Jugtown Pottery is located in a grove of trees and bamboo eight miles south of Seagrove, NC in the community of Westmoore. It is just off Busbee Road, a road named for Jacques and Juliana Busbee, the founders of Jugtown. Both artists, with a love of pottery, they opened Jugtown in 1922. Today Jugtown follows the same approach to pottery as laid out by the Busbee's. Owner, Vernon Owens, recipient of the NC Folk Heritage Award and the NEA National Heritage Fellowship, wife Pam, and son Travis are the potters. Their approach is form first, a simple continuous line, a complimentary glaze and occasional decoration. Form and firing, are the essence of these handmade pieces that are either wood or gas fired. Drawing from the tradition, you will find traditional jugs and candlesticks in wood fired salt glaze and frogskin, and tableware's in green, blue, brown and gray. You will also find deceptively simple vases, bowls and jars in glazes made with wood ash, local clays, copper reds, greens and iron earthtones developed by Pam Owens. Chickens, cats and other clay animals are also a specialty here.
The shop continues to be a working pottery and an American craft shop.
Jugtown is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and has a museum with many examples of early area pots as well as the Jugtown story told through pottery.
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