fiestaware pilgrimage

there is something about fiestaware that i love.  is it the colors?  they sure are pretty.  is it the feel of the stoneware?  it has a nice weight to it.  the fact that i can put it in the oven, dishwasher and microwave in one day?  that is pretty awesome.  or is it because it’s made in the USA?  that’s a definite plus.

i’ll consider all of those reasons the reason why i love fiestaware.  i will admit, i never owned a piece of fiestaware.  i envy the collection of many while i eat off of my drab blue ikea dishes.  now i’m not knocking those dishes, i have a lot of memories and delicious meals that were served up on those plates.  but it’s time to move up from the college-ware and into something more… mature.  maybe it’s an excuse to spend money, too, but what it comes down to is that i need some new plates and i need them now.

while some people may grumble about south-western PA, i find it to be a foodies haven.  not only do you have a vast array of places to pick from to wine and dine, you have the fiestaware AND all clad factories within an hours drive from the city.  and to make it even sweeter, they have at least one sale a year when their products are d.i.r.t. c.h.e.a.p.  i don’t mind a blemish or two (that’s why you gotta check before you buy!) because food will be on the plate or pan and will cover it up anyway.  i don’t care!

fiestaware had their bi-annual tent sale at their factory in Newell, WV June 24-26.  i am green with envy when it comes to fiestaware so i started a game plan.  i asked a few coworkers of mine about their experiences at the tent sale and i took that knowledge with me to the tent.  we left pittsburgh at 4am and got there in an hour.  we got in line and waited until 7am when they started to pass out tickets to get into the tent.  we were 89, 90 and 91.  not bad!  we then went to a diner down the street and had a greasy, messy and oh-so-delicious meal of eggs over biscuits, smothered with sausage gravy.  served on fiestaware, of course.  we got back to the tent sale in number order around 9am to wait for them to start letting us in at 10am.  we were the second wave of people allowed in the tent, so at about 10:30am we were let in to the madness.  we had socks on our hands and crates on wheels, wiping away water and dust making sure we didn’t grab a broken plate.  after about an hour of finding the things we wanted we checked out.  Sweaty, smelly and boxes full of fiestaware, we packed up my car and drove home.  the only regret we have is not stopping into the outlet store but that will be next time.

for my first tent sale, i think i did a pretty good job.  i got myself enough for a serving of 8 with a few serving and mixing bowls to boot.  you WILL see me back there in october – i will be adding plum to the color scheme.  and anything else that’s an impulse buy.