Like the season’s first snowfall, the annual winter sale at Motawi Tileworks is a harbinger of the coming holidays.

Between 100 and 150 people lineup the first Saturday in December - some braving the cold for up to an hour - to be one of the first through the doors and have a shot at the studio’s deeply discounted seconds and overruns. This year’s sale is Saturday.

The December sale has become a Motawi tradition since Nawal and Karim Motawi founded the company in their family’s garage on Packard Street in Ann Arbor in 1992.

Back then, they piggybacked on the Washtenaw Council for the Arts Art Days event. While Art Days didn’t last, the Motawi sale did. “It was successful, so we kept doing it,” said Nawal Motawi, who now owns the company on her own.

The sale has become so successful that they shortened the closing time from 5 to 3 p.m. because the shelves are emptied. The sale begins at 10 a.m.

A few years ago, Motawi decided to also offer first-quality gift tiles at a 25 percent discount for the day. The sale does not cover special orders.

“You can’t get a fireplace 25 percent off,” Motawi said.

About 10 years ago, Motawi Tileworks added a second sale day in June. “We had a lot of seconds and we wanted to move them out more often,” Motawi said. Customers begin lining up for that sale two hours before doors open.

Today, the tile making process has been perfected and there are fewer tiles with defects, Motawi said. Also, the studio sells the seconds year-round, which has reduced the number available at the winter and summer sales. But they now have added overruns, tiles that were ordered for a project but not used.

While it’s a good day to grab a discounted tile, it’s also an important day for the company, Motawi said. About 5 percent of the studio’s annual revenue comes from the two sale days, with December being the bigger generator.

The sale will also include studio tours, tile making demonstrations and a make-a-tile workshop.

December is a big month for Motawi Tileworks, which recently launched its first line of vases. There will be a reception Dec. 9 for the opening of an exhibition of Motawi Tileworks at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. at the museum, 13624 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn and is free and open to the public.