An eagerly anticipated event is the annual Mystery Creek Ceramics seconds sale. 2023 was the first time we were able to hold the sale in our new store and it went so well and we can't wait for the next seconds sale to also be in our store at MADE in 2024!!
The date: Saturday 22nd of June 2024
Pop this day in your diary now and get ready for an epic weekend in the tron.
Not all pottery comes out of the kiln perfect and during the five week long process it takes to make a nerikomi item many factors influence the pots' quality. We get a number of items we call 'seconds' which means that the pot is not quite perfect enough to sell at full price but are still lovely enough to find a home. Flaws in the items range from colour contamination in the clay, a handle that has a superficial crack, a structural crack, a crack on the rim of a plate or vase, a colour that isn't quite right and everything in between.
In the beginning I smashed these pots and did not allow them to retail with the growth in our production came the growth of waste from this process which was unbearable, so we began to have annual one-off sales.
In 2023 we had thousands of items for sale and it's likely we will have as many again this year. Items are prices based on the flaw but discounts range from 70-90%, which makes adding perfectly imperfect pieces to your collection so much more affordable and less waste for us...a win-win!
Many people have told me that this can cause brand damage having seconds out in the world but there are a few reasons why I continue this practice:
1. Seconds are an unavoidable part of the pottery process, when you look at ceramic waste around the world even the big factories have seconds. Transparency around this process is important to me as it shows other makers that it's normal to have a percentage of products that don't work out to our expectations or level of expertise.
2. Clay is a valuable resource that is difficult to recycle once it has been through the full firing process. The idea that a mug with a flaw can go out into the world and still be loved and treasured even if it has a shorter life (because that handle eventually fell off) is better than it going to sit in a landfill.
3. Our products are not accessible to everyone. Because of the blood, sweat and tears that go into crafting nerikomi our prices are comparably high. I don't want to exclude every customer that may not have the capacity to buy the set they want. The seconds sale is an awesome way to start a collection of Mystery Creek Ceramics or add to your growing collection.
4. We are always trying new things in the studio, some items are included in the range long-term while others are put aside as one-off tests, so samples are also included in our seconds sale. In the 7 years it took to develop the striped range many items that didn't make the cut became seconds. This design process is constantly happening as we grow and evolve our range. Right now approximately six ranges float around the studio in various stages of development. Just because these pieces don't make the cut for the final range doesn't mean they aren't beautiful unique pieces looking for the right person to treasure them.
We hope you come along to celebrate the not-so-perfect pottery with us and we cant wait to see the sets you collect.
Seconds sale dates: 22nd of June 2024
