LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An 84-year-old Louisville institution known for its treasured pieces is closing its doors.
Hadley Pottery posted a message to social media Tuesday saying the store will close by the end of the year, citing high costs for materials, machines and maintenance making it impossible for the shop to stay open.Â
"There's no replacing it. There aren't any parts," said Jane Reiss, a store salesperson at Hadley. "The company has been successful because we make it the way we make it, but that is going away. There's a time for everything. There's a time to close, and that's what we're doing."
Reiss said she's been shopping at the store her whole life but has only worked there for the past five years.Â
Hadley Pottery is closing after more than 80 years in Louisville's Butchertown neighborhood. March 30, 2022. (WDRB file photo)
"It has been a good long run, 80-plus years, and who can say that? Who has been in business that long?" Reiss said.
Hadley, which is located on Story Avenue in Butchertown, said it will take orders through April 6 and will fill all orders already in-house.Â
Owners said the store will be stocked with seconds and overstock first quality pieces, with more to be added as they sell stock. Additionally, the store said it would be firing older green ware pieces that will be sold on its Facebook page.
Artist Frances Klein has spent over 40 years painting pieces beside big glass windows on the second floor overlooking the empty lot behind the building.
She said she couldn't believe it when she was told about the decision to close down.Â
"So sad, shocked," Klein said. "I'm still not over it. I'm still pretty shook up and not too happy about it. I can't imagine working anywhere else."
Hadley Pottery is closing after more than 80 years in Louisville's Butchertown neighborhood. March 30, 2022. (WDRB file photo)
Klein said she's lost count of how many pieces she's created over the years and described the business as a family.
Hundreds of comments flooded the shop's Facebook post when the announcement was made Tuesday. People shared photos, stories and memories of their parents buying Hadley Pottery, inheriting pieces and buying and collecting their own over the years. Some said they'd been collecting Hadley Pottery pieces for up to 50 years. Many called the news "heartbreaking" and said they'd cherish their collections even more now.
On Wednesday, dozens of customers funneled through the original doors to the storefront to stock up on beloved items.Â
"We've been overwhelmed," Reiss said. "At least everyone's getting a piece of Hadley, so that's a good thing."
Hadley Pottery is closing after more than 80 years in Louisville's Butchertown neighborhood. March 30, 2022. (WDRB file photo)
One woman and her husband said they've been shopping there for more than 50 years and are sad to see it go.Â
"It's sad. The ladies will tell you it's sad," said the woman as she got emotional. "I always find something I never had before."
"There's lots of Louisville history right here," her husband added. "We just wish them good luck and we hope somebody buys the place and they can continue to work."
WDRB News toured the store nearly four years ago when a St. Louis company sold the store to Jerry Day, whose grandfather helped start the business with Mary Alice Hadley. Hadley Pottery was officially formed in early 1940, according to its website. The St. Louis company purchased the business nine years prior to selling it to Day and his son in 2018.
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