I have heard about McCarty’s Pottery for so long, and finally got there last week (and brought home three windchimes and some other things).
The best thing to do is to get the directions from their website – the entrance is covered mostly with bamboo (which I love), so it’s not something you would just see right off.
To shop at McCarty’s, park your car in front of the water tower
The shop is actually like a small cottage. The rooms are filled top to bottom with the pottery, mostly in browns, blues, and greens.
From their website: Another reason is the glazes used in the firing process. In the 1950’s and 1960’s the McCartys experimented with native clays and glazes resulting in a wide variety of colors. By the 1970’s, they had invented their signature glazes of nutmeg brown, cobalt blue, and jade. McCartys pottery can be identified by the trademarked “river,” a small black wavy line representing the Mississippi River on most functional pieces, and by the trademarked McCartys signature which is hand signed on the bottom or back of each piece.
Lee and Pup have come a long way since William Faulkner showed them a clay deposit in a ravine on his property and told them they could have it. In the early days, they insulated the Barn with cardboard, froze in the winter, sweated in the summer, and persevered. With their artistic vision and incredible work ethic, McCartys pottery has become known around the world.
Now, most Southerners have a special spot in their heart reserved for William Faulkner. McCarty’s pottery is just one more reason to love him.