In 1976, husband-and-wife team Richard and Chris Hilton began making pottery in their basement studio in Boston. A year later they were spending the weekend in Boothbay Harbor when they stumbled on an old schoolhouse for sale, which they bought and settled into—and created a family together, opened a new studio, and built what would become the largest American craft gallery in Maine.
Today the sprawling retail stop is more of a campus (some argue more of a museum) than a store, and it spotlights all manner of gifts, handmade crafts and trinkets—from jewelry and glass to sculpture and lamps using spectacularly (and naturally) shaped pieces of wood as their base.
But the real show is the beautiful handmade pottery, all bearing the Hiltons’s signature artistry. Most of it artfully employs dripped, brushed, or smeared paints and glazes to create elegant abstract patterns, including unusual techniques like Richard’s innovative macrocrystalline glaze formulas. (He achieved these unique glazes over years of experimentation and building his own kilns, which included everything from catenary arch kilns to large electric kilns.)
The result is a collection of handmade porcelain pottery as diverse in hues and finishes as it is in its shapes and uses. Witness the thrown dinner plates and dramatically streaked chowder bowls, shimmering scallop-shaped salad plates and rippled shell serving platters. And while the pieces’ high-quality shaping and design is impressive, it’s the organic-but-contemporary aesthetic of the glazes that sets them apart. Each one is inspired by pristine natural settings (the “Kyoto Forest,” “Marina,” and “Seaglass” are each a distinctive piece of art).
Some of the simplest designs are the most striking, with shapes that are modern but modest enough to be timeless. Take the Wildflower Vase; its glazes (“Tidepool” is ideal for autumn blooms) don’t overwhelm single, individual flowers or stems, and are a whimsical statement when grouped together. Or the Large Arbor Vase, a perfect container for big, bushy bouquets like hydrangeas or peonies. They also make all manner of serveware, from dainty appetizer sets to oblong oversized platters like the Dory Baker and Server. And other single items—pitchers, utensil containers, and coasters—are special enough to make for delightful gifts.
Prices, as with most handmade artistry, can be on the high end. But swing through the deck outside and you’ll discover racks and tables of pottery seconds and markdowns.
In 2013 the family opened an additional retail location in Portland (at 145 Commercial St., 207-780-6727). Meanwhile the Edgecomb location, which still teems with gem-seeking pottery and crafts lovers, is now run by the next generation of Hiltons—Richard and Chris’s son, Brad, and his family.
WHAT: Edgecomb Potters
WHERE: 727 Boothbay Rd., Edgecomb
HOURS: Mon.-Sat., 9am-6pm; Sun., 10am-5pm
INFO: 207-882-9493, edgecombpotters.com, @edgecomb.potters on Facebook, @edgecombpotters on Twitter, @edgecombpotters on Instagram
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