A bad back and a slow economy forced tears out of the eyes of Sheila Harvey, owner of Morton Pottery, Saturday. After 16 years being located on downtown Main Street, Morton Pottery has closed its doors to visitors.
But, the business will continue, and Harvey has no plans to stop.
“Most people — in this line of work — work until their 90s,” said Harvey.
Harvey is feeling confident now, moving the business to her home while eliminating the overhead that made it difficult to keep the Main Street location afloat.
Harvey bought the Morton Pottery business in September 1973 when it was located on Detroit. She worked for the business since the late ‘60s.
“I always wanted to be downtown,” said Harvey. “I ended up with the best landlord and the best location. You couldn’t beat it.”
The business experienced its boom years during the late ‘90s during the Beanie Baby craze.
“That’s how I was able to put a down payment on this house and buy a car,” Harvey said.
People constantly visited the business to get the latest Beanie Baby, she said.
“They wouldn’t look at the pottery,” she laughed.
But, it is the personalized pumpkins that kept Harvey busy, she said.
“I get calls from all over wondering if I still make personalized pumpkins,” Harvey said. “It overwhelmed me.”
The pumpkins, which can take from 10 days to two weeks to complete, kept Harvey near her kiln, sometimes starting work as early as 2 a.m. and always finishing by 5 p.m.
September was typically the busiest month of the year for Harvey because the Pumpkin Festival always drew interest from customers, she said.
Last year’s festival was rained out, and Harvey began to feel the pinch. That, coupled with a slow economy, made it challenging for Harvey to continue in her Main Street location.
“I kept thinking it was my fault,” she said. “But, then I realized, ‘It’s the economy, stupid.’”
Harvey expects business will drop as she continues operations from her home, but she remains optimistic.
“I think business will go down some because people will wonder what happened to me,” she said. “But, I won’t have the overhead.”
So far, Harvey said she enjoys the new atmosphere.
“This is really neat,” she said. “I get to stay more focused.
“This is the first time I’ve enjoyed my home,” she added. “I can work the hours I want.”
