homer laughlin china company factory

travelladyusa

I am so thankful that I live close to Homer Laughlin China Company Factory outlet! Most of my Fiesta has been purchased in the seconds room. You need a little time - and make sure you bring a small towel or cloth - but the bargains are great! The dishes are just stacked on pallets or in bins - vases, mugs and specialty items are in the back on shelves. Some things are even in plastic milk crates on the floor. You need a cloth to wipe down your fiesta to make sure it looks good. If that isn't how you would like to shop, you can shop the main outlet store, where everything is first run, clean and ready to be boxed. My favorite time to shop is during or immediately following their tent sales. The prices are even better during that time. Christmas is also a nice time to shop. You can find previous years' Christmas ornaments, grab bags (not fiesta, but other homer laughlin china) and all kinds of special buys. If you love your Fiesta, this stop will be well worth your while.

RoyH172

tour is great; make sure and get reservations in at least 2 weeks prior. Outlet mall was a little disappointing thought they would have more to offer

bendewberry

Tours are given on certain days, it is interesting to see how Fiesta ware is made. The museum is small, but jam packed with rare and beautiful pottery made by the company. The factory outlet has a large selection and the factory seconds prices are reasonable.

675pennyp

We are so used to seeing photos, films, etc. of pristine, state of the art manufacturing facilities - not so here... Pulling into the complex is a bit disconcerting but their outlet store is great with wonderful service. I was hoping to go to the big tent sale but did not want to stand in line for 2 hours just to get in - thank goodness the outlet was open. Maybe I missed some deals but I am happy with my purchases, I saved $$ and time. They always have items you have never seen before and even though I don't want/need them, it warms my heart that they are here, being produced and people love them. BUY AMERICAN!!! (OK, some of the textiles and such aren't made in the USA - read the labels...)

zomzie

We set up the tour way in advance and it was well worth it. The tour guide and ladies in the store were very nice to work with. The seconds available were great fun. It was a great place to visit.

MunkamamaSt_Louis

I have collected Fiestaware dishes for many years so was excited to visit the company and take a tour of the production area.We'll worth the two hr detour from our route.Enjoyed the seconds room and made a lot of purchases.Fun to tour the factory but it was often very difficult to hear the tour guide on the tour unless you were right next to her...some voice amplification would really help. Amazing to find out how much of the pottery is still done in part, by hand...If you are buying dishes - especially seconds which take longer to hunt through - and doing the tour give yourself plenty of time. We were there about 3 hrs.

891lisaa

Have been buying Fiesta for about 10 years, and have always wanted to go to the factory. Like others have mentioned, the prices in the outlet store aren't much of a discount over a department store sale, but the seconds room is great fun! Appreciated the fact that the carefully wrapped and boxed my "treasures" for me ... an unexpected surprise when all I bought were seconds. Didn't get there in time for a factory tour, but would love to do that someday.

KathyB858

You need a reservation for this tour and they can only accommodate 20 or so people a day. The tour is great - our party loved being so up close. We also really enjoyed the museum and bought items in both the showroom and the large "seconds" room.

p2hannley

Almost every year when I travel to Northern Ohio to visit family, I go to the Homer Laughlin factory in Newell, WV for a shopping spree with my cousin. You can get discounts on first quality FiestaWare dishes in the outlet showroom, but the real bargains are in the large room with the seconds. Often it is difficult to determine what is wrong with the seconds. We enjoy the adventure of picking through the stacks of dishes and bowls to find something special. At the factory you can find styles and colors that are not in the stores, and there are great deals. A small FiestaWare serving dish at Macy's may be $25, but in Newell, first quality could be $15 and second quality $6. I try to limit my purchases to what I can carry on in a cheap suitcase. It's a fun trip if you're into adventure shopping.

gregj745

If you like or collection Fiesta dinnerware, you have to make the pilgrimage at least once, and make sure you take the facotry tour. We come here a lot and did the tour on our first trip, in the summer, in the factory = hot! But enjoyed it very much. Interesting tourguide and nice people in the facotry. Tried to stay out of their way... stock up at the seconds store, it's well worth the trip.

ChristopherG879

So, if you haven't been to Newell, WV you are probably like most of America. This is absolutely a destination location for the Fiestaware line of Home Laughlin China. Sadly, we didn't have an opportunity to do further exploration of the town because of the monsoon that came barreling through town on that very wet Sunday, July 27th. Although we also missed the tours that only occur on weekdays, a visit to the seconds room is well worth the trip. The opportunity to rummage through a room full of colorful bins of china is priceless. The true shopper will delight in this opportunity. Overall, it was a fun little visit and if you focus your time on the seconds room, rather than the main room, the pain in your wallet will be lessened considerably! What I don't understand is why the main shopping room is not any cheaper than your local department store. As my wife pointed out, the prices weren't any cheaper than our local Kohl's or Macy's. One other thing to point out is that the bathrooms were spotless and much appreciated considering our long drive in from NY that day :)Worth a trip if you are anywhere near Newell, WV.

859ashleyt

We stopped to shop and take the tour. The tour is about an hour long and very informative. You get right in there, but remember to bring sneakers!! Afterwards we shopped and found great deals in the seconds area.

492debh

The Homer Laughlin China Company (home of Fiesta Ware) offers two FREE factory tours a day, Monday through Friday. The first is at 10:30 a.m. and the second is at 12:30 p.m. They only take 10 people at a time, so be sure to make a reservation well in advance. (They recommend two weeks.) The tour starts and ends in the Factory Outlet Store, so you also have time for shopping. An employee takes you through one of the many factories, showing you the different stages involved in producing their china. A lot of their products are done as piece-work, and you get to see a number of employees performing these repetitive tasks. It was very noisy in some parts of the plant and therefore hard to hear what the tour guide was saying, Also, there is one set of steps that must be climbed to get up onto the plant floor. Overall, I really enjoyed the tour and thought it was most interesting. Also, at the end each person receives a miniature souvenir factory tour plate. That was a very unexpected, but nice, touch!

Shelley94

The store us great! I loved being able to rummage through seconds. I just wish the tour times were more convenient.

TravelingwBuddies

Stopped on a Sunday to check out the 'seconds' store. Was thrilled with my finds. Would love to go back again someday to add more to my new collection! Wished we could have made it a week day to see the tour. If you are not a fiesta collector, I don't recommend you bother stopping. After you are finished --- would recommend lunch at Connies' Cafe down the road in Chester.