An artist and businessman join forces to create a successful craft business.
Stephen Pearce Pottery have shops located in the East Cork village of Shanagarry and the Kildare town of Naas.
There's hardly a town in Ireland that doesn't have its own pottery shop.
Stephen Pearce learned the craft of throwing a pot on his father's pottery wheel and claims to be the only second generation potter at work in the country. Turning clay into pots is one thing but how does Stephen make a living. Modern technology can improve production but the question is will it sell. Stephen's business partner Jim Canning takes care of the marketing and sales side of the business and the unlikely combination of artist and businessman has proven to be a winner.
Together they have turned this Cork warehouse into a showcase for Stephen's pottery.
The unlikely partnership happened when Stephen told Jim he was finding it challenging to sell his pottery. Jim had a shop in Naas and they started selling Stephen's pottery from there. They borrowed the money to get started. Stephen says their partnerships is like marriage, one based on fun and trust and a 50/50 breakdown in profits. Jim has a different view of the partnership describing it more as "an affair". Stephen says he has known Jim since he was six years of age and he has always had a head for business describing him as "a financial artist".
The way Jim twists, tangles and changes the shape of money and numbers, it's unbelievable.
While they are gushing in praise of each other, they don't always agree on everything but always find a compromise. The two shops, in Naas and Shanagarry, have been very successful and Jim expects that turnover in the next 12 months will reach a million pounds. They also have plans to expand the business by opening two more shops in the next 12 months. They also have plans to expand the business internationally.
This episode of 'Evening Extra' was broadcast on 21 October 1987. The reporter is Kevin Linehan.
'Evening Extra' was a nightly magazine programme which ran from Monday to Friday at 7 pm dealing with current issues and people in the news. The first episode was aired on Monday 13 October 1986 and it ran for 278 shows over 2 years until the final show on 29 April 1988. The programme had numerous presenters and reporters including Siobhan Cleary, Richard Crowley, Bibi Baskin, Aonghus McAnally and Shay Healy.
