This past Saturday I sat with another creative and explained how I run the honour store system on highway 16 between Dafoe and Wynyard. I was at a pop up market and their comment was "but how can you trust people to not steal from you?" I responded like I normally do with "Would you steal from me?" and of course they said "NO". I said people are good and if given the opportunity to be trusted will show you how they can be trusted. As we sat there an etransfer came through by someone shopping at the highway store.
Since 2013, I have been operating my highway store on the honour system because it allows me to be open all the time and not have to man the store. If I am free I will go out and visit with the travellers stopping, but not because I don't trust them but because I love to meet new people. When COVID-19 hit the highway store became made for distance shopping, honour system experiment. My store became a destination and has worked incredibly well as an honour system. I know many like to make the artist, but there are so many that love the experience of shopping and being trusted. I try to balance the needs of shoppers and my need to continue to create.
The above interview was from this past fall with https://www.awarenessties.us/the-magazine.html . I was interviewed by Allie McGuire who is an incredible human who brings stories to life. If you love hearing interesting positive human interest stories check her out! I was honoured to have heard her speak and blown away when I got interviewed.
Also 2013, I created a Blue Sky Inventory. What did I want to create in my life if the sky was the limit, no money or time constraints. That list had nine things on it and one of the items was to do something for Saskatchewan Tourism. You see I love travelling, but I also love my province of Saskatchewan and always want to promote it. A year ago I applied to take my tourism game up a notch and create a tourism experience called Elemental Claycation. The highway store had proved to be a destination for travels in Saskatchewan, but I wanted to create something that involved my teaching passion, my love of my pottery, and my heritage house that everyone admires. Thank you goes to Tourism Saskatchewan on supporting my vision, my passion and my idea in so many ways.
Elemental Claycation has become my second "thing" for my something for Tourism Saskatchewan. The house I live in was a B&B and Guest House ran by my parents for over ten years and now through my newest offering has its foot back into accommodation sector in Saskatchewan. When you book in Elemental Claycation you will get to experience the view from the thrid floor attic, while sleeping up there. You will enoy exploring the house on the weekend, while exploring your creativity in the pottery studio. There are a couple of spots open for the January women's only retreat and a couple spots open for the January Male's only retreat. Yes the claycation is good for anyone wanting to learn to create using clay, but with the shared accommodation I set up two retreats in January so that each gender doesn't have to mix when they don't know each other.
Dates for Elemental Claycation is posted on my website from March 2024 to December 2024. I recognize that these dates are far away to book and pay for the whole experience. As I operate the highway store on the honour system, I want to offer up that if anyone is looking at dates done the line on the calendar you can pay in installments leading up to the actual claycation. When you go to book on my website for the dates you can pay full amount using credit card or you can choose pay offline. By choosing offine we can set up a way so that you can make various payments so that you don't loose the date you and your group want to come to.
So as I reflect on the past ten years of running Freba Pottery here on my family farm I am proud to say that I brought goals to life in ways that ten years ago wasn't even in my wheel house. I hoped that my highway store would work on the honour system, without thinking it could be a destination. I hoped that someday I could host in my heritage house like my parents did when running as a B&B, but had no idea that I would create what I have created. So I did create a new Blue Sky Inventory for the next ten years or so. It is incredible to be able to be taking my passion and making it happen!!!
Marea Olafson
Freba Pottery
I absolutely LOVE this - in the world we live in trust is something that is lacking. Kudos to you for breaking through the noise and creating something AH-MAZE-ING !!