Wholesalers, Retailers And Cookie Jars…Just A Few Of My Favourite Things!
When I sit down to coffee with Susie Brophy at the Nicholas Mosse Café, she has a serious glint in her eye! There is an energy about her that just seems to build as we talk about her work at Nicholas Mosse Pottery, and I’m eager to dive right in to see if I can capture some of her energy for myself! (Susie just ran the London marathon – maybe that’s why she’s so full of life.)
Susie works on the wholesale side of the business, dealing with shops all over the world that stock Mosse pottery. Answering their queries, fulfilling orders, suggesting point-of-sale improvements and attending trade shows to showcase the company’s handmade ceramic pottery.
On a daily basis she supports retailers in Ireland, Northern Ireland, the UK, America, Germany, France, Japan, and Australia, so there is never a dull moment! According to Susie, that’s one of the reasons why she is so happy at the company, “Life doesn’t get boring here, that’s for sure. Apart from the fact that I’m dealing with different cultures and different people on a daily basis, I’m always learning something new, and that keeps things exciting.”
“Our market in Australia is opening up so their enthusiasm for our pottery is infectious, the Japanese are impressed by our craftsmanship and the Americans go nuts for anything in landscape or woodland! Every nationality is different!”
Susie is clearly in awe of the talent that surrounds her, “I love how inspiring it is to work at Nicholas Mosse Pottery”, she says. “The team here is great and Nick and Susan are so talented, it’s a privilege to work closely with them. They’ve taught me a huge amount about the true meaning of quality and customer service – they make no compromises and now I don’t either!”
Indeed, quality and customer service are things that Nicholas Mosse Pottery is famed for. Anyone who has used the handmade earthenware pottery can testify to the fact that it lasts for years, no matter how many times it goes through a dishwasher cycle! And, I know from personal experience the delight of their customer service because when our dog smashed my daughter’s favourite apple mug, they had a replacement out to me within hours!
Indeed, my chat with Susie enlightened me about the depth of their attention to customer service. If a customer walks into their local stockist and requests a special piece to add to their collection, the shop owner can contact Susie to help them locate it. And, where possible, Susie tries to accommodate customers that have requests for special pieces such as pottery anniversary gifts or wedding gifts. With customer service like that it’s not difficult to see why wholesalers are so passionate about Nicholas Mosse Pottery. According to Susie they, “ooze enthusiasm for it which they pass on to their customers.”
Enthusiasm for Nicholas Mosse Pottery is certainly something that Susie has, in bucket loads! I ask what her favourite piece of the collection is and her face starts to squirm just a little! “Just one piece”, she exclaims!
“Well, my favourite piece is my wild flower collectible cookie jar, which I keep my tea-bags in, but I really love the forget-me-knot collection. Having said that, I like to mix up my pieces because they all work so well with together…and I also really love the pasta server, it’s gorgeous and makes a great gift. Just picking one piece is tough!”
As we conclude our conversation and I take a walk around the Seconds area within the Irish Country Shop & Café, I can see exactly why it was a tough question to answer! How can you pick just one piece when you are surrounded by so much? There’s a gorgeous Lawn Green table lamp, and a set of Clover pottery bowls, a fabulous ceramic jug for flowers in Lawn Red and a large oval platter in Landscape, how do I choose just one thing to add to my collection? Well, thanks to my chat with Susie and some great coffee, at least I have the energy to choose!
- Leeann Mathews