Questions and Support

    Dogwood Ceramic Supply's frequently asked questions, technical support and product information as well as general consumer issues.

    It seems that every business has a list of frequently asked questions. Dogwood Ceramic Supply takes the idea of "frequently asked questions" one step further and explain all the crazy, stupid (and not so stupid) questions that everybody seems to ask. Links to product support information and consumer questions and issues are also listed below.
 

Dogwood Questions

Who is Dogwood Ceramic Supply?

Will you sell to me?

May I bring my Dog to visit Dogwood Ceramic Supply? Dialup Warning!

How can I get the best price? How can I get a better price?

Classes? Does Dogwood Ceramic Supply offer Classes?

Does Dogwood Ceramic Supply sell Finished Ceramics?

For those interested in doing the pieces themselves, Dogwood Ceramic Supply offers Firing Services.

Is there a printed Dogwood Ceramic Supply catalog?

Is Dogwood Ceramic Supply an ecommerce business?

Product Information and Support

How to choose the perfect Paragon Kiln

Paragon Kiln Support Questions

Frequently Asked and Unusual Paragon Questions

Are Small Kilns a good value for consumers?

Can a kiln exposed to water, such as during Hurricane Katrina be repaired?

Speed is not your friend during the firing and cooling of a kiln.

Why are Freeze Warnings for slips, clays and glazes important?

Have you heard my coat story? A special discussion for those who suffer from glaze application issues.

Why customers should avoid the cold and clay season?

Consumer Issues

Fuel Surcharge on Freight Shipments What is a fuel surcharge and how does it impacts customers.

Clay Weight and Labels provides critical information for consumers and schools to protect themselves from unscrupulous clay vendors.

Product Costs are important to consumers. Even more important is the Landed Cost of the product.

UPS versus United States Postal Service, why UPS is always a better value for Dogwood customers.

The biggest size container is not always the Best Value for Consumers.

Who is Dogwood Ceramic Supply?

    Have you read About Dogwood Ceramic Supply? As stated, Dogwood Ceramic Supply was started as a traditional, family owned, ceramic studio in 1988. The business was incorporated in 1993 with the family retaining ownership of the company. Today, the founders still own and operate the company.

    Who are we? Who, meaning names?

    Well, I am the Webmaster.

    Emily Basset is the Director of Personnel.

    We (the business) have learned to keep names off the website. Why? Telemarketers. Those pond scum sucking low lives who believe they are entitled to disrupt our business 45 times per day and insist on speaking to any name they find on the website or worse speaking "to the owner" of the business.

     Customers (people who actually spend $ with Dogwood Ceramic Supply) will quickly learn the names of the staff members handling their transactions.

    Telemarketers, and people who act like telemarketers, will never be given a name... at least not a correct name.

    By the way, go ahead and ask to speak to Emily Basset. In case you didn't follow the link, Emily Basset is a DOG. A real live DOG, with four legs and a bark. Of course if you are a telemarketer searching for employee names on this website and you are too stupid to follow the link to figure out Emily's pedigree then I guess you deserve to talk to her.




Will you sell to me?

    Why wouldn't we sell to you? Are you a bad person?

    Seriously, why wouldn't we sell to you? The usual answer is that the customer believes their order is too small.

    While is true that are lots of practical reasons not to sell small quantities of products. But for each of those reasons there are just as many reasons to accept small orders.

    One reason to accept small orders is Dogwood's history in the local community. As Dogwood Ceramic Supply grew (from that little neighborhood studio to what we are today) a loyal local hobby customer base was developed. Most of those customers continue to purchase small quantities of products in over the counter transactions.

     Hurricane Katrina has displaced many of those local hobby customers, customers whom refer to Gulfport or South Mississippi as home and still desire to buy from Dogwood Ceramic Supply.

    Dogwood Ceramic Supply has accepted that we will need to provide small quantities of products to our loyal customers. If all they need is a single jar of Duncan glaze or a glaze brush we will be more than happy to provide the products, even if it means shipping a small order via UPS to a customer located a great distance from South Mississippi.

