I really wanted to support this business, especially since it promotes arts for children, something I truly value as an artist. However, my recent experience was deeply disappointing. If I could post negative 5 stars, I would.
I made several attempts to book my daughter's party at a specific location (seems they have a bunch), and even received an email directly from the CEO asking if I had been contacted to complete the booking. Despite all my efforts and follow-ups, I still didn't receive clear communication or a confirmed booking without calling multiple times which was frustrating. It should have been a red flag, but I moved forward, hoping the event would go smoothly once I had my reservation. I'd like to mention at this time that on the booking call I finally was able to make I specifically asked when I would need to let the business know the final head count. I was told it was not necessary to call back, that the count didn't matter. Confused but went with it.
On the day of the party, I arrived about 30 minutes early to find that the location was essentially closing down, with a sign at the entrance indicating it was the last day of business. This was never disclosed to me beforehand, on any of the calls or emails. The space was disorganized, with tables and chairs piled in the corner and shelves half-empty. Despite this, I did my best to make it work as my child's party was about to begin and I didn't have much of a choice.
As guests arrived, I had to direct them to their seats, ask the host about available plaster pieces, and essentially guide everyone through the process. While I expected to greet my guests, I did not anticipate having to manage the entire event. After about 20 minutes into the 90-minute party, most of the children had already finished their plaster pieces. I had to interrupt the host, who was on her phone, to ask when the face painting (which was included in the package) would begin. Unfortunately, the face painting took a long time and was subpar, leading to restless and unruly waiting children.
To make matters worse, I had to interrupt the host again to ask when the food would be arriving, as pizza was supposed to be included in the party package. Over an hour into the event, the pizza still hadn't arrived. Eventually, I noticed a delivery person circling the mall with the pizza, and I had to get the host to flag them down to confirm it was ours. Two pizzas were delivered, but it wasn't nearly enough for all the guests. Let's go back to when I asked about that head count... I purposely arrived early to setup my balloons, carry in the goody bags, cake, etc and as soon as I arrived, I made sure to mention the final guest count. As pizza doesn't take 2 hours to make, and they insisted no head count was necessary, I assumed it would be ordered that morning. Silly me... after finding out only 2 pies were orders I even offered to pay extra for more pizza, but was told it was too late to adjust the order.
When the pizza arrived, the host placed it on a back table, left it there, and returned to sitting at the front without acknowledging me, or anyone for that matter. Ten minutes later, I had to ask where the plates, napkins, and drinks were, and was told to help myself by going into the employee area. The drinks were warm, and I was left to clear the tables to make room for everyone to eat. Given the amount of money I paid for the event, I was extremely disappointed with the level of service and felt as though I was hosting my own party at an overpriced venue.
Finally, the last 5 minutes of the party, the host finally brought the painted pieces into the back, still wet, and said she sprayed them with a clear finishing coat. My guests all had to leave with tacky painted pieces. I guess with the place closing, they couldn't be glazed or fired properly for later pickup - or maybe they don't actually do that anyway, I am not sure.
A week later, I was still quite upset with the overall experience. I reached out to the CEO directly to share my concerns and seek a resolution, hoping for something like a small discount or at least an apology. Unfortunately, I didn't receive any response for 2 weeks. So I followed up, as I felt it was the right thing to do to try to allow this company to fix the issue before leaving a negative review. The response I got was unprofessional and dismissive - I was offered a return visit to a different location, to which I respectfully declined given everything that had happened.
A kind answer would of went a long way but again ignored. I followed up one last time to see if anything further could be done and instead was met with threats that they would be contacting their lawyers because I stated that I hoped to resolve this without going and leaving this public review.
I'm sharing my experience now to warn other parents: I do NOT recommend this business for anything, and I would advise against booking a party at any of their locations. read more
