By Heather Posey
Staff Writer
Pottery is going to the dogs at 3 Chihuahuas, a local pottery store owned by designer and artist Daniel Napoles. Started as a way of bringing the art of his native country Mexico to the California Heights area, 3 Chihuahuas has become one of Long Beach’s many diamonds in the rough.
Born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, Napoles grew up watching his own family members handcrafting pottery and constructing their own crafts. When he decided to make his move to the United States, he looked to his culture as inspiration and creative outlet.
“It was my family members who started it and made the pottery. But one day I just thought ‘why not make a business out of it,'” he said.
So with a dream and his three dogs in tow, he put down his roots at his Walnut Avenue location, inside the storage facility Metro Self Storage.
“It adds a sort of different variety to the place and, once people saw the pottery we had, there was a lot of demand for it,” said storage manager Matt Caillier. “It’s become a one-stop shop.”
From small jars to large garden pots and vases, Napoles draws up the designs himself then travels to and from Mexico where employees fashion custom molds to create pots for him to sell, something he feels adds to the appeal of his products.
“I buy the pottery from Mexico because I find a fascination and interest in seeing the people work with their hands,” said Napoles. “I also feel like hiring them is in a way helping the Mexican economy.”
Napoles also adds to each piece of pottery by painting and mixing colors, giving it a personal touch.
“I do customized painting that you won’t get anywhere else,” he said. “Any person that has pottery from here gets a unique piece of art.”
Prices for pottery range from $5 to $300, depending on size and style. 3 Chihuahuas Pottery is located at 3267 Walnut Avenue in Long Beach.
For more information, call (562) 989-2399.
