I just had an upsetting run in with a very rude employee at this establishment. Grey hair, straight with glasses. Seamed unhappy before we even started chatting. I went into pick up my art and she told me it was donated to charity. I had missed the 30 day pick up policy and when I asked why no one called she pointed to a sign on her counter (yes pointed) and said we don't call. Wow I was part of a large party who went for the first time together in December. None of us were informed of a 30 day pick up policy or told our items would be donated if we miss the window and they won't call us. She actually told me to take it up with the group organizer. When I called him he was like, I didn't know about a 30 policy. Yep! Wow again! I feel like they stole my money and my art. I was two weeks over the policy I never heard about. When she looked up my group on the computer she read, oh the lotus tile. She knew! I said where did it go? She said they donate to charities around town. What charity? She said she doesn't have to tell me. I'm thinkn I could go buy it back but she refused to even get up and look for it or tell me what happened to it. Why? Because she knew what happened her get lips were sealed. ? Maybe ? We came in at chaos Xmas. Spent many many hundreds of dollars. I've gone two other times to pick this up and they were closed. I work in Portland. I've been sick for over two weeks and my 30 days were up 15 days ago. Surely you see how much money our party spent. Why no courtesy call to let the group organizer know there was one item still at the shop. You do want return customers. What a terrible taste left in mouth. At minimum the day before you donate it, CALL! Is this even legal. If it's donated where it can be sold idk. I never signed anything saying they could sell my art? Where is it or did it break? And if a charity has it on display somewhere then let me see if they have and offer to give them a financial donation instead. I mean this is nuts. She was so rude and unfriendly. If the store manager reaches out and they can help me track this down I will donate money to the charity for sure. I'm sure they would rather have money than a tile I painted. It was my first time painting. This was about creating memories and not do I have one. I just got done telling my large party what happened to me and they can't believe it. I will take this review down if I have a good experience with the store manager when she follows up with me please! Please call me please. I don't know of any retailer that has that short of a pick up policy during the holidays especially since they were closed several days around Xmas. This is ridiculous. I paid to make art and then they took my money and my art. Nuts! So disappointing! Wendy S 503-317-8350 read more

Such a great spot for a solo, friend, or family date! Super spacious and kind staff. Nice environment to spend an afternoon in! Prices are very reasonable! read more

Create A Memory - Summer Camps Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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It was great! Lots of space and different items to make textures and sparkles. Went with a big party and they had plenty of room for us

There a family owned company kind, caring, amazing! They make sure you have the best experience! They appreciate there customers!! read more

The customer service I feel like use to be better. don't get me wrong we love being able to come and paint. it's something fun to do with teenagers. however we went last night and the person we got was very over bearing and then scolded one of my teens for grabbing extra brushes off a vacant table. maybe give more then 1 thing of brushes to 4 people? She was ready to stand there and talk and over explain the water bowl but didn't give attention to maybe asking if we could use extra brushes.... found it odd and honestly off putting. Thought it was a place for creativity and then we got the vibe that maybe we shouldn't even get up out of our chair. felt rigid and uncomfortable. That was the first time it felt that way so maybe that person was new or just wasn't great for our group. read more

Went on March 2nd and paid to have my order shipped which I was told it would ship in 1wk I called 3 weeks later to be told she's short handed and very busy but would ship it that day. I get your busy but don't charge $15 for shipping if your to busy to ship. I received my order and very disappointed that I received it not looking how I left it painted. The texture that was left in the ears seems to have melted and ran down the ears and a big purple spot appears on the back of the ear when I never even used purple. We did have fun while there but will not return. read more

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The woman who helped us, I think it was the owner, was abrasive and rude. We won't be back.

