Owner: Haeger Potteries in high demand after word of company's closing
In the week following the announcement Haeger Potteries would soon be closing after 145 years, President Lexy Haeger Estes was amazed at the community's response.
Longtime fans perused the East Dundee store to build upon their collections. Former employees shared stories of their time working in the factory, and community members reminisced on the days they spent browsing the shelves.
The large crowds that visited the factory store at 7 Maiden Lane throughout the week caused the showroom to nearly sell out of its inventory of glazed artware and unique pottery pieces.
"We had people coming out of the woodwork wanting to purchase Haeger Potteries products while they still had a chance," said Haeger Estes, fourth-generation owner of the family-operated business.
Starting Monday, the factory store will close for two weeks to allow the company to restock the shelves, Haeger Potteries said in a Facebook post.
When it reopens April 30, Haeger Estes said, the store will offer a limited selection of products, some of which may be specially marked as the last Haeger pieces ever made. Items that could be available include planters, lamps, sculptures and figurines, she said.
"We have all types of things in production that we'll be finishing up and clearing out," she said. "This is going to be an important final push."
Because the "first-quality products" directly from the factory are high in demand, she added, they likely won't be sold at a discounted price.
The company is also in the process of determining the fate of the Haeger Potteries museum collection, located in the factory store, Haeger Estes said. Parts of the collection, which features one-of-a-kind, historic pieces, could be moved elsewhere for preservation, she said, while some items may be sold in an auction.
With the sudden influx in interest in Haeger Potteries' products, the company's closing date has become "kind of a moving target," Haeger Estes said.
The company is still obligated to fill several large orders for contractual reasons before shutting down, she said. And the list of orders to fill has grown since customers received word of Haeger's closing.
"As long as we're manufacturing, we'll still keep the store open," she said, adding she anticipates the store and all operations will be closed sometime this summer. "It's a little (open-ended) at this point. The reaction to this has been pretty amazing to us."