Liz & Dan Weaver, Maine Kiln Works and Waterstone Sinks, located at 115 S. Gouldsboro Rd., Gouldsboro, Me
I moved to Maine after college and started this business in 1971. Maine Kiln Works came from the need to get the business up and running and needing to establish a name in order to be able to purchase supplies at a wholesale price.
This is a year round business with a sales showroom, a website for the sinks and a mail order business for the pottery products. We get a lot of repeat business that comes through phone orders. The main promotional tool used here is “word of mouth”. I produce a quality product and people buy it because they appreciate well made items. At this location we have had DSL service for only the past couple of months so we have a site for our Waterstone Sinks, but not our pottery pieces yet.
I love to make things, I bring my love of industrial design to this business. I have designed and built much of the equipment used to produce the products that I sell. This work involves a lot of different skills. I not only create the actual pottery pieces but I experiment with glazes and their different unique qualities. Each individual piece and glaze reacts differently to the type of firing that is done. Most of the pottery is thrown on the wheel but there are some pieces that are molded and some that are slab work as well. I make complete sets of tableware in a variety of glazes, lamps, and vases. My wife makes beautiful lamp shades with dried ferns and other plants. I have a bathroom combination that is very nice. I make sinks, soap dishes and also towel holders made with a combination of fine wood and pottery.
The only advice I have for prospective business owners is don’t let town, state and federal policies get you down. Communicate with others and come up with common concerns that you want to address.
There are some places that offer the arts a lot of support. Places like Canada, Northern Ireland and others who actually are able to offer artists in all fields comprehensive support for their business. The Canadian Arts Council calls itself a National arms length agency. Their goal is to foster and promote the study,enjoyment and production of original works of art. I hope that our State can begin to appreciate and support artists contributions to the world.
I enjoy being a business person here on the peninsula. I moved here due to the extraordinary beauty of this geographic region. I made a choice to move here from a large metropolitan area because I wanted to live in a small community that is quiet and beautiful. It was an environmental decision.
