may insist on creating a prototype or glazed sample before going forward on larger orders. Ordering custom ware requires some compromise on both sides. We will never give you a “second” and will always try to create your request with our best effort. If you are truly unsatisfied, we can be flexible. In some cases we can remake your order and try again, or we can refund any payments if we can’t find a good resolution at our discretion.
We are most comfortable at making our style of work. Although we have been able to recreate and copy styles by other potters and commercial ware, it is not our specialty. We are Mississippi Mud Pottery specialists, and we are functional potters. We use the potters wheel as our primary tool to create. The potters wheel is best used to create vessels. All of our materials and equipment are specialized for making functional stoneware pottery. We do not specialize in, or have proper equipment to make tile, sculpture, other types of firings, or repair of pieces.
Please be ready to select from our glaze colors or patterns. We are most knowledgeable and comfortable using our tried and true glazes. Glaze is chemistry and not like paint. We do not offer custom glazes creation or matching glazes to other styles of work. You can view our options on the "patterns"page.
Can I order pieces with my logo?
We do offer logoed wares. Please visit our custom logo ware page to learn more!
Can I order personalized pieces?
We do not personalize our wares with names or dates or designs. Although we have been able to please many of our customers, we have learned that we achieve the least customer satisfaction in this type of work. We want to do our best work, and give our customers the best experience possible. Our glazes and materials are not specialized to best create personalized ware, so consistency is more difficult, and options are limited. Mistakes are often made on both sides in spelling, dates and design. It’s a high risk piece for us to create as we can’t resell it as a second.
We understand our customers are as unique as our pottery. Mississippi Mud Pottery is not a one size fits all for everybody. If our style does not suit you we recommend reaching out and exploring handmade pottery by some of our other fellow potters. Potters are a big family, we want you to find handmade pottery you love, whomever creates it! If we are a good fit, then we look forward to working with you soon!