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I'm not much for collecting things, but Fiesta Dinnerware (aka "Fiestaware) is the one exception. I fell in love with the bright colors, clean lines and unique designs the first time I saw it!
Fiesta is usually separated into two main categories- Vintage (1936-1969/1972) and Modern (1986-current, also called "Post-86"). I only have a few pieces of vintage but my collection of modern Fiesta is over 150 pieces and growing.
My daily dinnerware is a mix of Lapis (Bright blue, almost sapphire) and Poppy (orange-red). But I love most colors and have pieces in most of the modern colors. Personally, I'm not crazy about the White, Black, Ivory, Flamingo, Rose or Apricot, but I'm a 41yr old guy, so go figure! That's the great thing about Fiesta, you can mix and match any way you want, choose the colors you like and leave the ones you don't....
I love FiestaWare and was lucky enough to inherit a big collection of the vintage from my grandmother, who used it every day till the day she died.
That is very cool. It's awesome that you have something you enjoy (and I assume use) that has so much sentimental value to you.
My grandmother collected Depression Glass (which is quite DEPRESSING, in my opinion) but I wouldn't part with mine for anything. She also used these hideous Amber and Green iced tea glasses that I use every single day because they make me think of her. =)
I have several iron skillets from my other grandmother that are also very special. She had owned one of them since she was 13 and she was 95 when she died last year.
Anyway, back on topic, what colors of Fiestaware did your grandmother have? Any interesting pieces? There were some amazing vintage pieces.
Yes, there are, as referenced in the already existing thread on the topic. The link is above.
For whatever reason, there suddenly are a bunch of evergreen platters available at TJ Maxx, Home Goods and Marshall's. They're $12.99, and seem to be first quality.
Yes, there are, as referenced in the already existing thread on the topic. The link is above.
For whatever reason, there suddenly are a bunch of evergreen platters available at TJ Maxx, Home Goods and Marshall's. They're $12.99, and seem to be first quality.
Thanks for the tip! My mom mentioned needing to return some things to TJ Maxx just yesterday. I'll have to call her later and tell her to be on the lookout for any Evergreen platters. She's actually great about picking up Fiesta markdowns and clearance items for me at Belk, Macy's and Kohl's whenever they have them and they're in a decent color.
According to the folks about Homer Laughlin, no second quality Fiesta items make it to retail stores. But I know that some are damaged in store after they arrive (scratches are very common). The actual 'seconds' are sold in the Factory Outlet in Newell, WV. If you've never had the opportunity to visit (and take the factory tour), I highly recommend adding it to your bucket list! =)
My best friend moved to Pittsburgh last year and the Factory/Outlet is only 50 minutes from his house. I visited for five days over Thanksgiving and went for the first time. I spent $54 on what would have cost over $300 at retail prices. He was planning to drive back to Georgia for Christmas, so he brought it down with him when he came. I'm driving up there next month and plan to make another visit to the Outlet and buy as much as my credit card (and my car) can hold! =)
That is very cool. It's awesome that you have something you enjoy (and I assume use) that has so much sentimental value to you.
My grandmother collected Depression Glass (which is quite DEPRESSING, in my opinion) but I wouldn't part with mine for anything. She also used these hideous Amber and Green iced tea glasses that I use every single day because they make me think of her. =)
I have several iron skillets from my other grandmother that are also very special. She had owned one of them since she was 13 and she was 95 when she died last year.
Anyway, back on topic, what colors of Fiestaware did your grandmother have? Any interesting pieces? There were some amazing vintage pieces.
She had just about every color made during the 1930s and 1940s - a huge collection.
Since I also inherited her better china (also a huge collection) as well as my mother in law's fine china, and I collect Polish pottery myself - something had to go, so I gave the Fiestaware to my daughter, who loved my grandmother and loves the Fiesta ware as well.
I like some pieces of Depression glass, but I prefer carnival glass.
As for the big, amber and green iced tea glasses - I like the weight and shape of them, but I have the cobalt blue ones - they go well with the Polish pottery that I use on a daily basis.
According to the folks about Homer Laughlin, no second quality Fiesta items make it to retail stores.
That's wishful thinking. Some of the stuff I've seen at Kohl's is not just seconds, but thirds and fourths, covered with flea bites, glaze skips, and other flaws.
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The actual 'seconds' are sold in the Factory Outlet in Newell, WV.
There are lots of places to buy seconds other than the factory outlets in West Virginia. I buy a lot of stuff from a pottery shop in Norwich, Ohio.
That's wishful thinking. Some of the stuff I've seen at Kohl's is not just seconds, but thirds and fourths, covered with flea bites, glaze skips, and other flaws.
I was just giving you the company line. I usually go thru the whole stack of whatever item I'm looking at and compare each one they have in the color I'm wanting for flea bites and other little imperfections. The glaze is uneven on every one of the Lapis blue dinner plates that I use for everyday. It's one of those "endearing" things that I've learned to love about Fiesta.
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There are lots of places to buy seconds other than the factory outlets in West Virginia. I buy a lot of stuff from a pottery shop in Norwich, Ohio.
I honestly didn't know this. I was told by the manager of the Factory Outlet store that all of the seconds they catch are only sold there at the Factory Outlet in Newell, WV or at Everything Fiesta in Sutton, WV (just north of Charleston off I-79).
