Go Big or Go Home- The Next Episode

What is the Next Episode?

Well that’s a good question. But first I think we need to recap on the incredible journey we’ve been on since 2020.

In August 2020 we launched a crowdfunder named ‘Go Big or Go Home’ which many of you here may remember, and even pledged for us. Our intention initially was to raise enough to cover the cost of installing a new electricity supply at our then workshop.

What ensued was an epic journey! That crowdfunder catapulted our business into a new era. It enabled us to move in to a whole new workshop with plenty of electricity supply, enough for the kilns and the kettle! Not only that, it also meant we could take the leap and employ a team to help create and grow our business.

Fast forward to May 2023 and the team has grown to an incredible group of 10 individuals. How amazing is that? Year on year we’ve seen growth, 2022 saw the business grow by a phenomenal 40%.

We hit the ground running this February and reopened our wholesale offering which now means Glosters Pottery can be found stocked in over 50 shops UK wide, there’s even a stockist in Dubai!

But What’s Next? 

The last 3 months of 2022 where by far the busiest we’ve ever seen and it became quickly apparent that we’d reached our capacity.

What do we mean by capacity? It became impossible to restock in the quantities we’d have liked  during Autumn and Christmas. We couldn’t fire enough despite having 4 kilns running 7 days a week, we had to close our wholesale orders and most importantly, space. We ran out of space!

There currently isn’t enough space to store our core ranges alongside our seasonal, which in turn cuts short how far in advance we can prepare for things like Christmas. When it came to packing all those orders after launches it descended into complete chaos!

How do we solve it?

Well an opportunity has arisen.. the unit adjoined to ours has become vacant. I think you’ll agree that’s an opportunity too good to miss but I’ll explain what difference it would make.

We recently bought a clay arc, you may have seen, simply that’s a huge liquid clay bucket which means when it gets busy on the run up to a launch for example we can make more and we can restock in larger quantities. To take full advantage of that new found capacity, we need a bit more space to make pieces.

And if we’re planning to make more, then we need to sort out our firing capacity too, so not only can we fire more but we can do so more economically. With the rise in electricity prices our bills are running on average 60-100% higher than this time last year. A larger kiln and fewer firings would reduce those bills.

If we’re making more we’re going to need more storage, somewhere we can store seasonal stock enabling us to start earlier without the fear of running out of space. We’re going to need more space for packing too, plenty of room to safely pack both online & wholesale orders.

Quickly the unit next door and an investment in a larger kiln are making a lot of sense.

We’re not ones to do anything by halves though! We’re sure you know that by now.

So lets take a moment to imagine that the workshop as it stands now can expand right into the packing/ storage area as it moves next door. What if that adjoining wall has a huge glass window like this looking through, what can you see? 

(Photo from Pinterest) 

We envisage you’ll see our new onsite store & ’The Mug Life’ experience. 

Since 2014 Glosters has become a destination for mug fans nationwide, we’re often shocked by how far you’ve travelled to visit us. We’d like to make your visit the best possible.

By opening a designated onsite workshop store with views straight into the workshop you’ll be able to see everything being made onsite, not only that but there’s the opportunity to glaze your very own Glosters mug! We make mugs & muglets everyday and we hope to open up the opportunity for you to glaze your own when you visit. We know there isn’t much to do on a rainy day in Porthmadog so we’d love to welcome you over and make those trips to Glosters unforgettable, and throw in the opportunity for a good brew in a Glosters mug too!

This also means that if you have an online order to collect it can be done so in our onsite shop and it’s an opportunity to pick up any extras or specials too.

It will make events like our annual sample sale, Glostonbowlbry and courses far easier with a designated store and course area without having to leave the site or battle the chaos of our packing area.

The new unit offers enough room for us to move our storage & packing to a ’clean‘ area. Despite our best efforts workshops are dusty environments! Having our stock storage next door keeps it clean and keeps our parcels clean too. It means we can start seasonal stock in plenty of time with the extra space to store it.

The Kiln

With packing & storage then next door, that would give some much needed breathing space in the workshop and room for a new kiln.

We currently work with four 270 litre kilns, generally we fire 2-3 kilns everyday. The cost has risen considerably during the last 12 months. Imagine your home bills… and times it by about 10! 