Our family has always liked this place to come and do an activity together. My daughter wanted to do this again for her birthday so I made reservations with a deposit. We were informed when we got there that there had been some changes and they are no longer using water to wipe down the pottery first. That's all that was said. During our stay there the older lady with the long grey hair was very rude to our table and I noticed her rudeness to other families coming in. Very unprofessional and uncomfortable. It seemed like she'd only come to our table to "scold" us for bringing things to our table and take them away. As we were finishing up, they started cleaning our table so the others started moving away from the table to move out of the way. As I was getting my things I hear the lady from behind the counter yell my name across the room and say "you all still have to pay your bill and can't just leave!!" It was so embarrassing that she just yelled that across the room and everyone looked. Like my family was trying to skip out on the bill but was just moving out of the way. And my depostit was also forgotten about and had to credit me back. All completely uncalled for! The younger girls that were there today were great!! Very helpful and nice. The other 2 need to brush up on customer service and treat their customers better. read more

The lady at this place was so rude on the phone that I decided not to patronize this business. I had called just to verify they would be open the next day and her response was, "No we are not! We won't be open for a week!" She said it angrily, like it gave her some satisfaction to tell me that. Surprised and caught flat-footed, I broke the awkward silence by asking why they would be closed for so long, and she said, "Because I'm taking a vacation!" After we hung up, I thought... do I really want to take my daughter to a place like this? So I looked at the reviews and found this is the way they are. I remembered the friend who told me about this place had made some off-hand comment that "they aren't very friendly or polite, but it's fun..." Listen, I understand everyone works hard and can get sick of the daily grind, but you can't run a successful business treating your customers (and even potential customers) like a scolded dog. We'll find another activity for the day. read more

We definitely "Created a Memory". A really bad memory for me and my family. The staff working the register humiliated my family in front of a room full of people. We had just selected our ornaments to paint when the staff asked if we made reservations. I explained that we waited at the front to be seated when we saw the sign that's says grab your trays and find a spot to sit. After she realized that I had told my family to return the ornaments and we were leaving, she tried to justify that we can keep the table we were at as the others found another table. I explained to her that her tone and the way she had approached us was unwarranted. I asked her to look around the room as we were the only colored people in there. New customers walking in and finding tables were not treated the way we were. Since there are no zero stars allowed, they get a lousy one-star that they don't even deserve! read more

Create A Memory - Sign in front of the store - Summer Camps Near Me - Salem, Oregon

I've been coming down to Create-a-Memory for at least 20 years. My daughter and I have made many memorable pieces there through the years. I recently took my husband for the first time last week and he loved. They are the nicest people and everyone is so helpful. I highly recommend to everyone! read more

I love art it's amazing for self care! Wish I was treated better by the owner. I do like the guy who works here. He's super helpful, and really nice. I was kind of lost at first not knowing what all this place offers as far as utensils and stained glass. I am interested in learning more about it. As soon as I asked the older gal she turned me down and didn't offer any additional information. I wasn't real impressed by the response I got from her. Just flat out No. Not sure if she is always like that, or what. Either way, it just rubs me the wrong way and doesn't come across professional or nice. The place is okay to pass time and work on painting pottery. read more

Went for my daughters birthday party relatively inexpensive and everyone had a good time

Good place for doing art, especially with kids. the staff has pretty poor customer service. I've been there twice, and the main guy at the back desk is weirdly intense and is just an ass. similar to the older woman that I saw on the second visit. read more

I love this place. They have a great selection of pottery to paint and they go over all the instructions when you come in. There may be a small wait. We waited 15-20 minutes but we spent that picking out our pottery. Helpful and friendly staff who are trying to help multiple people at once. I highly recommend this place for people of any age!! read more

Create A Memory - painting our chosen pottery - Summer Camps Near Me - Salem, Oregon

If I could give this place more stars I would. Im personally offended by these other reviews saying the owner is rude. Not only have I experienced nothing but kindness and friendly people every time, the owner herself actually went FAR above and beyond as a genuinely good human. My 16 year old lost her favorite ring that meant the world to her. We retraced our steps and checked every store we went into with no luck. My daughter tried half heartedly searching the garbage (she is a germaphobe) the owner stopped what she was doing and paper towel by paper towel went through the trash and found it! Who does that?? We were so extremely thankful! There must have been some miscommunication between the one star reviewers because this woman doesn't have a rude bone in her body. This place has a very positive vibe, there is no sitting fee, you only pay for your pottery piece, it's clean AND the music was The BEST! It took me back to my high school days, I had to try hard not to let myself sing along out loud. Our family literally made great memories here. So thankful! read more

