Sheffield Pottery

General information

In the fall of 1943, Joseph and Marie Cowen, newly married , purchased a large farm near the Housatonic River. They raised cows, chickens, and sheep, and sold produce at their roadside farm stand. After seeing an article about pottery in a family magazine, Joe and Marie hauled a bucket of clay from the clay pit on their land to see if they could use this resource to make a living. From Marie's first cup and Joe's first saucer came the beginnings of the present-day Sheffield Pottery, Inc.

Clearing out the animals in 1946, the Cowens turned the barn into a small showroom, selling handmade pottery fired in a 6" x 6" kiln. The business rapidly flourished, and by December 1949, Sheffield Pottery was featured in Redbook magazine. By 1965, while raising three children, the Cowens had acquired a clay mixer, pugmill, and a large railroad-car kiln. They incorporated, added to the building to accommodate the huge new kiln, and started selling ceramic supplies and clays as well as their pottery, which had now established their business as a part of the growing Berkshire tourist trade.

Joseph Cowen retired in 1982, turning the business over to his youngest son, John, who is now President of Sheffield Pottery, Inc. John began almost at once to change the focus of the company toward becoming a high-quality ceramics supplier. A new warehouse went up in 1983, to allow the storage of much larger quantities of dry materials, both for sale and for use in the ever-growing numbers of stock and custom moist clay bodies. A new delivery truck was soon on the road throughout the northeast, delivering regularly to customers from Maine to Long Island.

In 1993, a 14,000 square foot production, processing and warehouse facility was completed. Attached to the existing warehouse, it allowed us to offer one of the largest stocking quantities of dry materials in the Northeast. New moist clay production equipment and systems were added as well, to increase our production to meet demand, while still maintaining our rigid quality control standards.

During 2000 and 2001 a second major expansion was undertaken, offering 12,000 additional square feet of production, storage, and loading docks. The fleet of trucks has grown to three, including a tractor trailer truck and a crane unloading system. Our custom-built, computer controlled dry batching system assures accurate formula preparation. We have installed the finest mixing technology available by using an Erich high intensive mixer.

The move of all the clay production from the original barn to the new addition has allowed for the beginning of a renovation and expansion of our retail showrooms. The ceramic supplies and retail pottery are both being given their own enlarged spaces, to enhance customer convenience. Sheffield Pottery has built a reputation for premium quality products, excellent customer service, and dependability, and we are looking forward to continuing to build our history and traditions into the years to come.