I've been to Glazed Expressions a couple of times and have enjoyed myself, but this experience was definitely lackluster. Service: My roommate made surprise reservations for my birthday (so sweet); when we arrived, we were hardly greeted and set up our own party arrangement (Glazed Expressions allows outside food/drinks, which is a plus). It was a Saturday evening around 7 p.m. Most of our guests were running late, but my roommate was told we didn't need the complete 2 hours to paint, anyway. We were told wrong. Once everyone arrived, we were told not to touch anything until we listened to "the rules" (understandable) but overheard the two employees talking about how we were more or less an inconvenience. There may have been eye rolling involved, too. Overall, we didn't feel very welcome, and our guests felt uncomfortable. Price: There is an $8 sitting fee plus the price of the pottery (ranging from $12-$50). Reasonable for the city. It's nearly impossible to get out spending less than $20/person (which we totally expected). Space/Environment: Big tables great for spreading out while still enjoying company. The place is usually home to Lincoln Park moms and sitters letting their kids get creative and messy. Very homey. Lots of ceramics to choose from. read more

We decided to do a painting pottery for one of our Bachelorette Party activities and we're SO glad we did! Ali and Bobby couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating to our group of 15! Great selection - wonderful instructions and plenty of tools to help you make the perfect masterpiece! A great time had by all... will definitely be repeat customers! read more

Had a good time doing this with our son for mother's day...however they threw away our pottery. They left me a VM just saying it was ready to pick up. I stopped in 10 days later and was told they threw it out. No final notice call, or no mention on the first VM that I had to get it within a week or whatever. I would have gone back, but not after this. read more

I took my nieces here not realizing that it's strictly painting pottery. That's my mistake. There was one clerk in the store and she gave us a 3-minute lesson jam-packed with important information. I admit that I'm the least-crafty female to ever walk the Earth, but I know my nieces didn't catch half of what she was saying and as I helped them, I realized it wouldn't have been very hard for her to slow down and check for understanding. Once we figured the system out, we were fine, but the items are really overpriced and not especially unique. This place would be great for littler munchkins- the under 6 crowd- but my 9 and 7-year old nieces were the oldest ones there. read more

I went here on a blind date and had a great time. The owner was VERY helpful throughout the entire experience. He suggested design options and offered tools to complete it. He even stepped outside to grab leaves for my project! Barb was also a great asset to the my project completion. She is hilarious and friendly. I will definitely return! read more

So Great! I took my mom here with me when she was visiting this past Saturday afternoon. We originally had plans to go to the zoo but because of the rain we quickly changed our plans and walked into this place. I live right by it and have been wanting to go. I will probably be going back soon and I can't wait to pick up my pottery! read more

My son and I enjoyed a first visit to Glazed Expressions recently. The staff was helpful and our projects turned out well. They were ready on time and made nice Mother's Day gifts. read more

I really enjoyed this place! I had a groupon for 2 mugs and my fiance and I spent a Friday night painting, which was a great date! They had a huge selection of pottery and a great color selection. We went on a Friday night around 6:30 and it was not very crowded at all. We didn't have to wait and had a huge table to ourselves. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful in showing us what they offer and the best way to paint. The pottery pick up was one week later and that was very organized. We were pleased how our mugs turned out! I would recommend this place as well as return for another evening out. read more

Went here last night with a group of friends for a birthday party. It was a lot of fun! BYOB and painting! Truth be told, it's a tad on the expensive side. Two coffee cup plates cost my girlfriend and I $35 total, normally I'd spend $2 on them at Target, but we got to sit down and paint together, so it's worth the memory! The staff was friendly, and the girl who set us up with everything (Barbara I think....Maybe....) was funny. Overall a fun experience! read more

Nice folks, fun atmosphere, keep an eye on your kid!!

The people who work there are incredibly rude. I've been many times because it's the only place I can find close by to paint pottery but would GLADLY go anywhere else. Keith has always given rude and unwanted opinions on how to paint, he kept telling the kids I took to do things different, that we shouldn't use Stencils because they aren't "from the heart". The other girl there was rude and not helpful. I was looking for a color that didn't have a bottle and she just went "I don't know, check with them" and pointed to another table. The prices are pretty average for a pottery place but they charge a painting fee on top which I've never had any other place do. They are just generally rude and bothersome. If you can ignore Keith like I do (I just look up to listen, say "Okay" to whatever bull he's saying now, and go back to what I was doing the way I was doing it before) then it's fine. I so so wish there was another place to go. read more