Phenomenal place to do art. We did it with our 8 year old grand child. All supplies brought to table and cleaned up for you. They help us with ideas and taught us how to stamp, draw, erase, touch up and such. Great price for the value! Entire team of employees was so helpful and encouraging. I really liked meeting the deaf employee and getting the chance to use my sign language. Thanks so much!!!! read more

I only came to Create a Memory because my girlfriend wanted to go. I took her for her birthday; I had no idea what I was going to do. I always though painting pottery was kind of girly! I WAS WAY WRONG! The proprietor Ann is friendly and very helpful. John her son is very creative and makes wonderful pieces. Dwain is Ann spouse and he is funny and can answer just about any question you might have. They are willing to help you out with anything. Enough about the staff. They have projects from $5 up to $200. There is no limit on what you can paint or how you paint it. Ann is opened minded and she won't hinder your creative process. If you can't finish your project they will keep it safe until you return. You pay for the project not the time. You can work on projects for weeks or mouths. The atmosphere is wide open with many tables to work at. They even have a computer so you can look for ideas or pictures. They have drinks available for purchase (Not alcohol). The whole place is kid friendly and wheel chair accessible. They are located below a parking structure, so you won't have a problem find a parking spot. So I said that painting pottery was just for women, well I was right. You can paint sport team logos, guns, bands. There is NO LIMITS!! Plus you bring your girl in and she will love you long time. :) Create a Memory is great for kids, families, friends, groups and parties. To top it off there is NO CLEAN UP. Just paint, pay and leave. Come back a few days later and you project is done. read more

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Had a fantastic time here! Great fun, great staff, and compared to the last place I tried, pretty great prices! I will be going back for sure! P.S. I also liked that they had stencils, stamps, and idea books to help you along. read more

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I have a lot of e pertinence painting ceramics. The shops are all the same to me. Until now. I was on vacation visiting a friend in Salem Oregon and we went to paint at Create a Memory. Oh my goodness. The tables were set up. Choice of brushes on the table, your water and sponge ready. They have an artist spinner to put your item on and spin it without having to touch it. Jon, the owner is amazing. He makes suggestions, compliments your work. Helps if you ask and can anticipate your needs. I was traveling home and my friend was going to mail my projects. She went to get them, took pics, Jon then bubble wrapped and packed my projects for shipping at no charge. Geez. Really? I am so Impressed. If you love to paint and you're in Salem? Go to Create A Memory and ask for Jon! You will LOVE it! Thanks Jon! read more

So cute! Great date and friends night place to kill a afternoon. You can just sit for hours and paint. Though the kids are really annoying, it comes with the Territory of family friendly establishments. read more

I have been twice. Both were excellent experiences. One was a kid's birthday party, the other was a relaxing morning with my friend to paint mugs for each other. The staff are helpful. They show you what you need and answer any questions. There is a wide variety of items to paint. It has a relaxing atmosphere to relax and create a custom mug, bowl, or trinket. read more

Absolutely wonderful. Fun to be creative, great for kids, but definitely time consuming to get all the proper coats of paint. If you are stuck just ask questions and they are happy to help. Loved the examples all along the walls too. Each piece is priced out according to the ceramic size, and presumably what supplies will be used. (That price includes all expenses from paint to kiln firing.) the colors sorry darker than when painted and you always want to layer dark over light when there are multiple colors. They have a drying rack to speed up the process a little. For hand prints of little ones they are happy to help and makes a super sweet keep sake. read more

