Came here on Saturday 5/20 around 2:30pm with a friend for some relaxing afternoon painting. I appreciate All Fired Up because it's one of a few places in the Bay Area that offers this type of activity and doesn't require reservations/pre-booking.
All in all, we had an okay time. All Fired Up has a decent selection of items to choose from for your painting, and the prices are written on the bottom.
Once you choose your piece, you get to pick up to 6 colors (unlimited refills) and start painting.
The thing I disliked most about our experience at All Fired Up was the service. When we went, there were 2 staff members working at the store. No one greeted us when we walked in or explained how things worked. We started ourselves by perusing the shelves to decide what we wanted to paint. After we picked, we had to walk up to the 2 employees (who were busy on their phones) and ask what to do next. That's when they told us we could pick 6 colors for our painting.
After we picked 6 colors, again, there was zero instruction. We seated ourselves, grabbed some paintbrushes that were already on the table, and just began. My friend noticed there were some additional paints on a side table and asked if we could use those as well. The answer was yes, those did not count in the 6 color limit, and that they were for fine details/writing.
We sat and quietly painted ourselves for about an hour. At a few points, we needed refills for our paint, and one of the employees told us to just grab the bottles and refill our paint ourselves.
When we finished, we again had to walk to find an employee and ask what came next. That's when she told us to clean our own paintbrushes and swatches in the sink.
I then asked where we should leave our pieces and what the next steps were, and she explained that we could come back after 1 week to pick up our glazed pieces. My friend asked if we could get a text to know when our pieces were ready, and the employee said "no, just come back in 1 week."
All in all, we paid around $80 for 2 pieces, as there's a $9/person painting fee added as well. We were also asked to tip, which I didn't feel great about. Keep in mind, the store was not busy at all for the several hours we were in there.
There are a number of small things the employees here could do to facilitate a more welcoming experience, such as offering to give a quick rundown of the process, suggesting which brushes/colors to use, letting us know about the glazing process, etc.
Overall, if you're looking for a casual activity and would like to be left alone to do your own thing for a bit, All Fired Up might be a nice option for you. But if you're looking for some instruction or guidance, this won't be the best place. read more