    Bottom line is that we will not refuse anybody's small order, even if the order needs to be shipped to the customer.

    The flip side of this entire issue are shipping costs. For very small orders it is not uncommon for shipping costs to exceed the product price. We will never apologize for shipping costs, but we will also never refuse an order just because of the size of the order.





How can I get the best price? How can I get a better price?

    Seemingly every few days there will be a prospective customer that inquires about receiving a different price than other customers. The questions are usually asked 1 of 3 different ways:

1) "Is that the best you can do on the price?"

2) "When will the item go on sale?"

3) "How can I get a better price"

Let's take a second to answer each of those questions:

1) "Is that the best you can do on the price?"

    Yep

2) "When will the item go on sale?"

    It doesn't

3) "How can I get a better price"

    Unit prices and discount terms are published

Gasp, how unfair!

    Really?

    Think of it this way.... if we could sell the item to you for less money then why wouldn't we sell the item to everybody for less money?

    And if could sell the item for less money then why don't we just go ahead and price the item at a lower price all the time?

    The answers are quite simple, Dogwood Ceramic Supply has priced our goods at the best possible price that we can offer and the best price is available to everybody, every day of the year.

    Wow, what a concept, fair pricing for everybody every day of the year.

    By the way, the paraphrased version of the Federal purchasing regulations entitles the government entity to the same price as the vendors largest commercial customers purchasing the identical items, in the same quantities under the same terms.

    In other words the government agencies want to be treated fairly.

    The Federal purchasing regulation have been adopted by many State and Municipal governments. And since schools, hospitals and recreation programs account for the bulk of Dogwood Ceramic Supply's business, and most of those programs are local, state or Federal agencies, then it only makes sense to treat all of customers equally and fairly... because ya never know who might actually be a purchasing agent looking to buy 125 Shimpo pottery wheels for their school district.

    With the idea of treating people fairly (and to attract the school purchasing agent with a spare one-hundred grand to spend), Dogwood Ceramic Supply clearly states our prices. Quantity discounts, if available, are always published. There are no sales or special seasonal prices to cause downward shifts in the price of the goods. And most importantly there are no secret sign-in pages, no special prices or discounts for "good friends" and no way that you will pay more than somebody else.

Simple, clean and fair.

    If being treated fairly is not what you seek, then by all means take your business elsewhere. If another business has a published price or discount schedule that is better that what is offered by Dogwood Ceramic Supply then by all means buy the item from the other business.

    Dogwood Ceramic Supply's pricing policy will not be changed or violated as we would rather loose a potential sale than alter our policies and overcharge other customers.

    Follow-up Question: Does Dogwood Ceramic Supply have anything on Sale?

    Yes Dogwood Ceramic Supply offers a continuing house cleaning sale. The house cleaning sale primarily consists of manufacturer discontinued products with a limited selection of closeouts or excessive overstocks. Excessive overstocks are the result of Dogwood Ceramic Supply's purchasing mistakes. Closeouts means Dogwood Ceramic Supply is ceasing to carry the product. Having overstocks and closeouts is not desirable as it reflects poorly on the decisions of our purchasing staff. Regardless of the cause (discontinued, overstock or closeout), the housecleaning sale is available to all customers. Advance notice of product discontinuations are always published on Dogwood's Hot off the Press.

Does Dogwood Ceramic Supply have a catalog?

    Are you looking for the Dogwood Ceramic Supply Catalog?

    Or is it suppose to be Dogwood Ceramic Supply's Catalog?

     Maybe it is suppose to be possessive, but since many customers ask for "your" (meaning "our") "Supply Catalog", "Pottery Supply Catalog" or "Ceramic Supplies Catalog" we can guess any version of the phrase may be grammatically correct. Bottom line is pretty simple, you were looking for a supply catalog from Dogwood Ceramic Supply.

    Well, in the simplest terms, you have found what you are seeking.

    Yep, www.dogwoodceramics.com serves as the Dogwood Ceramic Supply Catalog. The major product lines can be reached from the manufacturer's logos near the bottom of the front page of the website. The product index has the products listed by major product types.

