Low Pot Prices Attract Long Lines

HILLSBOROUGH - About 800 people gathered in Hillsborough on Saturday morning to wait in line with numbered stickers on their chests.

When 8:30 a.m. arrived, the shoppers filed into the Vietri Warehouse Sale, the culmination of waiting all morning for a chance to buy imported Italian handcrafted pottery at discounted prices.

The biannual sale allows Vietri the opportunity to sell one-of-a-kind samples, and discounted, overstocked and slightly flawed pieces to fans.

But the sale has not always been so big.

"The first sale was in the dining room and back porch of my personal home where we were operating our office our first year," Vietri co-owner Frances Gravely said.

The story of this local shopping extravaganza begins in Italy in 1983 when sisters Frances and Susan Gravely, co-founders of the company, went on vacation to Italy.

There, they fell in love with whimsical local dinnerware and began importing products for sale.

Today the business is located in a 30,000-square-foot warehouse in Hillsborough where the sale was held, but Vietri products can be found at retailers nationwide.

Until a few years ago, people camped out in front of the warehouse prior to the event to ensure a good spot in line, but concerns about safety and sanitation forced the owners to end the tradition.

"We had to make a rule about (camping out)," Frances Gravely said. "There were 20 to 30 tents with groups of people in the tents the last year before we had to stop them."

While the sale is demanding for Vietri employees, most tout the event as entertaining.

"It is a lot of hard work, but it is a lot of fun at the same time," said employee Clay Beck.

In addition to paying all employees and staff, Vietri donates a percentage of gross sales to local charities. The owners also auction the first two places in the sale's line to raise donations.

Money raised this year will help Wake Med buy a transport incubator.

While the first two places in line can be bought, the rest must be earned.

Mary Ann Allred earned the next place in line when she arrived at 3 p.m. Friday after driving from Oklahoma.

The Vietri staff welcomed Allred with wine in the parking lot where she stayed in her vehicle all night, meeting her and other arrivals to share a toast.

"We have a wonderful time just visiting with everybody," Allred said.

Along with Allred, many shoppers return for more after their first sale experience.

"We do have a huge numbers of repeaters." Susan Gravely said. "It is almost like a silly cult."

But not all shoppers came willingly. Some are forced to come by their spouses.

"I'm just holding things," said Kirk Stevens of Wake Forest, whose wife dragged him to the sale. "I have no interest in this whatsoever. I have not seen a good deal yet, but what do I know?"

The City Editor can be reached

at citydesk@unc.edu.