Woweeee.... what a fun bargain! I happened upon this place one night while out on the town and vowed to return during business hours with the family sometime soon. Then spring break happened and I thought, "What the heck--let's go!". I checked out the website and, finding very little information, called and asked if I needed an appointment. I was told no, and we headed out. I expected to find the place crowded but I didn't. I think that the lack of publicity has caused this place to remain hidden--so I hope this helps get the word out. The interior is bright and cheerful, and there is no shortage of ceramics to choose from. Prices range from $10-$65 and the price of the item includes all materials to decorate it and kiln firing. For what it's worth--I chose a crab bowl and gave him a handle bar mustache. We were helped immediately by one of the owners and he ave us very clear and detailed instructions on how to best tackle our ceramics. Even if he didn't help, though, I bet we could have figured it our ourselves, considering that everything is laid out well and easy to locate. In addition to the ceramics they offer glass fusing. This is by appointment only, however, so plan ahead. Price for this class is only $25. I will definitely be attending one of these. If you have kids you have to come here. Hours of creativity await! read more

Had been looking forward to coming in on my husbands day off for a date. Walked in was greeted in friendly manner was asked where we wanted to sit. Told the staff we had not been in before. She looked at me blankly and then my husband came in. Trying to get our where with all in the table scheme seemed to piss her off. Instead of recommending a table as I said we'd maybe like to sit close to supplies she made the situation tense. I asked her if the glazes were dishwasher safe and was met with snarky response of yes that there were like I was stupid. My husband and I and looked at each other and decided we'd rather not spend our date time or money with rude staff. I'm sure this is an old joke, but we be created a memory and won't be back. Too bad, I think this is a cool idea and was hoping to scope out a party place location for our kids birthday but never mind. read more

This place is great for everyone! My nephew and nieces want to go here every time they come to visit! And I love this place as well as my parents. A nice place to go relax and create a wonderful art project. And the best part is you don't even have to be artistic! I can't draw at all, so they helped me print out a photo and used carbon paper to transfer it onto my project and ta-da!!! The staff is extremely helpful and very nice, always! I would totally recommend this place to anyone and everyone! read more

Create A Memory - The shark I painted while I was there makes a great toothbrush holder! :) - Summer Camps Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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Create a Memory is a fantastic place - truly one of Salem's gems for all ages! I love going there with my girlfriends or with family - it is so relaxing and fun! The staff are fantastic and will assist you with project ideas or techniques that will make your piece turn out the way you want it to! The space itself i fantastic -- spacious, bright, and cheery. I love that Create a Memory moved downtown because being centrally located makes it convenient to go out to eat before or after you get your "pottery" on! One more thing -- I love that they now offer GLASS classes! I've only made one glass project so far, but I look forward to returning to make another. If you think painting pottery is fun, try the glass classes too - it is SO much fun and the end result is amazing! read more

Create-A-Memory is a really fun place to go with the kids. Even by myself I would enjoy it. Obviously kids 5 and older will have a better attention span than the preschool and toddler type, but I've taken my daughter there since she was very little and it hasn't been too bad. The place is clean, staff (owners) are always very friendly. They have a good display and selection of paints. I haven't gotten into their glass fusing yet, but it does look fun. I went last night and they had a puppy, Tucker, out and about socializing with everyone. That was really fun for me and my kids. I went an hour before closing time and was not even once pressured to get out of the store by closing. (I did clean up and go, but no one made me feel bad for coming in.) I have had a positive experience each time I have gone in. read more

A really great way to spend an afternoon with kids. I picked my niece up one day and this is what she wanted to do. I hadn't even tried to do something similar since the 90's and we had so much fun just picking out what we wanted to paint. I'd much prefer making memories with her doing things like this over anything else. It may be time for another visit. read more

My son spent an incredible amount of time working on a plate at Create a Memory over two days. The staff looked at it many times and commented on his detailed work but at no point did anyone tell him that the colors would not turn out the way he was painting them. He was very disappointed that all of the time and effort he put into his work was for nothing. No apologies or explanations. A good idea for unique gifts, but very disappointed in the lack of attention and care provided by the staff. Unsure if we will return or recommend. read more

