Newell, WV

This week I made a quick trip to West Virginia.  I had nothing important on my schedule, the weather was unseasonably warm, and I just had a new set of tires put on the car.  So... why not?

My goal was to visit the Homer Laughlin China Co. in Newell.  Established in 1871 at East Liverpool, Ohio, the company originally sold "yellow china" made from local clay.  When the market demanded higher quality white china like that imported from England, Homer and Shakespeare Laughlin built their first two kilns and brought in clay from Kentucky.  As the company grew, William Wells, an Ohio accountant, was brought in to manage the operation.  By 1897 Shakespeare had left the firm and Homer was ready to retire.  Wells bought the company.  With no room to expand in East Liverpool, the company moved across the Ohio River to Newell and continued to grow rapidly.

F.W. Woolworth, the "5-and-10" company, became Homer Laughlin's largest customer.  In 1916 they sold Woolworth some 17 million pieces of china!

In 1927 Frederick Huston Rhead joined the company.  A chemist, Rhead worked on glazes.  His efforts led in 1936 to the introduction of Fiesta ware, which quickly became Homer Laughlin's best selling line.  Production of Fiesta ended in 1973, but was reintroduced in 1986.  Fiesta ware is now the most collected china in the world.

Most people associate Fiesta ware with the Cobalt Blue color.  Actually, Cobalt is a relative newcomer, having been introduced in 1986.  The original colors were Red, Blue (not Cobalt), Green, Yellow, and Old Ivory.  Other colors followed every few years, and new ones are still being introduced.  Some are always in production.  Other colors are produced for just 2-3 years and then permanently withdrawn.  These "limited edition" lines thus become collectors' items.  A visit to the Factory Outlet Store at Newell is a very colorful adventure!

The factory sits on a bluff above the Ohio River.

Color is the name of the game here.  Note the pink flamingos!

A feast of Fiesta!

Here's all that is left of Fiesta's Chocolate.

Enough bowls to bowl you over!

When I arrived at 9:30 on Thursday I immediately asked if there was space available on the 10:30 factory tour.  There was!  I was the only person signed up!  My guide, Sheila, took me on a one-hour, one-and-one-half mile walk through the production facility showing me every stage of production except the Art Department.  Homer Laughlin produces not only Fiesta, but several lines of china for the restaurant industry, the government (Navy, Marines, the governor, etc.), and various companies.

At one time the company employed 2,000 people; now the workforce is about 900.  Some production is entirely by hand, while robots handle other phases of production.  Different types of china require different methods of production.  For example, flat items such as plates can be "spun" out.  Other items, like the handles for coffee cups, are molded.  Still other items are formed on presses.  Some decoration is applied by hand, while machines handle other enhancements.

I watched with fascination as an employee used a small brush to paint blue lines on coffee cups spinning on a wheel.  He was amazingly exact in the width and spacing of the lines.  When I marveled about this, Sheila said, "Well, he's been doing it for 36 years."

The seconds room offers deals on items with small defects.

I picked up some serving dishes in the seconds room.

Not much goes to waste here.  The clay, shipped in from Kentucky, starts out as round "logs" which are fed into the various machines.  Soft waste clay cut away during production is collected and recycled into new "logs."  If hardened items are not up to standard or break during production, the shards are sold to be made into wallboard.

The tour ended in the Homer Laughlin Museum.  Here the walls are lined with Fiesta ware from every era.  Sheila pointed to one set in a lovely purple.  This "Lilac" Fiesta was produced in 1993 and is now the most valuable color for collectors.  She also pointed out small decorative figurines which the company produced for Woolworth.  One fish figurine, originally sold for 99 cents, is now worth over $1,100.

The Museum has a set of Fiesta in every color.

The company has a devoted collectors' group which
holds a national meeting every two years.

Homer Laughlin produces special order china for
institutional customers, including many restaurants.

The "Harlequin" figurines originally made for Woolworth's
are now highly collectible and very expensive.

Fiesta in Lilac is rare and much sought after.

 I went to Homer Laughlin to buy come china for myself.  For several years I've made do with dinnerware from Walmart and Ikea.  But breakage and boredom have taken their toll.  It was finally time for something new, and Fiesta was my choice.  I had hoped to bring home a couple place settings in Chocolate, but alas, production of that color has ended and all I could find were some serving pieces.  Instead, I have place settings in Ivory and Lemongrass.  I also picked up some seconds in the Outlet Store's Seconds Room.

With open stock you can mix and match colors.

You can also pick up specialty items, like the mini-pitchers
shown here — about 4 inches high.

For more information, check out the Homer Laughlin web site:

http://www.hlchina.com/

And if you're in the area, the Homer Laughlin China Co. is well worth a couple hours. •••