[3] She created her own design with a nautical flag motif[4] and painted it on unfired blanks that she fired at the Louisville Pottery Co.[5] When friends saw the design of her dishes, they were interested in purchasing dishes of their own, so Hadley created a few more at the Louisville Pottery Co.[6] With more interest and demand, the Hadleys finally purchased what became the Hadley Pottery building at 1570 Story Ave. in Louisville in October 1944 as a birthday present for Mrs.

[9] Hadley created a wide range of designs for the company, often inspired by Louisville motifs such as the fleur-de-lis.

[10] After Mary Alice Hadley died in 1965, nine painters continued to hand-paint pieces which are still signed "M.A.

[11] In 1979 Kenneth Moore bought Hadley Pottery,[11] and then in 2018 Jerry Day purchased the business and opened up a stash of over 6000 pieces which date to the period when Mary Alice Hadley was still alive.

[14] In 1952, Mary Alice Hadley received an award from the Museum of Modern Art's Good Design program[15] and her winning design, "Brown Dot" (or "Hot Brown Fleck"), was exhibited in New York and Chicago.