Shadyside Pottery

Ouch. Twice, I've wandered into Shadyside Pottery. Twice, I've tried to buy a set of mixing bowls (priced around $200). Twice, I've been treated like a hooligan. Maybe it's the hair (green). Maybe it's the facial piercings. Maybe it's the fact that I'm a woman. Maybe I look about as smart as a door frame. Whatever. I still haven't purchased those mixing bowls. The first time, the owner/potter/head honcho treated me like I was dumb as a rock. I was trying to ask relevant questions about the mixing bowls to make sure my money would be well-spent. Why drop two big ones if the bowl isn't oven-safe or microwave safe? Instead, he wanted to preach about how awesome he was and how awesome his work was and how awesome his glaze is and blah blah blah. I don't care! Answer my questions, don't lecture me! I'm a customer, not a student. After half an hour of lecture (that, interestingly, didn't impart any new information except that the owner had an unresolved ego issue), I left. A month later, we'd finally decided to just get over ourselves and buy the bowls from the nasty egomaniac of a potter. So I venture back on a Wednesday afternoon around 3p. The store is empty (good, good)...until a young woman comes storming out of the back, shouting at the poor soul on the phone with her. Turns out that poor soul is a gallery owner who carries some of Shadyside's pottery. Poor gallery owner; this woman reamed her for another 10 minutes in front of a customer. Ouch. But I'll let it go...maybe the gallery owner was a meanie. Maybe the gallery owner wasn't paying on time. Maybe the gallery owner did something stupid. After the phone call was over, the lady looked me up and down then retreated to the back. I resolved to not speak until spoken to and see how long it would take for someone to greet me or ask if I had anything in mind. Yes, this is a passive-aggressive dick move on my part. I understand that. But I thought it would be interesting so I kept browsing and browsing and browsing. 10 minutes pass. The angry phone lady comes out from the back and starts making something. She glares at me. Keeps making her things. Still doesn't speak. So I finally go stand in front of the bowls I want to buy and wait. Another 5 minutes. Another guy appears from the back. He looks nice, but he doesn't speak to me, either. At this point, I've been in the store for more than half an hour as the only customer; and no one has said a word to me. Finally! Finally! The woman snaps something out about the bowls. I say I'm interested in a set. Silence. I ask another question about the bowls. Terse, one-word answer. Silence. Neither the snappy woman or the young man ask which set I want to buy, if they can help, or anything else, actually. Just silence. So I left. The potter was a jerk, and the young woman he left manning the shop was more interested in her work than in helping a customer so I'm not going to go out of my way to spend money there. The potters across the street were a lot nicer so I'm returning to that shop instead. Accessibility notes: Step up into the shop. Door sticks. No braille signage.

Shadyside has been around for awhile and the pottery has creative glazes and interesting shapes. Since many of the potters in town were all the students of one man, much of our pottery is similar. Shadyside is the exception to that rule. The pieces are attractive & practical for the most part. The staff I've dealt with has been indifferent to super enthusiastic. This is a review for Shadyside not Potsalot which is a different pottery place across the street. The correction has been submitted to Yelp HQ.

We had been looking for a new set of dinner ware for months. Everything we saw was either bland or just tacky. While on vacation in New Orleans we found Shadyside Pottery. We loved the rustic feel of the pottery and we ordered a full set of dinner plates, side plates and bowls. Six weeks later, hand made and perfectly packaged they arrived in New York. We couldn't be more pleased with them and they were a great price. We got a unique set of crockery for less than a mass produced set from Crate and Barrel would have cost. Love this place. When we're next back in NOLA we'll be getting more.

My wife and I have purchased pottery from Shadyside Pottery for many years. We began purchasing when they were at their Magazine St. location and followed them to their new store. My wife loves their salad and serving bowls and uses them for special guests. I have seven Shadyside raku pottery pieces on the mantle above our fireplace and everyone admires the collection. I don't think the potter has made any of the swamp raku style since Hurricane Katrina, but I wish he did.