Williamsburg Pottery

If I could give it less than a one star I would! This was awful not worth your time or your trouble, just all junk. I was very disappointed and will never come back!

Visited Williamsburg Pottery on a whim at the began of our drive home. We had no idea what to expect and honestly were hoping for a place to make or paint a piece of pottery. Obviously, that was not what we found. Instead we walked into someplace that reminded me a lot of the Yankee Candle spot in Williamsburg albeit on a lower grade flair and cost scale (maybe like Bloomingdales vs Target or Marcy’s vs Kmart…).
What we found was a great (funny, something he can use, and inexpensive) gift for a friend who is hosting a tiki bar themed party this weekend. While I cannot say I am a fan it is someplace we might visit when in the area, especially if looking for decorations, home gifts, and /​or space fillers.

About a 2 – 2.5: The Williamsburg Pottery has been around since the late ‘30s, and I remember being a fan of their old location, which was on a large lot, made up of different buildings you can walk into. They had moved to a newer-​developed plaza a few years back, and it seemed as if most of their pottery items and gifts were lost along the way — instead of a vast selection of pottery that we were used to on our previous visits, it seemed as if the focus was more on grocery items and holiday ornaments. All the buildings are connected, but it didn’t seem as if each building had a particular focus — all the items seemed to be the same hodge podge of selection, not offering anything unique. This may be something that people might stop by while in the W-​burg area, but it isn’t really much to see.
+minimal selection of potteries
+generic selection of gifts and groceries
+ample amount of parking

I remember coming here years ago and it’s definitely changed and not for the better. A huge place, but it’s overpriced junk.

Yes, there are a lot of empty shelves and it doesn’t have the «thrifty» ambiance of its old store, but I found some pretty good deals here. I made a couple of last minute purchases on Christmas Eve and noticed several things I may come back to get for myself. I got a huge bag of shelled peanuts for $ 7 and a bottle of Williamsburg spiced wine for around $ 8.
Just at a glance it looked like they had some pretty decent kitchen gadgets and decorations for really good prices. And because it’s so unpopular these days, there’s no fighting crowds like at the outlets. I will be back!

I was very disappointed to return back to the pottery after being away for a number of years. It just seemed more cookie cutter like and the deals were no longer the same. It was if after you built the new pottery prices had to be raised to pay for it. The feel is no longer the same. My family and I plan not to return and will not recommend it to friends as well. Please go back to the old way. Fix up the old buildings and reopen to the public.

Sorry, I see such bad reviews. I mean what do you expect from a pottery? Glam and riches? Good grief I loved it and i am going back next week to get some other things. Prices were reasonable and I also saw many things I like and would like to purchase on my next trip down. The building was clean, service was great and no long lines. In and out if that is what you need.

I told my husband this was a cross between Old Time Pottery and Big Lots. we did have a good laugh over the matched set of bone tusks — we have never seen a price tag for $ 22,799.98. This place was lame.

emailed them regarding a mail order. If I could place a mail order with them, I received no reply to that request. I bought some mugs there years ago and wanted to purchase more .It would seem that they don’t need the business, at least not mine.

I see some negative reviews from people that were fans of the old Pottery Factory. Well here is a positive review from someone who never visited the old place.
We stopped in about an hour before closing on a Wednesday night and I wasn’t expecting much. I was surprised. Did they have everything under the sun under 3 roofs? Not quite, but pretty close. The prices were all over the place but it seemed like everything was on sale, or we had a coupon for it. So we made out ok.
My wife picked out a new doormat and a fish statue, both at prices lower than what we see in NJ.
I found it a little annoying to have to pay for stuff in each store before going to the next store, but I understand the reason for it.
We spent most of our time in the garden area, so we only quickly browsed through the middle store and then bought a couple boxes of tea in the grocery section. We didn’t get to the wine and cheese before they started closing the doors.
I can see how some people that were fans of an older store be so nostalgic for the way things used to be, but I can’t knock this place for how it is now. Could it be better? probably, but my wife liked it and I thought it was pretty cool. Would definitely shop here again, and spend more time going through.

