ABOUT THE KRACKED POT LLC

William and Thad Aley

Our paths first crossed in the

Summer of 2003, but our adventure

through life together did not begin until

the afternoon of September 7th that year at

the Gay Rodeo in Gaithersburg, MD.

We have been through a lot of ups and  downs during this adventure, but have chosen to

enjoy the ride together and made it legal on January 6, 2013.

The Kracked Pot was created out of a dream of William's to own a little tea shop and garden nursery, and having a place to sell his pottery as well.  The name is taken from the India fable of the Water Bearer and how out of ones flaws beauty can be created.  The concept of a

cracked vessel ties in with massage work, pottery, and our dreams very well.

As our lives came together and the

acquisition of some old family land led us

to Eastern North Carolina, the dream has evolved several times and has now become

The Kracked Pot, LLC; which was founded in Washington, NC in 2017.

Our home in the Historic Business District

of Downtown Washington, NC has become

a great spot for the Massage Studio,

Pottery Studio, and hosting guests

rental through AirBnB. 

So, don't hesitate to contact us

if you are ever in the area!

There are no strangers,

just friends we have not met yet.

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck.  One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.  For a full two years, this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master’s house.  Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made.  But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.  After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.  “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you”.  The bearer asked, “Why? What are you ashamed of?”  The Pot replied, “For these past two years I am able to deliver only half of my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house.  Because of my flaws, you don’t get full value for your efforts”.  The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion, he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”  As they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it somewhat.  But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.  The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side?  That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it.  I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them.  For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws.  We’re all cracked pots.  In this world, nothing goes to waste.  You may think like the cracked pot that you are inefficient or useless in certain areas of your life, but somehow these flaws can turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

The dream is still alive and evolves with time, and as situations change.

We have hopes of selling homemade jams and cheeses one day soon.  We have planted about 20 Camellia Tea Bushes and 6 Yaupon Bushes around the property in hopes to start

processing some locally grown tea in

about 2-3 years.

Plus, we always have our eyes open for

that perfect little shop downtown to

make ours one day, but until then we

are happy offering pottery for sale

on the Online Store, at the TKP

Pottery Studio, during your stay at

The Kracked Pot AirBnB.

Never let your dreams die, just re-invent

them when life changes direction!