In 1938, A young man not long out of high school purchased a half-acre of land about five miles west of historic Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. James (Jimmy) E. Maloney established his small pottery kiln on Route 60 West, Virginia.  He offered hand-crafted pottery made in the 17th-18th-century style that he had learned as an apprentice at the Jamestown Colony Pottery.  Jimmy named his new business venture the “Williamsburg Pottery”.

What started as a simple roadside pottery stand continued to grow over the years.  Dinnerware and glassware were early product additions.   Many more kinds of merchandise followed. By the early 1980s, the business known regionally as “The Pottery,” was a sprawling, 200-acre shopping mecca that offered more than 80,000 different items.

Jimmy was a retail visionary as well as an entrepreneur.  He attracted and served a growing base of customers by finding and offering diverse merchandise at significant discounts. Long before there were  outlet stores and outlet malls,  Jimmy was going directly to manufacturers to obtain “factory pricing,” quality goods.

Jimmy’s vision, craftsmanship, and unfailing entrepreneurial spirit turned the Pottery into a must-see destination during everybody’s visit to the Historic Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown.  People couldn’t wait to get their hands on all of the bargains and would leave the Pottery on a daily basis with shopping carts overflowing with treasures from all over the world.

About WIlliamsburg Pottery at the present. After Jimmy’s death in 2005, the Pottery struggled to compete with Williamsburg’s other fast-growing shopping venues.  In 2010, the Williamsburg Pottery’s President, CEO and Jimmy’s widow Kim Maloney unveiled plans for a multi-million dollar revitalization of the Pottery at the original 1938 location on Richmond Road.

The Pottery has offered original handmade Salt Glaze Pottery (we still make it on-site and have been the supplier to Colonial Williamsburg for over 50 years) since 1938.  We are proud to offer the best quality items at the lowest prices, guaranteed.  Always family-owned and operated, we stand by our products and by our community.

Independently Owned Small Business