This is just the type of shop I love to see when I visit small towns. Catalina Pottery & Tile highlights ceramic work from the 20s and 30s. You will find work from that era as well as pieces by contemporary artists/artisans working in or inspired by that style.
This is what I'm looking for in a shopping experience! With the internet and Amazon everything is available to anyone, anywhere. Now, I'm not saying that it's bad that we give access to arts and crafts not available to people in certain localities. But it does become disappointing when the same five artisans' work is suddenly is in every single gift shop everywhere. When I got to a small town, I want to see stuff I've never seen before. I want to be inspired. And I especially want to support the work of local artists and artisans. And this store gave me all of that!
I got to look at some of the original pieces in the way back. For sale, but price unlisted. For my younger readers I will explain: if you want to ask for the price, you will almost invariably be unable to afford it.
Luckily, however, there are local artists still working in this tradition! You can definitely see the Art Deco and Art Nouveau elements that contributed to the Arts and Crafts Movement in the tile work. Tile that you will see in many establishments on Catalina Island. Here they were sold individually (with or without an easel for display). And they even sell tiny ones you could fit in your pocket. For the buyer of modest means, you could have a lovely display piece. If you have more cash to burn, you could probably build yourself a gorgeous backsplash in your kitchen.
Besides for tiles, this shop also included ceramic jewelry...where actual ceramic pieces are set in silver! It really made me think of the use of faience in Ancient Egyptian jewelry (do a google search). I absolutely loved it! The use of ceramics as a "gemstone" is such a cool idea: you can make "gems" of almost any size in an almost infinite array of colors through the use of glazes. Too cool!
The shop also included a number of handmade wooden kitchen appliances (I loved the olive wood kitchenware) and a number of locally made food items, like jerky and jams. Again, locally made. You're supporting creatives on the island itself. This is a really good thing.
I admit that, while I love shopping, I have very limited space in my home. So I'm extremely particular about what I buy. There were many decorative items that I loved...but simply did not have room for. I ended up buying some of the locally made jerky (quite good if meat snacks are your thing.) Since it felt like I was exploring a gallery, it didn't feel weird making a small donation.
This was probably the most interesting shop I've seen in Avalon. It is truly unique. I highly recommend you visit.
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