2016 Press: Hotty Toddy Magazine: Etta B Pottery – A Testament to a Southern Family’s Hard Work
By
Brooklyn DeShea
PRESS RELEASE DATE: JULY 31, 2016
Hotty Toddy writes: 23 years ago, an artistic couple, Brent DeShea and husband Daryl Weathers, moved from Hernando to Etta, a small town in Mississippi. There they began their family and a business: Etta B Pottery.
Etta B Pottery can be found in The Mustard Seed, located off Jackson in Oxford, Mississippi. (information updated as of 2022)
Founded in 2008, Etta B Pottery features hand-crafted pottery that is safe to place in a dishwasher, oven, and microwave. The couple founded the pottery company initially to provide extra income but after encouragement and trial and error, the couple fully dedicated to Etta B Pottery. Brent and Daryl have different talents, but their combined strengths make the business a success.
Brent said, "We each have different roles in the pottery business and that just happened naturally working with our strengths."
While Brent is artistic and makes her own way through life by creating her own clothing to cooking without a recipe and painting anything from a mural to a t-shirt. Daryl is organized and disciplined in keeping the momentum high and supporting sales at local retail stores.
Brooklyn DeShea (photo from www.desheas.com - now www.ettabco.com)
The business is actually a family-wide effort with the assistance of their daughter, Brooklyn DeShea and their son, Baylor.
In March of 2015, Brooklyn created an online presence for Etta B Pottery and other creations by her mother for her senior year school project. The website (formerly www.desheas.com, now www.ettabco.com) is named after Brooklyn and Brent's shared middle name: DeShea. Also the name of a gift shop Etta B Pottery owns in Baptist Memorial Hospital in Oxford, Mississippi, DeShea's.
The online website features Etta B Pottery, paintings, decorative handmade frames, and jewelry - all items one would find at DeShea's Gift Shop or at their booth space, #74 at The Mustard Seed in Oxford. (info updated for 2022)
Their son, Baylor, has worked with the business from the very beginning. Creating the logo for DeShea's, the online presence/e-commerce website and print advertising.
The pottery shop's production team also ensures the business's continued success.
Whitney Miller (left, first-ever winner of the TV Show, MasterChef) visited DeShea’s to sell with Brent Weathers (right) in Oxford, Mississippi. The two have teamed up together in the past with the Sundance Festival and collaborated through work and friendship.Brent said, "The pottery production team is a very talented group of all ages that works together daily making, painting, firing, and packing the pottery. These men and women are like family, and that is what makes each day special and keeps the creativity flowing. I think each pottery brand should be unique to the person or persons who created it. Each individual has their very own vision for what they find special and beautiful and their creations should reflect that. It is of utmost importance that Etta B Pottery remains fresh, new, and relevant and that each piece holds to a very high standard." While everything is handmade, Brent and Daryl work closely with the employees to ensure the pottery is consistently made to perfection. "Each person at the pottery shop brings their own artistry to each piece but we do work together to keep the products consistent. It is always exciting when someone has a new idea or piece that gets added to the line," Brent said. With each passing year, the demand for Etta B Pottery continues to grow.
Cotton Bolls & Magnolia Plates are part of the 2016 Everyday Collection.Brent said, "We are taking orders year round on our Everyday Collection, but then we also create new items for each season and write orders for these as well. We do not do many customized or commissioned pieces. Thankfully the demand for our pottery continues to grow each year, and we have a hard time keeping up with the orders coming in year round. We feel extremely blessed and grateful for our dear customers and stores that we work so closely with.Now featured in Southern Living Stores, Etta B Pottery sells in over a hundred retail stores all over the South, from Texas to South Caroline and from Florida to Oregon. (updated as of 2022) "Orders come in day to day from the retailers that carry our pottery. We make according to what is being ordered. Each day we try to complete as many pieces as possible, but most days that is several hundred pieces," Brent said. Etta B Pottery has come quite far in eight years, thanks to their family's effort and hard work from the production team. To see their unique Southern made pottery, visit www.desheas.com (now www.ettabco.com) and www.ettabpottery.com
Thank you, Hotty Toddy Magazine for your kind words and sharing our family's story of Etta B!
Norma Schmidt
Is there a seconds store for etta b