Girls Gone Wild.... for pottery??

My European life has been a whirlwind of tastes, sounds, sights, and even smells, often times associated with a trip to this or that village, town, city or country. Our latest rendezvous landed us in Poland on a girls trip. 

I know you are probably wondering what could we possibly want with Poland, and a girls trip no less. It doesn't conjure up the warmth of beaches like Barcelona, nor does it scream fancy footloose like Amsterdam. Uh yea... so what exactly did we expect to find in Poland? 

Beautiful, hand-crafted, spectacular and inexpensive Polish Pottery. And boy did we ever find it! Yahtzee!

Four grown women going wild over baking dishes. Kinda silly, a little bit sad, and a whole shit ton of fun! Make no mistake- we made purchasing pottery look like a science. Mad science!

All smiles at the start of shopping day!

We used another military spouses blog review of some of the stores as our point of reference, and while it was incredibly helpful to have the addresses and descriptions at our disposal, we had a different experience. So here is my take on our little Polish adventure.

What is it "Polish Pottery"?

Let's get start with the basics: What is Polish Pottery? It's stoneware, in a nutshell. It started out as folk art and has been the source of artistic pride for Eastern Europe for centuries. The town of Boleslawiec (don't ask me how to pronounce it), Poland is well known for it's functional and decorative pottery. This particular region of Poland has very high quality clay which makes it easy to fire high quality stoneware (learned this on Wikipedia, thank you very much). The town boasts shops, shops, and more shops of the craft in varying sizes, shapes and patterns. The original pattern being the Peacock eye pattern, which according to many sources, symbolizes prosperity. 

So there you have a quick history lesson. The pottery is decorative but more importantly incredibly functional, it cooks evenly and is by far some of the easiest cookware to clean.  However, the bottom line is you either love it or you don't. There are many Americans here in Germany who do not "get into the whole Polish pottery thing." In the words of a friend and former co-worker: "That shit is for old people!" Ummm I think not, LV! *wink wink*

Planning the Trip

Many mil spouses will tell you to do it all in one day. I think that's crazy and for us it didn't make sense! We live in the western part of Germany, Kaiserslautern area to be exact. Poland is off the eastern border of Germany. That's a LONG fracking ways! It took us 8 hrs with traffic (stau in German). My advice is to get a ROOM! Not like that. But you could if you were going with a spouse. Not that I would recommend taking your spouse unless they love pottery, shopping, being in stores, doubling back over to revisit stores you already went into earlier, and well... yeah I just wouldn't take my spouse. If your hubby is like mine, he will appreciate the fact that you left him behind! But I got sidetracked....

We, and by "we" I mean one of the awesome chicas in our group, found us a room and booked it through Booking.com. We left Wednesday morning sometime around 9 or so, and got to Poland around early evening. This gave us time to have dinner, drinks and get a good night's rest in before our shopping extravaganza. It beats driving all night, shopping all day and driving back the following night. I would only do that if you have enough people to split that drive up with, otherwise splurge on the room. (Another alternative is to find a bus trip you can go on, but those too tend to be LOOONG days. Some of them 21 hr bus trips.)

We also rented a mini-van type of vehicle. Why? Because all 4 of us have sedans, and there is no way in HELL we would have fit the amount of pottery we did in the back of one of our sedans. Just not happening, sistah. We rented through Sixt, and it was relatively inexpensive, very roomy and comfortable. Best of all we didn't have to worry about putting the miles on any of our cars! Win Win!

Just don't forget your passport and international driver's license- both a MUST. 

The hotel we found had a breakfast included, and all 4 of us were able to share a room. Now usually European rooms are not huge or suite-like in nature, especially if you are NOT staying at a resort or expensive locale. This hotel was phenomenal!!! I can't tell you enough what a wonderful hotel we found. Hotel Protea rocked!

Restaurant fireplace

The hotel was located right off the main road into Boleslawiec, and was completely easy to find between the GPS and the signs on the road- easy peasy. When we arrived the first thing we noticed was the private, gated area for guests to park on the side of the building, which sat on a dead-end road. Perfect! 

We go to check in with the desk lady and she was so kind and friendly, and her English was spot on! Actually her English was better than some English speakers I know, go figure. They gave us key to the room, explained about breakfast being in the restaurant attached to the hotel and... wait for it.... free wi-fi! Oh yea!!! Especially since in Poland our German cell phones are roaming.  

We walked through the quaint and inviting lobby that looked like a log cabin, through to our room. When we opened the door to the room, I was floored. It was a suite! We had a room with two single beds, and a king size bed, desk and two night stands. The bathroom was down a small hall where there were 2 closed toilet stalls, and then a huge area where a garden tub with shower, sink and bidet were all sparkly clean. All this and breakfast the next morning. Cha ching!

