Red Wing Pottery reopens for business

Red Wing Pottery is open again for business this weekend after a few months of renovations and re-branding.

The company's long-time owner sold the business in December to Bruce and Irene Johnson, a Red Wing couple that also owns the Red Wing Stoneware company.

Bruce Johnson said among the renovations, customers will see more locally-made stoneware in the store.

"I think a lot of the reconfiguration was to remove some of the gift store-type item and greeting cards and those things, and put more of a focus on the pottery and stoneware and the associated products that go with them," he said.

The company stopped manufacturing its own pottery in the 1960s. Since then, it had focused primarily on retail sales of dishware and gifts manufactured elsewhere.

The couple plans to have Red Wing Pottery take up large-scale manufacturing again, Johnson said. He also plans to use part of the 32,000 square foot facility as a classroom for community art classes.