A Story About the Summer Solstice Sale

by Kathryn (the potters' daughter)

It's been a while, hasn't it?

Back in January, this blog saw its first-ever post. I know there's been a lot of radio silence since then, but today I get to tell you about what is, by far, my favourite pottery-related event of the year: the annual Summer Solstice Sale.

This sale has a story. A story that begins with something like: "My parents are hoarders..."

But wait, that sounds bad.

My parents do tend to accumulate a lot of stuff. BUT, it's really cool and interesting and weird and beautiful and quirky stuff. And sure, there might be a box or two (or more?) of single socks and mittens from when us kids were actually kids (the youngest of us is turning 24 on Sunday), but for the most part I'd argue that my parents are definitely on the classy end of the hoarder spectrum.

Ok, so how does hoarding relate to the sale, you ask?

Well, one of the things that tends to pile-up in my parents' pottery studio is awesome-but-not-quite-as-expected pottery. From the glaze tests, to the trial-runs, to the slightly 'wonky', there are some pots that suffer from 'one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-others' syndrome. They just don't quite fit in on the table at the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market.

For the longest time, these 'special' pots piled up in the pottery studio. When I say they piled up, I kid you not - there were stacks of pots EVERYWHERE. (We're talking somewhere in the realm of 23-years-worth of accumulation). But even though these pots were the misfits, they were still really cool, and completely functional. The only catch was that they were taking up way too much space.

So I devised a plan that went something like this: "Mom, I'm going to wash all the pots in the basement, and put them out in the yard, and invite all my friends, and your going to sell the pots to the friends for really cheap, ok? Oh, and you're actually going to sell the pots to the friends for really cheap, ok?? Because the goal here is to make space in the pottery studio for doing work, ok??? Oh, and one more thing...from the proceeds of the sale I'm going to take enough money to buy myself a dishwasher, ok????".

Like I said, my mom is a pretty cool character. So guess what she said? She said: "ok".

Just like that, the first annual Summer Solstice Sale was born. And on the day it was born, it rained, and it rained...and it rained...and it rained...(you get the idea). But you know, there's something to be said about the ambiance of doing your shopping in the rain, while sipping a hot mug of tea and munching on a homemade chocolate chip cookie. There's also something to be said about hoarding umbrellas - it's a habit that comes in handy when you have a bunch of customers walking around your backyard during a torrential downpour!

Fast forward to eight years later and there's another Summer Solstice Sale is in the works. I'm looking forward to it as much as ever. For me, the sale is a busy afternoon of setting-up followed by a weekend of relaxing in the yard, drinking (too much) tea, and visiting with whoever happens to walk through the gate. And in the end, I can only hope that there's a yard full of trampled grass, a few noses with too many freckles, a few pots that have found new homes, and a few empty shelves in the pottery studio.

If you'd like to join-in on the festivities this year, you can find the details on the Aven-Hill Pottery Facebook page.

Hope to see you soon! - Kathryn

(Photos taken at last year's Summer Solstice Sale)