After claiming our beds, we went to dinner in the restaurant. Delish! We had a traditional Polish dinner which was a feast of white borsch soup in bread bowls, pierogies, stuffed cabbage and assorted wine and beer to wash it all down. I ordered a hearty rye bread bowl with white borsch soup, 2 beers, and stuffed cabbage rolls with homemade smashed potatoes and my total was 11.77 euros (just under $16). Did I mention the meal was excellent??!!!

Rye Bread, White Borsch and Beer = YUMM!

Cabbage rolls, smashed potatoes

The hotel bill: $33.54 per person, included full European breakfast. 

The car bill: $75 per person for the rental, and $41for gas. 

So before the pottery purchases: $166 

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Before we review the shops here are some practical things I learned while on this shopping trip or prior to going:

Shopping Tips

1. Every store may have a slightly different exchange rate for the day, always ask!
2. Many of the stores will take debit/credit cards. However, some will only take cash on discounted items. We found two stores who would NOT accept credit card transactions on their items discounted over 50%. So carry cash!
3. Also, almost EVERY store asked if we wanted to pay in euros or dollars, even when purchasing with a card. The transaction will process in American dollars if you ask them! 
4. If you are going to carry cash, many of the stores will take euros. However, if you go to the ATM machine remember they only dispense Polish zloty. (Seems obvious, but I truly forgot and expected to get euros.) Nearest and most convenient cash machine was outside the Kaufland market. 
5. Take pictures! If you are unsure about a pattern, or particular item - take a picture! Not only of the actual piece but of the place you saw it at. This will help if you want to return to that exact location. Trust me, things get confusing after so many patterns and stores. 
6. Not every store has the same patterns or pottery for that matter. So if you see something in one store, chances are you won't see it again in another. I was expecting to be able to comparison shop and there are only a few items that you can do this with: bowls and plates. But even those have varied patterns from shop to shop. 
7. The higher the category, the higher the quality. Unicat is the best and highest quality. However don't be afraid to purchase a cat 2 or even lower, especially if you don't intend to use it for baking. If it is a serving dish and it has some imperfections, don't be afraid to buy. Often times these are the best deals! 
1. Unicat: perfect for everything- dishwasher, microwave, oven, serving
2. Cat 2: dishwasher & microwave safe, oven safe but do not preheat oven, many design imperfections
3. Cat 3: not dishwasher or micro safe, not oven safe, but still can be used to serve or eat off 
4. Cat 4: decorative piece
8. Ping the pottery. We were told to "ping" the bottom and listen for the sound, that it would help us know if the pottery was cracked or not. This might be helpful if I knew what sound it was supposed to make. You can try it if you want. I did but I had NO CLUE what sound I was looking for so it was more a tactic I used to look like I knew what the hell I was doing. Maybe I looked stupid, who knows. *chuckle*

Pottery Stores

It's a Polish Pottery aficionado's dream of stores everywhere. The best way to describe it is there is a strip of highway that pretty much has many shops along the way. I am going to review the shops we stopped at, whether I purchased or not.

Ceramika Artystyczna (This was our first stop)

 Factory Store "Styl"

open Mon-Fri  9am- 5pm

ul. Kosciuszki 23

Boleslawiec

Credit Cards, Euros and $$, English speaking

Pros: It was right on the main road, can't miss it. Tons of parking out front, easy access. It looked like a little shop from the outside, but it was deceivingly long inside. There were many items on shelves, tables and even the floor. Look through everything! There were many deals on items here, however many were Cat 2s or lower. The Unicat bakeware here was a tad more than I wanted to pay, but there were many beautiful patterns. 

Cons: I waited to purchase because it was our first stop, thinking I would find more variety, better deals and see what else was out there. Once we came back to it at the end, I was patterned out and exhausted... never mind dangerously close to no money, no room. Big mistake on my part. 

Photo courtesy of Ceramika Artystyczna website

CER-FAR Laden/Ceramika

(White Picket Fence- pottery pieces adorn the lawn and trees)

ul. Kosciuszki 17

Boleslawiec

Mon-Fri  8am - 6pm, Sat 8-3pm

Credit Cards, Euros & $$, English speaking

Pros: Great store! There was plenty of shopping room, and there was plenty to see. This store had the largest selection of deep dish bakeware, with handles (which I was looking for). They also had uniquely shaped dinner plates in a square shape. I picked up 3 pieces here, all bakeware, one with a lid.

Cons: This shop was a bit more challenging to access since it sits off the road. There are two entrance driveways (maybe one was entrance and the other exit, but it wasn't marked) and they are both narrow and off the main road. The shop if right before the Kaufland market and a traffic circle so it was pretty congested to turn in and to get back out. The entrance to the actual store sits on the back of the building. Once inside, things were great. Only other con was the limited sale rack. 

