Six years ago in 2012, I was frantically preparing to open a “Holiday Store” in the largest mall in the Northwest US – in Tukwila, Washington (a suburb of Seattle, sort of near the airport). I had run some numbers and was convinced that the margins allowed for factory direct ...
Read more![Plate size – What’s in your Cupboard?](http://gringocool.com/cdn/shop/articles/terracotta_plates-3sizes-img_0640-lab_10x.jpg?v=1550739209)
Straight up? This is a post about the importance of plate size. In the States, the average dinner plate size has increased by a third since 1960 – from 9 inches to 12 inches. Bigger plates encourage larger portions and the consumption of more calories. In 1961, the average...
Read moreThis is a real problem. There is a large population of artisans in Spain that produce beautiful, top quality ceramics. There are no regulations in the Spain that require a product to carry a label on where it is made. For example, in the U.S., you can pick up a piece of tab...
Read more![Sevillan Artist David Noalia – Paintings on Form Wood (July 2015)](http://gringocool.com/cdn/shop/articles/IMG_7782_10x.jpg?v=1641330464)
I think for most people, it is hard to describe what you like about a painting. I have always found it hard to express more than a couple of sentences. Usually I say something...
Read more![Botijos, Huchas, Jarras, Jarros and Beautiful Ani](http://gringocool.com/cdn/shop/articles/Ani_10x.jpg?v=1550745768)
Botijos, pronounced …bo- TEE-hoes …. are Spanish, earthenware water jugs. For centuries, the Spanish botijos provided cool drinking water even during the hottest days (still do in fact). The shape of the botijo along with the porous clay used to make it, allow the jug to “swea...
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