Our own Steve Smith was recently featured on a weekly podcast series published weekly by Lenihan Sotheby's International Realty. Although the episode was only 10 or 15 minutes, Steve was able to weave several topics into the conversation, including the historical significance Louisville Stoneware has played in the shaping of Louisville over the past 200 years! It's important for listeners to understand the historical use of our stoneware, and the historical context in which we were founded. Which is why Steve spent a few minutes discussing three major events which took place in and around 1815 that really set Louisville, and our company, on it's path that we continue to enjoy today. Those events were the end of The War of 1812, the end of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe and the successful completion of a steamboat voyage from New Orleans to the Falls Of The Ohio. Because of those events, Louisville became an important city in the westward expansion of our country. And as a result, settlers leaving Louisville needed supplies, and many times, those supplies would be stored and transported in stoneware. As it turns out, the clay from the Ohio River was a great resource and material for the production of stoneware. A few other topics covered during the conversation:

• How stoneware place settings became a staple for the middle class
• When artisans began painting patterns on the stoneware to appeal to the market
• How long the average employee has been working in the studio

The podcast interview wraps up with a nice exchange between Steve and host discussing the human connection that is present when customers actually get a chance to meet the artisans behind the work, and what it means to them to take a piece of work home that was made today using the same methods and workmanship that was used 200 years ago, when our company was initially founded.

Lenihan Sotheby’s International Realty’s is a bi-weekly series that highlights the Louisville real estate market, including statistical summaries, lifestyle tidbits and educational information for the consumer looking for an extraordinary level of service.