Business Spotlight: Destination Retail

There are roughly 9 million people of Polish descent in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Here in Springfield, the numbers are significantly smaller, with only 2% of residents – or just shy of 5,000 people – reporting some Polish ancestry.

That’s small potatoes – small ziemniaki – but even small potatoes can make tasty placki, or pancakes, to be served up on a colorfully hand-decorated plate from The Polish Pottery Shoppe.

Owner Cindy DeLong says she has nearly 200 patterns in stock at her shop in Half-a-Hill Center at the southeast corner of Battlefield Road and Lone Pine Avenue. The pieces are handmade and hand-painted by artisans in the village of Boleslawiec, Poland, an area rich in natural clay deposits distinguished by high feldspar and silicon content.

The stoneware is notable for its durability, DeLong says.

“I got introduced to this 17 or 18 years ago by a friend,” she says. “I love beautiful things, and I fell in love with this.”

DeLong says she went through sets of dishes that would last about five years before cracking and chipping, so she was skeptical the stoneware would be as functional and strong as it was purported to be.

“I bought six luncheon plates, and I thought, I’m just going to see how these do,” she says. “To this day, I don’t have a chip.”

Bambino’s Cafe is a neighboring business to The Polish Pottery Shoppe, and owner Andy Faucett reports similar results.

“It’s probably some of the most durable china or pottery we’ve ever had in the restaurant,” he says. “We’ve never had any chips or cracks or anything with it.”

Faucett likes the mugs he uses in his Half-a-Hill location so much that he bought some bakeware for home use.

“It’s durable, and it cleans up really well,” he says.

DeLong says some of her customers love to collect the pottery, but they will only display it.

“It’s artistic, but it’s very functional,” DeLong says. “It goes in the microwave, the dishwasher, the oven. It’s known for its durability.”

She added that the baking dishes can be heated on a cooktop or in an oven with temperatures of up to 536 degrees.

Faucett says the stoneware is so durable that he intends to use it in his Delmar Street location when renovations there are complete.

Patterns and pieces
The shop carries place settings, including plates, bowls and drinking vessels, which DeLong says are naturally insulated.

“If you fill a mug up with ice water, you’re probably still going to have ice in it several hours later because it keeps it that cold,” she says.

There are also serving pieces, like pitchers, platters and trays, serving bowls and gravy boats.

Bakeware in stock includes muffin pans, baking dishes and covered casseroles, and for coffee and tea drinkers, there are teapots and cream and sugar sets.

These are the basics, but there are myriad items whose uses are open to the imagination. DeLong shows off some traditional items, like the loop-handled soup mugs that are based on tin versions miners used to hook to their belts to take with them underground, or like the straw mug that has a narrow attached straw appendage rising above the vessel to sip from.

She also points out some less traditional options, like a broad, flat piece that she calls a pizza pan, which can be used for pizza or as a charcuterie surface.

The pottery suits a modern aesthetic, DeLong notes, adding that wedding registries for the pottery are a popular option. Unlike most traditional china sets, the pieces can be used with colorful linens and mixed in with casual dinnerware.

Destination retail
In Springfield Business Journal’s annual Economic Growth Survey, business leaders rank the developments they believe to be most needed to keep the city competitive in the next five years. This year, 41% of respondents listed destination retail as one of the top-three needs.

Destination retail is that shopping people choose to do primarily for enjoyment, and many people associate it with larger entities like Bass Pro Shops or the Battlefield Mall. But DeLong says customers drive hours to shop in her store.

“About 50% of our customers are from out of town,” she says. “We have a very loyal following here in Springfield, but there are people that collect Polish pottery, and there are only a handful of Polish pottery stores in the whole nation.”

DeLong entices travelers to get off the highway and visit her shop with four billboards on highways leading toward the city. “A lot of customers find us that way, and then once they discover us, they will schedule their trips so they’re here when we’re open – which is quite a compliment,” she says.

DeLong says customers are willing to take a side trip while traveling on Interstate 44 or on their way to Branson.

“I get customers all the way from a young man wanting to find a beautiful gift for his girlfriend to heads of NATO who have spent a lot of time in Europe,” she says. “Anyone who comes in here, they’re just going to have to put up with conversation, because I like to learn about people.”

While DeLong did not disclose 2023 revenue, she said business stays brisk – even more so around holidays. Coffee mugs are her most popular item, ranging from a small bubble mug, priced at $28, to a broad latte cup for $30-$34 to the traditional straw mug for $62. DeLong says most months she sells about 110 mugs.

DeLong will mark the shop’s 10th anniversary in August. Though her previous career was working for a computer software company, she notes she was always interested in entrepreneurship. She has a background in art – specifically quilting, with a master’s degree in textile history.

Though she is a quilt artist, she notes the artful displays of pottery within the store are created by the part-time shopkeepers.

“Sometimes it’s just a question of finding space,” DeLong says. “We’re always unpacking more pottery.”