June 28th, 2007 marks our official "birthday" at Bracker's Good Earth Clays! That was the date on the first sale we made after receiving our first order of Orton cones for stocking the supply business. Up until that sale, we had only ordered items when customers wanted something. It seems like only yesterday, but now we have thousands of products in stock every day. To celebrate our birthday and to end our Spring Sale with a bang, we have picked a few products to represent some milestones in the business. These products will be featured the last week of the month, June 26th - June 30th. Plus, if you have an opportunity to visit us that week, we'll have cookies and other yummy treats. SORRY, our anniversary week specials are no longer available, but we are leaving this online in case someone wants to read about our milestones.
MILESTONE 1: 1982 - Orton Cones
It all started with Orton Cones. We even based our first logo on Orton Cones, using them to create a stylized TeePee shape (casting a shadow on the ground) that referred to the 2 story stucco TeePee that Bill and Anne started in. That was back when we were Bracker Ceramics. Long-time customers still call us by that name occasionally and it brings a smile to our hearts. To celebrate our FIRST milestone in business, we have special prices on Orton Cones: Junior Cones = $4.10 (box of 50)
Standard Cones = $5.75 (box of 50)
Self-Supporting Cones = $4.25 (box of 25)
MILESTONE 2: 1985 - Flint Hills Moist Clay
They aren't quite the same prices for Moist Clays that we had in 1985, but they're close. Moist clay is the backbone of ceramic suppliers everywhere, and Bracker's is no different. Flint Hills Clay Works has been, and will continue to be, our primary clay supplier since 1985 (we only started stocking Laguna clay bodies a few years ago). Potters who want to stock up on moist clay during our birthday week will get the best price on any moist clay, of any quantity. Mix-and-match a few different types, try a new clay body, or just get a great price on the clay you've loved for years. MILESTONE 2: Moist Clay
MISCELLANEOUS MILESTONE: Bill's Folly
95% of the time, Bill had amazing, creative, business-savvy ideas. Occasionally, he would come up with a clunker. Most of the time, those clunkers were in the form of "pun-ny" jokes (boy, could he come up with the groaners), but this time, he found a book that he thought potters could really use and it would go flying off the shelves. So we ordered A BUNCH. I think we still have all but two of the original book order. The thing is, it's actually a pretty good book with a bunch of creative ideas for promoting and marketing your business. So, if you spend at least $50 during our Birthday Week, you are also getting a copy of "You Can Make Money From Your Arts & Crafts" by Steve & Cindy Long. Limit one per customer, while supplies last. MISCELLANEOUS MILESTONE: Bill's Folly
MILESTONE 3: 1989 - NCECA in Kansas City
NCECA, which stands for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, holds a conference each year. In fact, Bill and Anne took their daughter, Anne, to her first NCECA conference in 1972 - she was 3 weeks old. When the conference came to Kansas City in 1989, Bill and Anne couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a booth in the commercial exhibition hall during the conference. They got to know a number of really cool people, included several other exhibitors. Many of those contacts led to us carrying some cool new products, such as North Star Equipment. The dual roller design of their slab rollers was new and unique at the time and they were, and still are, extremely popular with our potters. Bill worked with a local potter/elementary school teacher named Alan Brummell to modify one of the slab rollers for easy portability from school to school in the Lawrence School District (follow this link for pictures of that design). Recently, North Star introduced their Porta Roller, which is an even better design than Bill & Alan came up with. It's highly portable (either for taking from place to place or just storing and getting it out when you need it), cost effective, and extremely functional. We'll give away a handbuilding sized Slab Mat (another really cool invention, for making smoooooth slabs) with each Porta Roller purchase during our Birthday week. MILESTONE 3: Porta Roller with FREE Slab Mat
MILESTONE 4: 1993 - Bill Passes Away