We have done lots of research and whilst we would keep a couple of our current kilns for smaller firings, samples, and your ’Mug Life’ creations, we’d love to invest in a trolley kiln. Trolley kilns are just that, everything is placed on a trolley that is pushed into the kiln for firing. We currently have ‘top loaders’ which are stacked from the bottom up for firing.

(Photo from Kilncare Stoke-on-Trent)

This could also be operated remotely, we wouldn’t need to head in late at night or on weekends to check on it, it can all be done at the click of a button.

Most importantly that kiln is of a professional standard, it’s firing would be far more consistent and far more economical. Reducing our power costs here at Glosters.

What are we spending the money raised on?

If we’ve learnt anything in the last couple of years its that setting up a ceramics workshop does not come cheap... This time we are better prepared for that. 

We’ve already spent £20k this year in the new arc system which expands and speeds up part of our process. We’d love to invest further in the workshop, a new blunger, shelving, work spaces and most importantly with the new kiln, this comes in at just short of £30k (for the kiln) by the time its built in Stoke-on-Trent, delivered and fitted in North Wales.

Some of the money raised will be used to cover the initial 3 months rent, whilst we set everything up, knock a big hole in the wall... and build our dream space. 

Shelving… shelving… and more shelving! There are never enough shelves! We’ll be building a purpose built packing and storage area with lots of shelves.

We’d love to see the new onsite shop space set out like our current shop, if you haven’t already visited, last year we had a shop refit and had some custom built display dressers which really showcase the ceramics. 

Our ‘Mug Life’ experience will have a similar feel with a small onsite cafe providing hot drinks and cakes to those visiting.

We’d love as many people as possible to visit, so we’ve been talking to the guys at Visit Wales who think our plan is great and they’ve been helping us with the procedure of having some ‘brown road signs’ for the new venture. These however do come at a cost for the initial plan and consultation, and then the erecting and maintenance. Brown signs can cost anything between £3k and £10K!

An online booking system, we’d adapt part of our website to include an online booking system for the Mug Life experience so there will defiantly be a space for you to glaze a mug when you arrive.  

And then there’s all the small bits we forgot about last time… paint, flooring, screws… it all soon adds up!

Let’s Do This!

To achieve all of this we do need a helping hand. But we’re not asking you to invest with no return. We’ve put together a range of ’rewards’, the only thing is we ask for some time to get those to you whilst we set up the new area and shuffle around the workshop, it may even be 2024 before they arrive.

The Rewards

We’ve been working hard to come up with a great selection of rewards to offer for the crowdfunder, from event tickets, to textiles and limited edition ceramics of course! We hope there’s something you may be interested in. 

UK postage is included as part of each reward, all rewards will be posted and we’re  afraid no refunds on postage will be available if you decide to collect, the reason for this is we have to include postage in the rewards and the processing fees for a refund will be too much if many decide to collect. 

International Postage will require you to add extra to each donation, details can be found on each rewards on the right hand side of the screen. 

We cannot combine orders unfortunately, each pledge needs to be made individually. Rewards will be dispatched as and when they are ready, but no later than the date shown on the reward you pledge for. 

Due to the nature of the crowdfunder, no refunds or exchanges can be made. Should a piece arrive broken with you we will of course replace that. 

Frank & Roy Tote Bag £16- 

If you follow Glosters then you likely know a lot about the adventures of our dachshunds Frank & Roy. We couldn’t let the crowdfunder pass without them being a part of it. Designed by Lucy Claire Illustration. 

Mug Life Tea-Towel £16-

We’re often tagged in beautiful photos of your Glosters collection, the lovely team at Culpepper & Co have designed a gorgeous tea towel which includes an illustration of all our drippy mugs. 

Stormy Banner £18-

Our ‘Go Big or Go Home’ Crowdfunder featured a beautiful illustration by local artist Rebecca Kitchen of the Glosters ‘Ship” sailing a storm, you may even be the proud owner of the previous banner featuring the quote ’A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor’. 

For ’The Next Episode’ crowdfunder, we’ve revisited the design and featured a new quote - ‘Not all storms come to disrupt your life; some come to clear you path’

Sample Sale Queue Jump (silver) £20- 

On October 7th 2023 we’ll be holding our annual sample & seconds sale at Glosters HQ. 

We know there have been times when the queue has been a little long! 

Which is why we’re offering as a crowdfunder reward, the opportunity to jump the queue! We’ll open from 9am (instead of 10am) for those of you who have a queue jumping ticket. It’s the opportunity to avoid the crowds and have the pick of the crop!

