Where did Outlet Stores Begin?

Outlet stores could have sprung up from country potteries that sold their less than perfect products as “seconds” for reduced prices.  Stoneware jugs, crocks and churns are examples of a utilitarian antique pottery that spanned the early 19th century through the Civil War and beyond.  They progressed from being one-man made to being mass produced by the hundreds in large factories.

 Collectors can trace this ceramic from a rippled hand thrown ovoid jug to straight sided assembly line advertising crocks.  Maker’s marks and capacity marks were often impressed or stenciled on factory products.  These wares were heavy and inexpensive and were often sold door-to-door on the back of a wagon.  One of the first decorations used from the early 19th century until about 1840 was a scratch design known as sgraffito.  A sharp wire or nail produced the simple design.  Other decorations favored by collectors are slip-trailed (raised) or painted designs of intricate blue flowers, birds, animals or scenes that are charmingly naive in their rendering.  By the 4th quarter of the 19th century, time was recognized as money and decorations might be only a casual stenciled swirl unless a special gift was ordered.

 As modern conveniences developed, stoneware containers dwindled in popularity.  Glass containers and bottles became common place by the 1840s.  By 1860, glass was actually becoming less expensive than stoneware in cities and by 1880, factory made oak iceboxes lined with metal revolutionized home refrigeration causing crock stoneware to lose more business.  In 1919, prohibition effectively destroyed the stoneware whiskey jug and beer bottle business.    

Logan Adams is an expert and Certified Personal Property Appraiser.  Logan ownes The Specialists of the South in Panama City, FL.  The Specialists of the South perform a variety of services including an amazing online auction site with really nice items for you to bid on.