Chinese New Year celebration!!!
W00T W00T.
What and awesome day to come.
I had never been to the old pottery so I can’t compare. This place is pretty sweet as it stands now. Being the Chinese New Year and all, they were giving away discounts with a minimum ten dollar purchase. You got to pick a fortune cookie at the register and open it to reveal your discount. Anything from 5% to 40%.
The great: fabulous trinkets, great prices. They have pretty much everything from silverware to garden statues… and wine, a fair wine selection. A lot of kitchen doo dads, paintings, mirrors, regional delicacies (bbq sauce and such)…
The not so good: I was a bit overwhelmed with the layout. I was walking around feeling lost and like I was circling back and missing a ton of things.
The staff is fairly friendly. I tried to make a funny with the checkout lady. I asked if I got an extra discount because I’m asian. She didn’t flinch, looked at me, simply said «NO», I snorted from holding in my laughter.
I hate that I’m the only person that thinks I’m funny.

i first visited this place in the early 1990s.
loved it!
returned to the beautiful town of williamsburg in june of ’14 with my honey. the whole ride down i talked this place up and told her she would be amazed at the stuff they sold. (the first time i was there, they even had suits of armor)
i told her how they had acres and acres of just pottery and just about everything else she could imagine.
we left our hotel and drove towards the pottery and i pointed out we might have to do a little walking after we found a parking spot because of how crowded this place would be.
well…
we pulled in the parking lot and I was the one who was amazed, to say the least.
the «williamsburg pottery» as i knew it was gone!
replaced by a strip mall looking place.
3 buildings that took up about a 25^th of the space that the pottery used to occupy.
the flea market feel was gone, replaced by something obviously designed to draw the yuppy crowd.
after all the hype i put upon my girl, we just had to see the «new» place.
we were met by vast amounts of empty space.
«pottery»???
we found one lonely shelf that had overpriced salt glazed pottery.
1 shelf in a place thats called williamsburg POTTERY!
i even asked the 1 girl working there what happened to the pottery and all the other neat stuff they used to have.
«it’s gone» she said.
well, we were soon gone too. along with all their other customers. again this was june. tourist season and there were 3 cars in the parking lot.
it would be like someone bulldozing busch gardens, replacing it with a vacume cleaner bag store and expecting the same amount of people to patronize the place.
note to the owner of this place: you screwed up, BIGTIME!
i’m no marketing professional, but i believe you’be better off selling this place to someone who sold just masking tape and buy a big empty lot, throw up a few old looking buildings and filling them with all of the stuff you folks used to sell before you had a brain transplant and ruined a great place.

Oh, Williamsburg Pottery Factory. The knick knack heaven of my youth. The island of misfit children who had to keep their hands in their pockets.
I last visited the Pottery Factory in 2003 on a trip to see Tori Amos in August of 2003 in Virginia Beach. It was what I always remembered it to be. Amazing and fun and wonderful.
This new incarnation is okay at best. The people who checked us out were very pleasant. Otherwise, there were a lot of people walking around doing various stocking and ignoring customers. The selection is drastically cut down. It just feels sterile and like an extremely hollow version of what it used to be.
My mother is still okay with it, but even she recognizes it’s not what it used to be. Because of that, I’ll have to go back. But I’ll be all sad faces from this guy.

This place is terrible now. Trying to be too fancy. A lot of wasted space and unnecessary items. I loved the old look and set up. Prices reflect the new place as well. I can never find those hard to find items

Huge disappointment.
Going to the old Pottery Factory was a fun and funky experience. There was a definite charm of the buildings and surprises around every corner.
The new Pottery is soulless and unimaginative. There is nothing there that can not be found dozens of other places. Too bad.
They paved over paradise to put up a parking lot!

After driving past this place for months I finally took time to see it for myself. I had been advised, «the place is nothing at all like the «original» and I am now a believer.
What a disappointment. What was the original destination for Williamsburg-​bound bargain hunters and those seeking one of a kind items is now a destination for those throngs of shoppers looking for empty shelves and over priced stuff… and none of it interesting.
A visit to the place is a colossal waste of time. I’m taking bets on when the first «For Sale» signs will appear… any takers?

Even the tourists from Jersey are disappointed in this pit. That’s about as bad as it gets.

