Cabell Sweeney '95, Susan Peterson '93, Laurie Kimbell '93

A mother knows best. At least, Cabell Sweeney's mom knew when in 1997 she presented Cabell with a set of bisque and glazes that her daughter would soon begin to create unique works of art. A 1995 graduate of the University of Georgia, Cabell put her Early Childhood Education degree to work and became a second grade teacher at a local elementary school in Athens. A bride-to-be at the time, her first creation was a set of everyday dishes for her new home. After settling in to married life, Cabell began designing and producing other pottery pieces in her spare time and giving them to her loved ones as gifts. Word spread about her fanciful designs and orders for personalized pieces rolled in from family, friends and acquaintances. Cabell spent the next two years juggling her full-time elementary teaching job with her part-time pottery business by heading to school during the day and painting and firing at night.

In 2000, Cabell began showcasing her wares at local artist markets and festivals to gauge the interest level of those other than her friends and family willing to buy her products. After the Cotton Pickin' Fair in Gay, Georgia, Cabell was approached to create a line of tailgating pieces for an Auburn University campus bookstore owner. The immediate success of the Auburn line prompted Cabell to decide to leave her teaching career to pursue her dream of taking her burgeoning pottery business to the next level.

Shortly after diving full-time into pottery, Cabell met her business partner Susan Peterson, through work the two of them do for an organization called Young Life. A Georgia graduate herself in Banking and Finance, Susan had more in common with Cabell than the two realized. Cabell ended up painting a thank you gift for the Petersons, a plate depicting the UGA logo with Bulldawg sentiments only a true fan would recognize, painted around the edge. Susan loved the gift and knew her die hard Dawg friends would love Cabell's work as much as she did. It was at that point that Cabell and Susan began brainstorming about how they could get Cabell's creations into homes across America.

Cabell's Pottery officially made its debut as an LLC in 2003, with initial offerings in its collegiate line of pieces for Auburn University, The University of Alabama, The University of Georgia, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Florida State University. Other designs included baby and wedding gifts, family platters and lines of tableware. That year also marked Cabell's first appearance at the Atlanta Merchandise Mart's international gift show, where she sold out midway through the weeklong show.

After realizing that demand outweighed production capabilities, Cabell and Susan partnered with a manufacturer, Magnolia Lane, to produce the collegiate line and other pieces under the brand Cabell's Too, while still producing a line of personalized pieces in their Roswell, Georgia studio.

In 2006, Cabell's decided to broaden its product portfolio by letting go of the personalization end of the business altogether and concentrating on designing for the home décor and gift industries. Another UGA Alum, Laurie Kimbell, joined the Cabell's team as the Director of Marketing and Promotions. With an eye towards product development and unique designs, Cabell's is looking forward to creating fun tailgating wares for years to come. Go Dawgs!