Mangum Pottery

I’m a collector of artisan pottery, especially mugs. Mangum has some very nice mug patterns. No one else does the patterns they do or uses quite the same colors/​combinations. Between my mom, my daughter-​in-​law and myself, we have purchased at least a dozen mugs, probably more, from Mangum. That being said, we probably won’t purchase any mugs from them in the future, and I would be very hesitant to purchase other pieces due to how thin they make their final product. I didn’t even notice how thin the mugs were until they started to chip. We are very gentle with our dishes and especially our collectible pottery pieces. But, they chip quite easily. One even broke right in my hand when it somehow got slightly stuck between the ribs of my dishwasher tray and I had to pull just a bit to release it. When we took it in to show them and mentioned the mug seemed a bit thin, they became quite defensive, said it was our fault, that the mug had clearly already been cracked, and they weren’t about to replace it if that’s what we were after. It would have been lovely if they had stood behind their workmanship, but that really wasn’t the reason for bringing it to their attention. We really just wanted them to consider the opportunity for improvement. If that had been the first time one of their pieces didn’t hold up very well, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But, as mentioned above, nearly all our remaining Mangum pottery mugs have chipped around the edge while NONE of our other hand-​made artisan pieces have. The only ones with no chips are the ones we stopped using and just keep in the cupboard for occasional use. Sadly, as much as we love their designs, it is extremely unlikely we will ever buy another unless we happen to stumble across one that looks more sturdily made. Their customer service is exemplary when you’re buying, but they don’t really stand behind their workmanship after the sale. If you want pottery for display purposes, their unique pieces would be great additions to your collection. But, if you want pottery designed for regular use/​normal care, I cannot recommend Mangum Pottery.

Great folks and great pottery! I have many of their pieces and look forward to owning more! Special highlights are anything with green glaze, their coffee mugs, beer steins, the ceramic banjo, and the clock. Aside from the work it’s self it’s a fun place to stop in because their studio is just behind the store front and you can see them making the stuff right in front of you.