Today we’d like to introduce you to Clay Potter.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Clay. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
We purchased our historic building in downtown Farmersville and opened the auction house in 2010. After being a master electrician for almost 30 years, I really needed a career change and auctioneering was a perfect fit. My wife Kim, our son Payton and other family members have been helping in the business since the beginning. It is very much a family run business. We have an amazing downtown building where we conduct live and online auctions. Farmersville is a wonderful town to live, work and play in, and the live auction is a great addition to making it a destination town. The vast majority of our customers come from other towns to enjoy our unique auctions. Due to so many requests, we are preparing our building to be used as an event space in between auctions. Our building has so much to offer that just can’t be found anywhere else in town. We have quite a waiting list for events and plan to be running in just a few months.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a lot of very hard work, but it has been totally worth it. We have a very good business in a great town. We have a large “auction family” of loyal customers and have new faces coming to every auction. Our biggest “real” struggle came in 2016. There was a fire in our downtown area that destroyed the three buildings next to us. We suffered major smoke, water & fire damage. We were shut down for six months. Both the lower level and the mezzanine level of the building had to be completely gutted. It was a very trying time but we had amazing support from our friends, family and our community,
After it was all said and done, the building turned out better than ever and is absolutely gorgeous inside. The struggles are usually where the good stuff comes from!
Please tell us about Clay Potter Auction & Special Events.
We are a full-time, full-service auction/liquidation company. This is not a hobby. In addition to having auctions at our auction house, we conduct off-site estate and business liquidations, fundraisers, storage auctions and even consult or do auctions for other auctioneers. We are known mostly for our entertaining, honest and fast-paced live auctions. What I am most proud of is that we run every aspect of our company with the utmost honesty & integrity. Our excellent reputation in this industry has been earned. Personal service sets us apart from others. We try to find the best solutions for what our customer really needs. Sometimes an auction is not the best solution for what they need. I love what I do for a living and I believe it shows.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Interesting question! I have lots of great childhood memories. Mostly hanging around with family and friends, trips and get-togethers, etc. But the most favorite for me is when I was 13 years old. It was Christmas of 1979 when my parents bought me a drum set. That gift changed my life more than any other present I can think of. It introduced me to a life long love of music. I have enjoyed playing music for most of my life and still play guitar, drums or bass regularly in bands, including my own band.
Contact Info:
- Address: 138 S. Main Street
Farmersville, TX 75442 - Website: www.claypotterauction.com
- Phone: 2143254430
- Email: claypotterauction@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claypotterauction/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CPAuctionGroup/
- Other: www.claypotterauction.com
Image Credit:
Kim Potter
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
