Catalina Pottery

Gladding, McBean & Co. acquired all of the assets of the company in 1937 and moved all production to its Franciscan dinnerware division in Los Angeles.

In 1927, William Wrigley, Jr. built a tile and brick pottery on a beach located near Avalon, Santa Catalina Island.

[1] This business venture had two purposes: to produce clay building products and to provide the much needed year-round employment for Island residents.

[2] In 1930, Wrigley brought artisans to the Island to design decorative and functional pottery products including souvenirs, vases, bookends and figurines.

The pottery opened free standing stores to sell their wares in Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, Hollywood, Olvera Street in Los Angeles, and in the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, Phoenix.