It's Polish Pottery Brings Ethnic Flair to the Table

Hum-drum place settings at your dining room table are out. Polish pottery is in.

Jeanette Kirk, owner of in Bath, can't get enough of the stuff... literally. Her store will starting April 14, and officially open for business on April 18.

"You can't find this stuff everywhere," Kirk said of the beautifully handcrafted and painted dishes. "In my own quest to find it, I realized that you can't find it local."

Kirk used to sell the dishware at the Medina Antique Mall, but she collected so much, that she knew she needed to branch out on her own.

Her shop is filled with the brightest blues, corals and white painted dishes around. The plates, cups, spoons and casserole dishes are all dishwasher safe and very durable, she said.

All her pottery is imported from factories in Poland, where women still paint each piece by hand, she said.

"I'm just starting out, so I'm not sure what people will want yet," Kirk said of her selection. "But people aren't going to want sets of something because it's fun to mix and match."

When Kirk sold her collection at the antique mall, people would either know exactly what she was selling or point and ask, "What is that stuff?"

"It's Polish pottery," she'd reply, thus the name of her store.

"My dad is Polish," Kirk said. "I love the history. I started collecting myself three years ago. Once my collecting got out of control, I thought it would be good to start selling it."

Once rent at the antique mall got too high, she decided to branch out on her own and open the store in Bath.

"Nothing is identical," she said, admiring her collection. "Collecting this has become my passion. You don't have to be Polish to enjoy Polish pottery. We buy stuff that's made in China and we aren't Chinese, right?"

The preview days take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 3687 Ira Road. Customers who come get a 10 percent off coupon toward their next purchase. Because the pieces are imported, the price range is anywhere from $10 to $155.