Sheepscot River Pottery site heads to auction with owner seeking new workshop
03 Nov, 2026 - Tranzon Auction Properties
As seen on MaineBiz
BY LAURIE SCHREIBER
Rather than go the route of listing with a commercial brokerage firm, family-owned Sheepscot River Pottery in the Lincoln County town of Edgecomb is using the auction process to sell its real estate on a fixed timeline.
Tranzon Auction Properties will offer 34 U.S. Route 1 in Edgecomb, the longtime home of Sheepscot River Pottery, at an online auction in December.
“The seller isn’t distressed. It’s a healthy family business using auction to right-size its real estate on a fixed timeline, which is a trend we’re seeing more of with owners consolidating and planning ahead,” Mike Carey, Tranzon’s co-CEO, told Mainebiz in an email.
Second-generation
Sheepscot River Pottery was started in 1974 by John Okie out of the back of a pickup truck. The first brochure dates to 1975, when the location was on Main Street in Wiscasset.
Okie and his wife Karen moved the business across the bridge to Edgecomb in 1989, and expanded to a retail store at 115 Main St. in Damariscotta in 1995.
Today the business is owned and operated by their daughter, Rylan Okie Rankin. The porcelain clay pottery is handcrafted and hand-painted in-house by artisans, many of whom have been with Sheepscot for over years. Custom glazes are made from recipes, some of which date back to 1974.
Sale process
Carey said his auction house is seeing more sellers of healthy businesses use the auction strategy.
“We are seeing many owners right-sizing, consolidating and planning ahead,” Carey said. “Auction gives them a clean, transparent way to sell an asset they no longer need, on a set timeline, with a committed closing date.”
He added, “The Okie family is a good example of an owner taking control of the process instead of waiting on it.”
Similarly, Tranzon teamed up with Fletcher Group at Keller Williams Realty several years ago to sell five properties for clients, none of whom were in financial distress but all looking for a quick disposition.
An unrelated pottery firm, Edgecomb Potters, said in June it planned to streamline the business by selling its production site while retaining retail sites. The business dates to 1976 and is also in second-generation ownership.
New studio options
Sheepscot River Pottery’s decision to sell the multifunctional Edgecomb building, which has supported both the creative and business sides of the business, is about ensuring the business’s future, as the family finalizes new studio options and utilizes their Damariscotta store as the primary retail location, said Rylan Okie.
The Edgecomb studio will produce pottery orders and will continue to operate until a sale is finalized.
“As we look toward the future, we’re making thoughtful decisions that allow us to continue doing what we love while preserving the legacy my parents started,” said Okie. “This isn’t goodbye. It’s simply the beginning of a new chapter.”
The one-acre site comes with 115 feet on Cod Cove, 4,100 square feet of retail and 4,800 square feet of light industrial space, on a Route 1 stretch that sees about 15,750 vehicles per day, according to Maine Department of Transportation’s 2024 traffic count.
The property is marketed as offering an opportunity for an entrepreneur, family business, artisan or investor, with potential uses that could include retail, artisan workshops, production space, food and beverage, hospitality or a combination, subject to approvals.
Bidding is scheduled to take place from Dec. 3-10. Property tours are available by appointment. For more information, visit Tranzon’s website and enter property No. AP26070.