Fiestaware entered the market at a time when consumers were ready to buy what magazines touted as the best at decent prices. From to , Fiesta sold well, and the products remained relatively unchanged—except for the red dishes. When the U. By , interest in Fiesta was declining. By the early to mids, a new interest in Art Deco-styled houseware had people scrambling to buy old Fiestaware. The Homer Laughlin Company noticed and started producing new dish sets in Each year, the company announces a special, limited-run color, but the look and feel of the dinnerware remain the same.
The Homer Laughlin Company also makes other china and is the last commercial pottery maker in the United States. We and our partners use cookies to better understand your needs, improve performance and provide you with personalised content and advertisements.
To allow us to provide a better and more tailored experience please click "OK". Sign Up. The Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. After Shakespeare left the pottery in , the company underwent a multitude of managerial and ownership changes. In their tenure, the original manufacturing plant was abandoned, and multiple new plants sprung up to ramp up production. When they switched from the periodic kilns of old to the continuous tunnel kilns of modernity, the company took its first and most crucial step towards mass-production.
At the height of production, the company employed 2, people and produced , pieces of dinnerware per day — utilizing a combined 1,, square feet of production space. With that, the Homer Laughlin China Company was flung into the 20th-Century ready to compete on an industrial scale. The Story of Fiesta. Designed by the highly regarded English potter, Frederick Rhead , the Fiesta dinnerware line was introduced by Homer Laughlin Company in It was formally launched at the Pottery and Glass Show in Pittsburgh, and became an instant hit as it captured the imagination of the trade.
As the Homer Laughlin Company trudged towards modernity, it took on and adopted the newest methods of business success with open arms, and much to its favor. First, development focused on texture. The surface was soft and pleasant to the touch, and in average light there were no disturbing reflections to detract from the color and shape.
The pattern consisted of a band of concentric rings graduating in width, with those nearer to the rim of the pieces being more widely spaced. Next came the question of color. S government assumed control of uranium oxide, a crucially important element in the manufacture of the famous Fiesta red glaze. The s saw a new appreciation for Art Deco design, whereupon the secondary market began to clamor for used Fiesta items.
Resale prices shot up. At the same time, the first massive wave of Baby Boomers were getting married and stocking their kitchens.
Many of them wanted the dishes they had grown up with. In — the 50th anniversary of the line — Fiesta was re-released in all-new colors. They finally knew how to play the game.
Throughout the s and s, Fiestaware honed and perfected its strategy of limiting supply and teasing special editions. The best example may be the green glaze Fiesta introduced in , at the time to a lukewarm market. This shade was slightly darker than the lighter green from its original line, more of a kelly or tractor green. In , Newsday reported that one Fiesta fan repainted his Brooklyn kitchen cobalt blue to match his dishes.
Today, aficionados flood social media with questions and tips. Fans travel to the factory from hundreds of miles away, or attend the annual Fiestaware conference in Pittsburgh, where they pressure staff to produce retired items, like an old relish tray. The company is old enough now to bank on nostalgia. On YouTube , people spend years compiling complete Fiesta kitchens: plates, mugs, carafes, salt and pepper shakers, platters, mixing bowls, gravy boats, tiered servers, casserole dishes, loaf pans, cookie jars, spoon rests, and many more.
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