    So what will you find on www.dogwoodceramics.com, the online catalog of Dogwood Ceramic Supply? Our goal is to offer the complete listing of the pottery & ceramic equipment and supplies sold by Dogwood Ceramic Supply via our website.

    Is our website / catalog actually complete?

    NO, far from being complete.

Is our website / catalog up to date with the most current prices?

    Oh yes!

    While our goal is offer the complete listing of the pottery & ceramic equipment and supplies sold by Dogwood Ceramic Supply, our more practical goal is to offer as much as we can offer via the 'net with all prices and product information as up to date as possible. One day, many years from now the website might be complete ... and then the next day we will have to start it all over again. Keeping any website up to date can be difficult. Keeping a website as large as this one up to date is a full time job. To keep customers notified of price changes and when they may be expected the basic price information is posted on the Hot Off the Press section. The Hot Off the Press gives our webmaster a few hours of breathing room to get the prices updated on the individual product pages and keeps consumers current with new products (unlike the out of date printed catalog).

    Still looking for a Catalog or Printed Literature? Some of our manufacturers produce a printed or electronic (CD) catalog. Some of these catalogs are free, some of these catalogs (especially the mold catalogs) are to be sold to customers. Shipping "free" catalogs actually does cost our business a bit of money, so we will be happy to include one or two of those "free" catalogs with your order of other goods. Of course in-store customers can pickup the free catalogs whenever they visit the showroom.

    Please note: printed mold catalogs are always considered out of date, especially with regards to prices. Always refer to the manufacturer's website for up to date product and pricing information.

    Will Dogwood Ceramic Supply ever print our "own" catalog?

    No. Pretty simple, straight forward answer.

    In reality there is little need for a printed catalog:

1) Product specifications and other information can be presented in a more thorough manner via a webpage. Compare the information on a simple webpage, such as the Paragon Dragon sold by Dogwood Ceramic Supply, to the information for that same kiln presented in any printed catalog. Hands down the webpage can be much more informative versus the printed catalog.

2) Pricing information on a website can be updated much quicker than a printed catalog. Many purchasing officers for schools and government programs have stopped referencing printed catalogs for their purchases due to the out of date pricing contained in the printed catalogs.

3) Displays of color tiles are more accurate on the computer screen than a printed catalog. Most manufacturers shoot in high resolution digital formats that are directly compatible for computer displays and customers LOVE the big beautiful pictures. Those same digital pictures must be converted to a format compatible with print media and often suffer from conversion problems as well as the difficulty with printing inks and technology.

4) Did we mention a printed catalog costs money?




Does Dogwood Ceramic Supply conduct Classes?

No.

    If you are just looking for information, the Dogwood Ceramic Supply website can be a serious learning opportunity for many customers. Need information about purchasing a kiln? Then click over to Dogwood Ceramic Supply's Paragon Information webpage. Most (actually more than 95%) of the information on the page was written by Dogwood Ceramic Supply. If parts of the page look a bit familiar, they should. Way back in the mid 90's, Dogwood Ceramic Supply wrote a single page information handout for in-store use. Later that handout would be adapted by Paragon for use in their printed catalog. Since the original handout, Dogwood Ceramic Supply has upgraded and expanded the information.

    Beyond our website, Dogwood Ceramic Supply offers an extensive selection of clay and pottery books as well ceramic books for sale. Many of these books were written by experts in their respective fields and can be a great resource of information.

    If you are still looking for a class, the question that remains is what kind of class? Academic? Recreational? Expanding your skill set? Classes for children? Classes for parents and children? Obviously there are a lot of class options:

Colleges and Universities

    Pearl River Community College has been offering continuing education classes for adults at Hancock High School. Contact PRCC at (228) 467-3892 for information on their upcoming classes. These classes are especially popular because the classes are designed for adults seeking a bit of education and a lot of fun.

    The University of Southern Mississippi does not offer a degreed clay program on the Mississippi Gulf Coast Campus of the University of Southern Mississippi. However the main Hattiesburg campus offers several degree programs in ceramics and sculpture. In addition to the degree programs, the University offers adult education classes in pottery and sculpture, as well as provide various outreach art programs for children throughout the Hattiesburg area. Contact USM for additional information.

    Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College offers various classes for degree seeking and nondegree seeking artists at both the Jackson County Campus at Gautier as well as the Jeff Davis Campus in Gulfport. Contact either MGCCC-JC or MGCCC-JD for additional information.

    William Carey University has closed their clay programs due to financial restraints caused by Hurricane Katrina. We continue to see Professor Jeff Schmuki as he returns to Mississippi Gulf Coast from his travels across the USA and hopefully one day we can keep him here...teaching pottery and sculpture.

Other Programs

    The George Ohr Museum offers pottery classes for everybody from the youngest beginner to adults and advanced students. The Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art (228) 374-5547, is operating out of their temporary headquarters in the Swetman House at 1596 Glenn L. Swetman St in Biloxi (north one block on Miramar St from US Hwy 90). The Ohr Museum offers the Mud Daubers Art Camp for children every summer as well as special weekend projects for children throughout the school year. The Great Tile Project is an outreach program for school age children throughout the Mississippi Gulf Coast. And for the 2009-2010 school year the Ohr Museum has expanded their outreach programs for school age children by offering various clay projects, including choices of air-dried or fired clay. Contact the Ohr Museum for additional information on various children's classes.

    For adults and advanced potters, the Ohr Museum offers a wide range of classes and special projects. Basic and advanced pottery classes for wheel-thrown pottery are 10 weeks long and taught by various staff artists. Additional specialty and intense pottery classes are taught by Brian Nettles as well as various guest artists. Beyond the pottery classes, the Ohr Museum offers juried art competitions, retail sales of artist's wares and national exhibits of art in various medias.

    The Mobile Press Register donated their old building on Cathedral Square in Mobile Alabama to the Center for the Living Arts. An 8000 sq ft studio at the rear of the building was converted to Space 301, a studio dedicated to contemporary arts. Space 301 is offering classes for both children and adults.

    The Arts & Crafts Center at Keesler AFB (228) 377-3078, offers pottery and ceramic classes throughout the year. Adult classes for active duty military, dependants and retires are held on Saturday and are designed around a single theme, such as casting molds or various painting techniques. The Arts & Crafts Center also offers children ceramic classes one Saturday per month through the school year, and during summer months will always have a wide selection of classes for children. The Arts & Crafts Center also offers handbuilding and wheel thrown pottery classes for adults the 3rd Saturday of every month, and for children at various times during the year. The pottery classes are taught by one of the George Ohr Museum staff artists.

    Pottery Classes at the Ocean Springs Park and Recreation Department (228) 875-8460, Moving Arts Center on Middle St in Ocean Springs. Pottery Classes are held at night on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Morning classes are held on Tuesday, Thursday or Friday. Instructors are Steve Burtt and Lisa Dickerson. Program emphasis is on wheel thrown pottery, though hand-built and slab work is taught as well. Classes are 10 weeks in length and slots are limited due to continuing student participation. Classes are aimed at adults, though teenagers can be considered for admission to the program. Photos of the well established program are published on the city website.

    Ceramic classes are held at the Ocean Springs Park and Recreation Department (228) 875-8460, Moving Arts Center on Middle St in Ocean Springs. The ceramic classes are conducted in molded (cast earthenware) ceramics every Wednesday morning. The program is self sufficient and does not offer a full time instructor, however, the ladies in the program are always willing to assist a stranger and will welcome any new members with open arms.

For Profit Studios

    Brian Nettles Pottery Studio is offering various basic to advanced classes at his home studio (228) 452-3511 at 22291 Bells Ferry Rd, Pass Christian MS. Class emphasis is on the potters wheel with wares fired in standard electric kilns as well as wood and gas fired kilns. Day and evening classes are available, with class sizes limited in size so Brian can individually assist each student. Brian is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a BFA in Ceramics and Sculpture. Brian also offers private lessons for the student that needs one-on-one attention.