This place is awesome. I read some of the reviews and was kinda iffy about going here but decided why not try and I am glad I did. I took my 2 nieces their mom and myself and we ended up doing 5 pieces. The owner himself helped us and explained how the process works. He explained to us also that once the pieces are fired up that the colors will fade a little so if we wanted our piece to be dark to be sure to use more then one coat. We informed him that I'd be leaving back to Maui soon and so he was nice enough to do a special fire up for me so I could take my completed piece home with me instead of mailing it. I loved the bright colors, there was a nice selection to choose from and the atmosphere was very relaxed. There is a small dog running around the shop and a bird that'll fly around from time to time. I was a bit nervous because I am not an artist but the pieces I did turned out good. It was a nice day with the family and something we could all enjoy and I'd definitely do it again. I guess it's good to keep in mind that just because someone had a not so good experience doesn't make the place bad....everyone has their own little quirks that will upset them. read more

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I'm not sure what others expect . . . This place is exactly what it seems. I really love he variety of things to paint! The color selection is great, prices are a little high, but you could spend hours here and it's a quiet and calm environment which I found to be very therapeutic. read more

If you're feeling creative, this is a fun place to be, whether you're 5 or 65. They have a wide variety of ceramic pieces that you can decorate however you want. They have a large selection of paint colors and styles, stencils, tools, stamps and several 'idea books'. Don't have time to finish it that day? They will save it for you to finish another day! We have been there a few times and the staff is always friendly. Even with the large amount of customers, they remembered which piece was ours when we returned to finish our work. They were very attentive and when we looked stumped on something, they offered solutions. You can check with them for classes, too. You can work by yourself, with friends or familiy, they even have settings for parties. If you're planning on going during the weekend or close to a holiday, prepare for it to be busy. You might want to call ahead to see if they have any parties or classes scheduled the day you want to stop in. The finished products are as good as you make them. They are your custom designs! After you finish painting, they will finish the product with a protective glaze. During our last project we had four pieces and all but one came out great. The fourth needed a little more glazing, which they felt was needed to protect the item, and we had to pick it up another day. After the second glazing, it turned out as good as the others. Great for kids parties, family activity, hanging out with girlfriends, gifts for birthdays, weddings, and holidays (Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc), or just some creative time alone. read more

I enjoyed coming here! Was visiting from out of town and decided to paint some mugs. The young gentleman helped us and was very informative on what to do and we were very comfortable with asking questions. The set up is great, we were very happy with how our mugs came out. Would like to try glass blowing next time! Def coming back here when I come back to Oregon! read more

I can't even count the number of hours that my family has spent here. Ann is an amazing woman who runs her business like everyone is family. She allows children of all ages to create lasting memories. While Gramma was alive this was her favorite thing to do. We would go and sit, create and eat dinner there. We had my sisters bachelorette party here after hours. She came out to my sisters wedding for me and had people put a finger print on a plate as a guest book instead of signing in a paper book. Create a memory is really what it says it is...creating memories. Lots of love. read more

Had the best time here! My mom and I stopped in after seeing the cool glass pieces in the window. The employees were super helpful and friendly and showed us all the techniques to make a wonderful fused glass piece. Great selection of glass colors, sizes and shapes to work with. Such fun! read more

Love, love, love this place. Whether I go with friends or with my child or by myself I always have a good time. The owner, Ann, is such a personable individual. She or her son are always willing to help. Such a great place! read more

I first came to create a memory years ago when they were at their old location. I took my daughter her last month and was very excited with how much they have expanded. I was very pleased with my interaction with the staff and they made sure to thoroughly explain how to paint the pieces and what kind of out come you would get. Whenever I need a unique and heart felt gift they will be the first place I go! read more

Fun, fun and more fun! A great place for a family activity. The owner Ann is more than helpful. We would highly recommend this place to anyone. read more

Amazing place to take the kids on a rainy day! The owners are very nice and helpful, my daughter had a blast with the pet Bird they have there as well. Highly recommend create a memory! read more