1993 was a sad year for us. After a short battle with Lymphoma, Bill Bracker passed away. We all mourned for a while, but then we decided that we should be focusing our energy on celebrating his life, instead. So, to celebrate the impact Bill had on all of our lives, as well as Bracker's Good Earth Clays and the ceramics world as a whole, we are rolling back the price on our Bracker Raku Kilns to the 1993 price of $90.00. Bill was actually the first person to introduce the use of spun kaolin fiber (frequently called Kaowool or Ceramic Fiber) for raku kilns (he showed it at an early NCECA conference held in Flagstaff, AZ in 1973). We still manufacture the design he perfected before he died. The illustration on the right is the original picture we used, and the guy holding the kiln is Shane Snodgress, a long-time family friend and former student of Bill's. MILESTONE 4: Bracker Raku Kiln
MISCELLANEOUS MILESTONE: National Advertising
We can't remember exactly when we started advertising nationally, but we definitely remember that it was in Ceramics Monthly. At the time, it was pretty much the only game in town for a regularly published magazine for potters. During Birthday Week, pick up any back issue of Ceramics Monthly, prior to January, 2007, for only $4.00! As a reference, cover price of current issues is $7.50. Available while supplies last, limited to issues we currently have in our backstock. MISCELLANEOUS MILESTONE: Ceramics Monthly Back Issues
MILESTONE 5: 1998/1999 - Bracker's Gets a New Name, New Logo, & New Building
When Bill passed away, he was in the very early stages (mostly dreaming) of building a new building for the company. Several years after he died, we realized that we were completely out of space and we needed to build something - anything! - or else we would cease to be efficient in helping our potters. We began planning, sketching, and designing. When we contacted Randy, the Morton Buildings sales rep, he had no idea how challenging it was to work with the three women of Bracker Ceramics (Anne W., Anne M., and Cindy). As the building plans progressed, the women decided it was time for the business to change from a sole proprietorship to a corporation. We incorporated shortly before we broke ground for the building, choosing the name Bracker's Good Earth Clays, Inc., which is based on our name (obvious choice, yes?) and a former clay supplier from Kansas City (Bill & Anne had bought them out a few years prior to Bill's death). Bill and Anne always loved the name Good Earth Clays and we chose it to honor both of them. When we moved into the new building in the Spring of 1999, we decided we needed a spiffy new t-shirt design to go with our spiffy new building. One of our customers designed tie-dyed t-shirts and we asked them to custom design a pattern to go with our new logo. On the right is the original version of the t-shirt, modeled by none other than Anne W. Bracker. We're bringing back the tie-dye shirts for a limited run to celebrate this milestone. We even have KIDS sizes for the next generation of potters! MILESTONE 5: Bracker's Tie Dye T-Shirts
MILESTONE 6: 2004 - The Gleco Trap
In early 1994, Anne M. received an unsolicited email in her in box. Luckily, she opened it up. The email announced a revolutionary new product called The Gleco Trap and the Bracker women could immediately see how beneficial this product could be to potters and schools. You've probably seen our ads in magazines, sales flyers, and emails about The Gleco Trap, so I'll just remind you that it traps your clay before it enters the septic or sewer system and it can be installed and maintained by you - no need to call a plumber. Best of all is the cost. The Gleco Trap is only $85 during Birthday Week! MILESTONE 6: The Gleco Trap
FUTURE MILESTONES
We never know when we'll encounter the next milestone in the life of Bracker's Good Earth Clays, but when it happens, you'll probably read about it on our blog first! Check out our blog for new information, product updates, tips, and all sorts of goodies. You can also subscribe to our blog using all of the popular services, if you're tech savvy! FUTURE MILESTONES ON BRACKER'S BLOG
Thank you for sharing all of our milestones. It's as much your birthday as it is ours. We hope you can help us celebrate it, either online, on the phone, or in person! Don't forget to stop by for treats if you're in the area.
And remember, Clay Ain't Dirt!
at Bracker's Good Earth Clays
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