Of course there biggest source of Fiesta seconds is Ebay! But it's interesting to know that there are other places that sell seconds. I would be eternally grateful if you'd share the name (and website or location) or any other places that sell seconds! =)
My wife and I love Fiesta. We currently have a full 10 settings and each is a different color. My wife is also huge into Pyrex and Jadite FireKing dishware. I'll try and snap some pictures this evening and post them.
My wife and I love Fiesta. We currently have a full 10 settings and each is a different color. My wife is also huge into Pyrex and Jadite FireKing dishware. I'll try and snap some pictures this evening and post them.
Cool, I'd love to see some pics whenever you get around to posting them!
I went to Belk today and had a profound experience that renewed my faith in humanity...AND I got a steal on a load of Fiesta pieces...btw, Belk is a department store in the Southeast (their northernmost store is in southern Maryland)....and they are one of the four department stores in Georgia that carry Fiesta. Macy's, Kohl's and Dillard's are the other three and the only other chain store that sells Fiesta here is Bed Bath & Beyond.
Anyway, I was in Belk today and ended up buying several new pieces. I bought two 13" platters- on is Sunflower (bright yellow) and the other is Shamrock (a very intense darker green, maybe Kelly Green would be the best way to describe). They are regularly $36 and were on sale for $23.99 plus I had a 15% off coupon.
Even though I'm not crazy about certain colors, the one goal I have set in stone is that I want to eventually have a Disc Pitcher in every color every made. They had a Chocolate Disc Pitcher tucked away on a shelf away from the Fiesta section and it had a small but noticeable scratch on the right side. I also found a Disc Pitcher in Peacock (Blue with a hint of aqua) and it had a big ZIT, excuse me, I meant to say "flea bite" on the lip of the spout. It shouldn't have made it to the store with a blemish like that but it did. The Disc Pitchers retail for $58 but they were on sale for $35.99 and the 15% coupon also applied.
My grandfather was a used car salesman and I remember watching him walk away from a car deal over a set of windshield wipers. He taught me how to be a hardcore haggler and when I'm shopping and I find something imperfect or damaged or even a floor model that's been handled a lot, I have no problem haggling for a lower price regardless of the store! So I took my items to the register and I showed the scratch on the Chocolate pitcher to the lady (who turned out to be the dept. manager). I told her I'd pay $20 for it and she gladly agreed. I showed her the 'flea bite' on the Peacock/aqua one and she said $20 for it also. Then we started chatting and I told her about wanting to collect every color of Disc Pitcher eventually and how much I love Fiesta. I also confessed that I didn't even like the Chocolate color but I was buying it as part of mission to get one in every color. She told me that she accepted my $20 so readily because it was the last item they had in Chocolate (which was discontinued in 2014) and she had been wanting to get rid of it for a long time.
Then she asked me if I would wait a few minutes while she ran to the stock room to check for something. She returned with a Disc Pitcher in Lemongrass, Black, Flamingo, Paprika and Sage. The Black one had some very minor scuffs, the Paprika had a tiny chip on the bottom right edge, the Sage had a chip on the bottom front edge (neither chip can be seen when they're sitting) and the Flamingo and Lemongrass both had small chunks broken off (one at the bottom of the handle and the other near the side of the spout) but the pieces were still there and could be glued back on. She had all of these sitting in the back and would probably end up writing them off eventually.
I am a grown man and I don't even cry at funerals, but what she did next almost brought me to tears! She only charged me $10 for the Chocolate and Peacock instead of $20 and she sold me all five of those that she brought out for $1 each!!! If that wasn't enough, when I pulled out my 15% coupon, she took out a coupon that she had for Employees and their Family and Friends for 30% that could be used WITH the 15%! The total with tax for all seven pitchers and two platters- $46.03!!! When I saw that total, I asked her if there was anything else she'd like to get off the shelves if she didn't mind me using both coupons. She told me to go get anything I wanted and she would apply the 15% plus 30% to the sale price. I found the 64oz Pedestal Bowl in Scarlet, Lapis and Slate. They're regularly $36, on sale for $22.99 and were $13.68 each with the coupons! I couldn't take more advantage of her good nature than I already felt I had, so I stopped with those.
Before I left, she wrote down my cell number and put it into her phone with a note to call me anytime they had discontinued or imperfect Fiesta pieces! She was the one of the sweetest human beings I've ever met! She was probably in her late 60s and at some point in our conversation she mentioned a daughter coming home for Christmas and they went out for their holiday dinner because she and her husband didn't get out a lot except when they had company. I got the impression that she meant they didn't eat out a lot because they couldn't afford it, but I'm not certain.
I was so thrilled with my haul and she walked around the counter to help load me up with all my bags. She started to hug me before stopping herself and apologizing....at which point I grabbed her gave her a BIG bear hug! As I pulling out of the mall parking lot, I passed Longhorn Steakhouse. I ran in there and bought a $50 Gift Certificate and took it back over to her. She saved me a heck of a lot more than that and I have no doubt she'll try to do so in the future. I felt it was the least I could do. She cried when I gave it to her and I had to give her a quick hug and get out of there quickly because I suddenly had something in my eyes and they were almost starting to water (I don't cry, remember)!
Anyway, what a great day.....and I'm not even talking about all my new Fiesta goodies! It's so rare to meet such genuinely kind and caring people these days and it feels great when I do! =)
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