SIX TIPS FOR FINDING RAE DUNN POTTERY

Today I am sharing everything I know about Rae Dunn Pottery, including where to find Rae Dunn and how to start your own Rae Dunn collection.

Let’s face it. Have you ever found yourself in the parking lot in front of Homegoods at 9:25 am waiting for them to open? Have you ever followed people into TJMaxx convinced they are heading to the “white dishes aisle” too? Or have you noticed that every recycled bag you own has a TJ Maxx logo on it?

If you can answer “yes” to all three of these questions then you are truly a Rae Dunn addict.

I have no idea how Rae Dunn pottery became so popular but the buying frenzy surrounding these white pottery dishes with handwritten black letters on them reminds me a lot of the Beanie Baby craze in the late 1990’s. In both cases, women all over the country were lining up to buy a very inexpensive item that was high on demand and short in supply.

Trust me, I know all of this because I am right there with you. I love Rae Dunn Pottery. I read all of the “Rae Dunn B/S/T” group posts on Facebook and used to check the Mercari app on my iphone daily to check the prices of the “hard to find” items.

A lot of people don’t even know who Rae Dunn is. Rae Dunn is a California native and resides in the San Francisco, Bay Area. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Industrial Design and worked in graphics and fashion design for several years before discovering clay, which has now been her passion since 1994. 

Rae Dunn pottery (with the big letters) is currently sold primarily at HomeGoods, TJMaxx, and Marshalls. There are a few products on the Magenta website but most of them are Rae’s other pottery designs (not the big letter ones). The supply has been way less than the demand and unfortunately, there used to be a lot of “shelf cleaners” who travel from store to store to buy all of the product and then resell. Sadly, a lot of these “resellers” have made arrangements with the stores where they can call and have all of the items held for them. They infiltrated the stores, got to know the employees and basically were able to buy the product before everyone else. Although there is a lot of Rae Dunn pottery available for purchase, there are way more buyers than inventory.

It seems that things are changing. Apparently corporate at TJMaxx is aware of the problem and they have told stores they are no longer allowed to respond to calls about their Rae Dunn inventory and also cannot hold the Rae Dunn items for anyone. It also seems there is a bit more inventory on the shelves.

Where have I found Rae Dunn dishes and Rae Dunn mugs? TJ Maxx has been my best source for my Rae Dunn Collection. I usually shop the aisles quickly at TJ Maxx looking for new Rae Dunn items anytime I am in the store.

I have also found a lot of Rae Dunn clearance items in the stores. Be sure to check the clearance aisle because you just might find Rae Dunn on sale!

I often get asked if I use my Rae Dunn collection. Of course, I do! I love to set tables with my collection and I even wrote a blog post titled How to Set a Table with Rae Dunn.

I used my Rae Dunn for a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner.

Look at this adorable Christmas table I set with these holiday-themed Rae Dunn dishes!

I also use my canisters every single day.

If you are wondering why I have two coffee canisters, one is for regular and one is for decaf.

So far I have only been able to find one mug with my boy’s names on it. If you see a mug for Andrew and/or Matthew let me know! 

Over the years I have been really lucky and have found quite a bit of Rae Dunn dishes on the shelves (hence the photos above). But I think I have been smart about my shopping and I am happy to share my tips with you.

S I X    T I P S    F O R    F I N D I N G    R A E    D U N N

1. Follow the Rae Dunn Facebook groups so you are aware of what products are being released in the stores. That way you will know what to look for! When the flower pots first came out a lot of collectors were only looking in the dishes aisle and they missed them! When the office products were released the same thing happened.
2. Talk to the people who work at your local store. They will tell you which days and times they receive shipments. This will help you to determine the best time to shop.
3. Check for the pottery in the store aisles but check more than once. I can’t tell you how many times I have walked right past canisters and flower pots!
4. Check the merchandise carts. I have found at least half of my collection on the carts in the aisles!
5. If you are looking for mugs, be aware most stores stock them in three to four different places. Check everywhere as you just might find them where you least expect it.
6. Don’t just shop when the store opens. I have found some of my best items when stopping by a store in the afternoon. One time I happened to glance through the door to the stockroom. Sitting right there in plain view were two teapots on the shelf of an empty cart. I waited patiently and when a stock boy came out I nicely asked him if I could buy them. He happily loaded them into my cart. (In hindsight, I now realize that the two teapots were probably “on hold” for someone since they were sitting there all alone. Oh well, sorry about that!).

Good luck with shopping. I hope you don’t get frustrated if you can’t find what you are looking for. Keep trying and you just might find that RaeDunn unicorn!

I also had a personal conversation with Rae about how to take care and use her pottery.  You can find that blog post here.

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