Glosters Lemon £22- 

We’ve got quite the taste for casting fruit and veg now! We’ve cast pumpkins of course, the satsuma is popular, so here we have the Glosters lemon! Cast from a real lemon for those times when life is thrown at you from all directions, and you just have to go and make lemonade, right?!

‘The Next Episode’ Milk Bottle £25-

To match our swirled mug and muglet, exclusively for the crowdfunder we’ll also be making a swirled mini milk bottle in the blue and white porcelain. Use this for milk or flowers. (Approx 9.5cm height x 4.5cm width)

’Heather Breeze’ Muglet £25- 

Combining our popular speckled white and heather glazes comes a new glaze we’ve named ‘heather breeze’ exclusively for the crowdfunder. 

Our muglets are perfect coffee or hot chocolate mugs. ( 7cm height x 10cm widith (with handle)

The Mug Life Experience £30-

Be one of the first to visit our Mug Life experience at Glosters HQ, glaze you own Glosters mug, a chance to meet the team, tea / coffee and cake. 

Dates to be confirmed once we’re open and at a convenient time for you. The ticket is valid until March 2025.

’The Next Episode’ Muglet £28-

A couple of years ago Gareth made a white and raspberry swirled porcelain mug for Mug Club and no word of a lie it’s the most messages we’ve ever had about a mug! 

So… he’s agreed to make a blue and white swirled porcelain mug, muglet & milk bottle exclusive to ‘The Next Episode’ crowdfunder . 

Muglets make the perfect coffee or hot chocolate mugs. 

(also available as a mug, see below)

’Heather Breeze’ Mug £28-

Our popular mug, perfect for a good brew! In an exclusive to the crowdfunder combination of our popular speckled white and heather glazes creating the ‘Heather Breeze’ glaze. 

‘Heather Breeze’ Acorn Bowl £28- 

Matching the heather breeze mug & muglet, a bowl perfect for snacks, sweets or soup of course!

Limited Edition FTS Mug £32- 

The FTS mug has been a firm favourite at Glosters for 3 years now, consistantly a best seller, its become quite the icon! It quickly turned into ‘that lockdown must have’.

For crowdfunder only we’re offering a limited edition vintage blue floral FTS mug.

‘The Next Episode‘ Mug £35-

Homage to the most popular mug club we ever made… 

So exclusively to ‘The Next Episode’ crowdfunder… we’re making a blue and white swirled porcelain mug, muglet & milk bottle. 

The Mug that started Mug Club £32- 

A very long time ago, we made a mug featuring some pink fuchsias, and so many of you loved it! But we only made 5 or 6… however, it is what inspired Mug Club. That’s when we thought that actually we could make some one offs like this and maybe it could become a thing? And my goodness didn’t it become a thing! 

So we’re going back… for one time only and we’re remaking ‘the mug that started mug club’ they’re super limited. Don’t miss out. 

Personalised Dachshund Bowl £35- 

Exclusive to the crowdfunder, we’ll make you a dachshund print dog bowl with your pooches name on! 

Limited to 7 characters we’ll contact you after the crowdunder to confirm the name you’d like to feature on the bowl. 

Sample Sale ‘Gold’ Queue Jump £40-

Just like our silver ticket holders you’ll have the opportunity to beat the crowds for the pick of the crop at our annual sample & seconds sale at the workshop on October 7th. 

But! Not only that! We’ll be putting together a queue jump goodie bag for our gold ticket holders too! Think pottery of course, but there’s likely to be some other small business treats & some sweet ones too.

Personalised Mini Pot £40-

Our popular mini pot available exclusively for the crowdfunder in a coast blue or mustard yellow stripe with a name or word of your choice up to 7 characters. Perfect for new babies to keep little trinkets as they get older.

We will contact you after the crowdfunder to confirm the name/ word you'd like to feature. 

‘Heather Breeze’ Glaze Trio £80-

Our Mug, Muglet & Acorn bowl all together in the exclusive to the crowdunder ‘Heather Breeze’ glaze, a combination of our speckled white & heather glazes. 

Mystic Mev’s Crowdfunder Bag £95-

A Frank & Roy tote bag filled with lots of crowdfunder treats.

‘The Next Episode’ Mug

‘Heather Breeze’ Tumbler

Gold Splatter Lemon

Glosters Pen

Mug Life Tea towel  and a few extras! R.R.P of at least £110