 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
BayWalk shop People's Pottery to closeBy SHARON L. BOND© St. Petersburg Times, published December 12, 2001 ST. PETERSBURG -- People's Pottery, one of the first stores to open in BayWalk last year, is closing. People's Pottery was something of a misnomer because the shop featured work by some 300 American artists and craftspeople. It sells jewelry, art glass and fiber art in addition to pottery. People's Pottery is based in Rochester, N.Y., and filed for federal bankruptcy protection in late November, according to a Bloomberg News report. Efforts to reach a spokesman at the headquarters were unsuccessful. The local store manager referred questions to the headquarters. The Bloomberg report said the company had about 50 stores across the United States. The chain was founded in 1972. The exact closing date of the BayWalk People's Pottery is not known. Apparently the store will remain open for a while to try to sell its inventory at discounted prices. BayWalk is a $40-million entertainment/retail complex that opened in mid November last year. In a look at its first year of operation, Craig Sher, president and chief executive officer of the Sembler Co., cited People's Pottery as one of the top achievers. Sembler developed BayWalk, which is anchored by a 20-screen Muvico theater and features a variety of shops and restaurants. "People's Pottery is No. 1 in their chain," Sher said in late October, evaluating how the different stores at BayWalk were doing. Sher said Tuesday that Sembler was negotiating with several prospects for the People's Pottery space. "We would like to duplicate this use if possible," Sher said in an e-mail Tuesday.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times South Pinellas desks |