Many items and patterns to choose from!

Henry's Cer-Mix

ul. Masarska 1

Boleslawiec

Mon- Fri 8am-6pm; Sat 8am-5pm

Credit Cards, Euros & $$, English speaking

Pros: LOVELY! This was a great find! Henry's has two floors full of great sales and even great prices. I was able to pick up spoon rests, a baking dish, bowls, olive oil bottles and napkin holders in MANY different patterns. The store was spacious and comfortable, and even had a large assortment of baskets on the second floor. Lots of great finds, a definite "MUST SEE".  One of the chicas found the pattern she had been looking for her bowls! Winner winner!

Napkin holder heaven!

Cons: It's on a weird corner with other larger businesses and traffic overshadowing it, but look for the big sign. Wicker was a bit overpriced compared to what we can find in our local area. 

**When you exit Henry's you are on a weird corner, to the left of the shop (if you are facing the entrace to Henry's) is ANOTHER shop that is located in the upstairs of a building. This is a small shop, and while they had some good deals, it was this shop that dealt only in cash for sale items. Still worth checking out!**

Zaklady Ceramiczne

ul. Kosciuszki 11

Boleslawiec

Mon-Fri 7am-5pm (check website for hours as they vary during the holidays)

Credit Cards, Euros & $$, English Speaking

Pros: Easy to find and huge parking lot in the back. On our shopping day there was a tent set-up in the parking lot with many pieces and designs, with HUGE mark-downs. I got some amazing holiday snow man pieces! I purchased a huge snowman baking dish and bowl for $33. A steal! One of our chicas walked away with an entire "July 4th" red, white and blue stars motif set. This was probably one of the best deals of the day! 

Cons: After the "tent sale" the actual store seemed very pricey! There were beautiful patterns and great pieces, but nothing seemed as great as the tent deals. We did however purchase some Polish Honey Wine in lovely pottery bottles. 

Photo courtesy of Zaklady Cermiczne

Manufactura Fabryka

Naczyn Kamionkowych

Gdanska 30, Boleslawiec

Mon-Fri 7am-4pm Sat 7am- 2pm

Credit Cards, Euros and $$, limited English

Pros: Lots of discounts! We were in a huge room with pottery covering shelves, stacked to the brim and all over the floors that was all marked down 30%, and there was another 50% off room. We got the best deals here, and it was relatively close to Henry's. Lots of holiday bakeware and serving platters. Picked up some great 2013 Christmas plates!

Cons: Parking was not easy or plentiful, at least not by the entrance. There were also two men in the parking lot spot cleaning vehicles for donations. When we got done with our shopping they were very pushy with us even after we gave them 2 euros. It made us slightly uncomfortable, to say the least. There was only one cashier and it took a while to get through the line, especially since we had quite a bit of things to pack up. Other customers seemed annoyed, but there wasn't much we do about it.


Andy's
Tomaszow Boleslawiecki 111A
Mon-Sat 6am-6pm
Credit Cards, Euros & $$, English

Pros: Great patterns, lots of Unicat items! There are many pieces you won't see elsewhere, like cookie jars and candle toppers. One of the chicas purchased a beautiful honey jar! Bathrooms are clean and spacious! You can set up an appointment to pain your own pottery and they will fire it for you. We didn't do this, but it seems like it would be a fun experience if you had the time!

Cons: I was expecting more of Andy's. Many people rant and rave about it, and although there were many beautiful pieces, I found them to be more expensive than the other shops. Also, Andy's is a small business run out of the first floor of a home. The showroom is big enough for about 15 people and then it's a tight squeeze. Also, the checkout process is tedious and there is no real area to form a line. The parking situation is difficult as well, so you might have to park street side and walk a bit. Lastly, Andy's is located out of the main town and can be difficult to get to. We asked some other mil spouses we ran into and they gave us tips on how to get there.

** I don't want to seem like I am bashing Andy's because when they come to the local bazaars he usually brings TONS of wonderful items and has a HUGE display. That being said, it was one of the last stops we made, we were tired, and pretty much spent in every way possible. Next time, I will make Andy my first stop... see it through more objective eyes.**


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There were other shops, whose names and addresses I don't remember and didn't write down, but I will....next time. My next trip will be soon as my bestie and mom are heading into town for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. I am feeling another Polish trip on the horizon, which means more stores for review.

I leave you with the remaining pictures of our trip to Poland. Enjoy!

Packed vehicle, and we still had more to stuff in there. 

My haul for right at $312- 21 pieces.

Jill's haul, I believe 37 pieces.

Min's loot which I think was 40 pieces. 

** Feel free to comment below if you have been to any of the locations or have recommendations for shops to visit on my next Polish Pottery adventure!**