American Crafts by Robbie Dein (158 E State St)

I started People's Pottery/American Crafts by Robbie Dein in the fall of 1972 in Ithaca N.Y. I had just graduated from Purdue University, Phi Beta Kappa, with a degree in Political Science. In my final two years at Purdue I fell in love with making pottery; working in the studio from 9 a.m. until 2 a.m. Upon graduating I looked all over the country for a place to set up a pottery studio.

Ithaca, with its two colleges, just felt good, as a recent 22-year-old college graduate. I set up shop in Varna, a tiny village about 2 miles from downtown. I lived in the back of my somewhat primitive showroom/gallery, had a pottery studio adjacent to my displayed works, and a kiln in the back yard; all-inclusive in my $150.00/mo. rent! I hung out a shingle and called it ‘People’s Pottery’ One customer at a time ventured in and I sold my coffee mugs for $1.25, and my teapots and casserole dishes for $16.00. I would allow myself to celebrate my success when I sold $100.00 worth of my handmade pottery in a week; I would go out for dinner that week!

In 1975, I moved into the basement of the Historic Clinton House in downtown Ithaca. The refurbished, re-sealed, natural red brick walls provided a fantastic backdrop for my earthy stoneware pottery.

In 1977, I moved into a beautiful historic school building, The DeWitt Mall, which was converted into a small shopping venue, and set up shop next to The Moosewood Restaurant. A downtown multi-generational business entrepreneur, Stu Lewis, recruited me to move to the newly re-developed downtown pedestrian Ithaca Commons in 1982. Stu said 'You Are Ithaca's Best Kept Secret!'

In 1986, I purchased our present store location in the pre-eminent, iconic, corner building, at the center of the Ithaca Commons.

This building, built in 1862, has always been the prime visible commercial location since the days of horse-drawn carriages and dirt roads. I can show you photos! We began our comprehensive renovation of the exterior facade on Super Bowl Sunday in Jan. 1987, with temperatures that morning of 20 degrees below zero! The facade had been covered in 1950s-era plastic laminates, aluminum siding, and awnings which were attached to the facade with tar adhesive! The gorgeous inherent architectural details and materials we uncovered were a treasure to behold! Cast iron Corinthian columns, decorative cast iron arches, surrounding the plethora of south- and east-facing windows, along with bull’s-eye hand-blown glass tiles adorning the transom below the cast iron lintel, were all a sight to behold.

We have received many acknowledgements and awards from 'Historic Ithaca' and the State of N.Y., for our renovation and restoration of Ithaca’s premier downtown retail location.

Over the years, we have renovated all 5 levels of our beloved building, and my ‘American Crafts by Robbie Dein’ has been the aesthetic and commercial small business anchor of our proud and vibrant Ithaca community.

From 1972 to 1986 I made and sold my own pottery.

Since 1975, I have traveled across the U.S. to the finest 'Handmade in America Crafts' shows in search of beautiful handmade creations, and I have added works by other potters, glass-blowers, woodworkers, jewelry artists, and fiber crafters. I have been honored to be a juror at many of these fine craft shows! Recently, I started adding works by some of the finest international crafts artists I have discovered in my travels.

My collection and presentation attracted some investors in 1996. They purchased two of my stores and I was retained as the Vice President of Merchandise and Artist Relations.

Together, from 1996 to 2001, we opened 55 successful new stores from Boca Raton to Boston, Cleveland, Bethesda, Santa Barbara, Maui, San Diego, Thousand Oaks, Santa Barbara, and Carmel, along with many others. The 9/11 event impacted their financing and expansion efforts, and in 2001 I took back control of my flagship Ithaca Commons location.

Today we represent some 400 artists, 99% of whom are from the lower 48 states, with a few from Canada, a couple from Italy, and one or so from Japan, Ecuador, France, etc.

My store has been a resource for the Ithaca community; considered 'A Tradition in Ithaca Gift Giving', and is a welcoming oasis to enjoy the creativity, humor, function, and beauty that is represented in the handmade works by dedicated, accomplished craft persons. University alumni, parents of past students, international guests, and regional shoppers along with their friends and families from all over the world visit Ithaca, and my store is on the 'Must Enjoy' list!