A small-town pottery studio has been named the top craft retailer in Atlantic Canada.
King’s Point Pottery — owned by husband-and-wife team David Hayashida and Linda Yates in King’s Point, near Green Bay along the north coast of Newfoundland — was given the Outstanding Retailer Award at a gala in Halifax, N.S. on Saturday night, as part of the annual Atlantic Craft Trade Show.
“We were really excited,” Hayashida said Monday afternoon. “The people that have won in the past certainly have all been incredible places to go shopping for crafts, so just to be nominated for that was certainly fantastic, but now to join the club is a huge win for us. We’re really thrilled about that.”
Hayashida said the award will expose them to a much broader customer base.
“We’ve been in business now for over 20 years. Our customers have been making us a great Newfoundland destination. But winning this award, it certainly makes us an Atlantic Canada destination, so it really raises the profile,” he said.
King’s Point — population about 650 — is the smallest town to host the Outstanding Retailer, said Hayashida.
He noted that last year’s winner — Jennifer’s of Nova Scotia — is from a city of more than 400,000 people.
“That’s a huge difference in size,” he said. “The last time Newfoundland won this particular award, it’s been 10 years, so we really feel this is a Newfoundland win.”
The Atlantic Craft Trade Show attracts about 1,200 buyers from across Canada and the northeastern United States every year.
dmaceachern@thetelegram.com
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Way to go little sister. Congratulations to you and David on winning the Outstanding Retailer Award. Your vision and hard work is being recognized and this will only increase your visibility so that other people can visit your delightful shop and see the incredible variety of products on display.