Man… this place is terrible terrible terrible!
I remember going to the Wburg Pottery as a child and was a neat little experience. It used to be a eclectic collega of stores which some unique little finds every so often. Yea, it looked dingy but it had a natural backyard feel to it.
Nowadays thats all but a distant memory that will never return. The new location and upgrade is just bad. I feel like they are trying too hard to fit in with the upscaleness of the Burg and have failed miserably. The parking lots are empty and you can literally park infront of each store free of any hassle. The architecture reminds me of when the Spanish took over Mexico… its kinda weird any maybe disrespectful but I really have no idea what the people reinventing it were thinking. I hear its in a financial crisis and honestly its better off closing down.
The merchandise as everyone else has said is way overpriced for the bulk of the items are made in China quality. There is no pottery either. Food selection is pretty much Au Bön Pain. ha, not sure why thats there either. They also have a international foods section which consists mostly of dusty canned products and badly packaged items, youre better off going to EMart and finding better quality. They sell some home décor stuff which looks cheap from the cloth flowers to random chinese paper lanterns.
Overall, this place is souless and depressing. If your here on vacation please skip this spot, the Historic Triangle has a lot more better options to offer. However, if you do decide to brave this location you’ll probably last 30 minutes before you are left souless and depressed. Most folks that go here are elderly ladies that have nothing better to do then buy overpriced and cheap knic knacks.

Do you ever wonder why no one is ever at the pottery? I don’t at all anymore! I went with my family today to pick up some wine for my sister to do a taste test for her wedding. As we walked through I though to myself «I need to come more often. There are so many cool food and drink selections.»
As I checked out the cashier yelled at me! Seriously raised her voice and yelled «stop!» I entered the wrong PIN number to my debit card and was trying to run it again. As I pressed cancel she screamed and told me I would mess up the whole system. She then proceeded to get two more employees involved.
My family and I stood there baffled at the customer service, one was a manager!
I asked to then pay I cash since the card was such an issue.
They kept being short and nasty with us.
I am so unimpressed!
I own a store here in Williamsburg and understand working a long day and dealing with customers/​tourists. You never treat a customer the way my family and I were treated today. You can be sure I will be calling to complain tomorrow

She RUINED the Williamsburg Pottery. That is all.
We stopped here on our way home from Virginia Beach yesterday, The parking lot was empty and so were the shelves. In fact, most of the shelves were BARE. Everything is over-​priced and can be bought at a big box store, a grocery store, a mall and NOTHING is unusual. I was so looking into blowing big money on new stuff for my house but the only thing I wasted was MY TIME (it took about 10 minutes to walk from one end to the other and there wasn’t much filler in between). I left without spending one red cent at the Williamsburg Pottery and that is SINFUL.
Jimmy Maloney is rolling over in his grave! If he had wanted to build a gourmet store, he’d have built a gourmet store.

We went by the new location and i was not impressed. Its almost like a junk store. It was huge, had very few people and the items were nothing i would every buy. As for the pottery, where was it?

Nothing special, move along. 4pm in the afternoon on a beautiful day… huge huge location, 10 cars maybe. That should tell you something.
If you have a bar code scanner on your phone, a great game to play is the «mark up» game and see how much cheaper you can get the same things in other locations.
Nothing like the stories I would hear.
Owners sold out.

Don’t waste your gas! Or time.
Rude associates, especially a Kathy H. and high prices. Go to Walmart or Target for reasonable prices and a zillion times better service!!! Nothing special here.
They’ll be closed very soon. Never mind reaching management here only a general mail box which is full. Always.
No cars in parking lot says it all… Ugh. No way will we go back.

We came to pottery for more than 10 year, the recent change have make us stop shop here again. The new themes kill the pottery business. It does not work. If you don’t believe it, check the parking lot it is empty.
I drive a few hour from NJ (we visit almost every 2 year) to look for unique shopping experience like the old pottery factory that you can find your surprise and bargain. However, all we found is the same item that I can found from any mall. We don’t find anything that is impressive except the price tag which is unbelievable. I hope management and marketing should bring the old pottery factory back which some of them still exist in the back of the shopping mall but the access is block.
Don’t waste your time if you love the old pottery, you will be disappointed with the new one.

Sadly, I was hoping this would be better, but I’m going to keep it short and sweet. My husband described the experience best ‘it was simply underwhelming’.