    Yvonne Brown is offering instruction on the potter's wheel along side an exploration of different hand building techniques including slabs and extrusions. Yvonne's class sizes are limited to 2-3 students per session and private lessons are available by appointment. Basic class is 6 sessions for $125, with glazing and firing costs an additional charge. Yvonne received a BFA from William Carey College (now University) and has been working as a studio pottery for the past 11 years. Contact Yvonne at 868-7652 for additional information.

    Mark King's Pottery Studio (228) 424-7176, has limited seating for up to 4 students per class. Mark's studio is just off of Lemoyne Blvd in D'iberville.




Does Dogwood Ceramic Supply provide Finished Ceramics?

    Needing a nice gift for that fussy bride-to-be? Your boss is retiring and you want to get him something to help him remember the office staff? Your home washed away in Hurricane Katrina and you would like to decorate your FEMA trailer? What you are seeking is FINISHED Ceramics.

    To be very clear, Dogwood Ceramic Supply DOES NOT sell finished ceramic and pottery items.
However, some of our customers DO.

    Some customers do exceptional work. Some works may be out of your price range. Some customers enjoy doing one-of-a-kind items. Other customers have perfected their techniques and limit their works to a narrow range of products that they routinely produce at extremely competitive prices. Regardless, Dogwood Ceramic Supply is not going to recommend one customer over another. We will provide a short list of places that you can find finished ceramic and pottery items and let you be the judge as to the items that you want to buy.

Gift Shops:

    There are a number of fine Gift Shops along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Just open the BellSouth Yellow Pages and look under the "Gift Shops" heading. At last count there were approximately 70 Gift Shops in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson Counties. Most of those Gift Shops sell a wide range of handmade pottery and ceramics, many of which are purchased from local and Mississippi artists.

Art Galleries:

    What makes an Art Gallery truly different from a Gift Shop? The quality and uniqueness of the wares. Most Art Galleries are dedicated to providing limited edition art works versus the repetitive items typically found in a Gift Shop. When you want something truly unique, try one of the many Art Galleries listed in the BellSouth Yellow Pages. Many of the galleries specialize in just a limited selection of artwork.

Other Places:

    Every year the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce hosts the "Peter Anderson Festival". Local artists and craftsmen showcase their wares at the juried craft show, and the competition for entry can be fierce. The population of Ocean Springs is only 17,000, but during the 2 event the population is nearly 10 times larger due to the influx of art loving customers from throughout the Deep South. With such a huge number of customers in attendance, every artist and crafts person is applying to attend the show. Not everybody that applies is allowed to setup a booth at the Festival, but with 350+ booths at the Festival if you can't find what you want at the "Peter Anderson Festival" it probably does not exist.

    Have you been to the George Ohr Museum Gift Shop? No, the works of George are not sold in the Gift Shop, but every potter and artist on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is at one time or another showing their finished wares through the Ohr Gift Shop. The selection adjusts seasonally so visit often.

    Did we forget anyplace?

    Oh, yes, dozens or even hundreds. You will find artists and crafts people at church bazaars and community events. There are a number of co-op art and gift shops that set up for a single season. Doctor's and lawyer's offices are often showcasing the works of a special family member. Local restaurants often display artwork that is for sale. And don't forget school shows. Student pieces are often for sale and who would not want to encourage a budding artist?

Can't find what you want?

    Have you considered doing it yourself? Most of us started in ceramics and pottery because we wanted something different or special. Maybe it was a particular shade of peach to match our drapes. Maybe it was special gift for our Grandmother. And we found out that it wasn't all that hard. Most of the time we didn't even need to sign up for a class to accomplish our special piece.

    And when you are ready to dive in and do your own thing, contact Dogwood Ceramic Supply for all of your greenware, bisque, slips, clays, glazes, brushes, tools and of course all the major equipment items such as ceramic molds, Paragon Kilns, pottery wheels and North Star Slab Rollers.

    Just wanting to do a single project? No problem. For those interested in doing the pieces themselves, Dogwood Ceramic Supply offers Firing Services.





© 2009-2010, Dogwood Ceramic Supply

The Major Products

    The Products carried by Dogwood Ceramic Supply can be quickly accessed through the Product Index or the major product links shown below:

pottery equipment
		Standard Clay