My boyfriend and I visited a few weeks ago and we had so much fun! I had a groupon, which is what inspired me to come, but a lot of the women I work with come in at least once a month. They have a large variety of items to choose from. I decided to paint two trinket boxes, one with a sun and one with a moon. My boyfriend painted a dog bowl. They have a large selection of paints and the staff is friendly and offers a tutorial. They explain everything and are very helpful with questions. The place was pretty crowded when we were in there, but we did find a corner spot and all of the other visitors were so friendly and generous. I had a great time and I can't wait to go back and paint something else! read more

I would give this "business" 0 stars if possible. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. STAFF WERE SWEARING AND MAKING LEWD HAND GESTURES AT US--NOT KID FRIENDLY. A friend and I decided to try out this place since we've done similar activities in the past. Due to traffic delays, we walked in at 7:15 on a Saturday night. Apparently, they have a policy (which they did not mention over the phone) that they do not allow anyone to walk in after 7pm. You have to be painting by 7:15. We would pay the studio fee and we would be the ones at a loss if we didn't finish by closing time, but they would not make any exceptions. Unfortunately the manager was not there so we had to talk to this obese woman with tattoos on her face and she was so rude and told us we had to leave. We tried to explain that we would paint something small in just an hour but then she was swearing at us and yelling that a policy is a policy. Then another of this obese lady's coworkers gave us the middle finger as we were leaving. NEXT TIME WE WILL STICK TO MORE REPUTABLE PLACES WITH FAR SUPERIOR CUSTOMER SERVICE LIKE COLOR ME MINE OR BOTTLES & BOTTEGA. read more

This place is the worst. Like the other reviews have said, the man (keith) is the biggest jerk ever and makes the experience worthless. I would never have wasted my money on this project had I known I would have to deal with him. He is rude, inappropriate and disrespectful and also micromanages and doesn't know when to mind his business and leave his customers alone. The rest of the staff are very nice though and I would've enjoyed the experience if it had just been them there. But the man ruins everything. Never will I ever go back there. Assuming he is the owner, he should know that his personality ruins his entire business. read more

This location is open... not sure why someone would post that it's not. I like it here. My only complaint is that they don't have a huge selection of paint colors. read more

I visited Glazed Expressions for the first time with my two daughters and my nanny on a weekday morning. I have to say I left with a very bad taste in my mouth. The good: *Amy. She was fantastic, helped us get set up, paint and clean up. She saved the day from being a total loss. She is the only reason I am not giving this place 1 star. *The space is bright clean and well organized. *The pottery offerings are great and paints and supplies are very nice. *I had a Groupon, so I did not have to pay full price. The Bad: *The owner. I assume he's the owner, because I am sure if he was an employee he would have been fired years ago. I have not encountered such a grumpy and unpleasant person in a long while. He informed me that all four of us had to paint otherwise there would be a fee of three dollars. I looked down at my five month old baby asleep in her car seat and asked "all four of us?" He looked at me rudely and said "yes," and walked away. When my nanny asked if she could look at some of the painted pieces he said curtly, "no, stay on this side of the fence," and motioned for her to stay in the main area. A small group of urban teenagers arrived to do some painting. He asked if they had a reservation (which was not required), and was not terribly welcoming. I should add that my family is African-American and my nanny is Hispanic. He was sweet as sugar to another woman and her family who seemed to be regulars. It happens that she and her family were Caucasian, but maybe that's just a coincidence. I don't know if he is just a sour person in general, if he dislikes Groupon users, or if he only likes to cater to the stay at home Lincoln Park mom crowed, but overall it was not a fabulous experience. I would think that a place that is supposed to be fun, and caters to families and children, would have more pleasant management. His attitude made us not want to stay long and certainly not return. It's a shame, because my daughter had fun and it would be something we would like to do again. I guess I will have to go to the suburbs to find another paint your own pottery place, or I will just go to Glazed Expressions when the owner in on vacation. read more

I would put 0 stars if I could. I booked my son's birthday party here with Keith. When I spoke to him I told him 30 people would be attending. He called me 2 weeks before the event to notify me that he could not accommodate 30 people unless everyone was painting and that he had made other reservations that day as well. He then contradicted himself by saying if I paid for 30 people to paint he could accommodate us. Nice way to make a buck by ruining a 3 year old's birthday. He also informed me that he would have never booked a party for a 3 year old although he did when we in fact confirmed the reservation. The guy is an absolute moron and I would never go back here - I would suggest you all do the same and stay away. There are enough places in the city to paint with your kids who treat you with respect. Plus the place is a dump anyway. read more

Extremely rude, unfriendly and openly hostile staff, no interest in helping with projects or sharing advice regarding painting techniques, and expensive. What's not to like? I've been three times, and each time I've struggled with the above issues. However, it was my most recent experience that prompted me to take time out of my day to post this review. I bundle up my two young kids, wife and mom, and we arrive at the shop a minute before 4:00 on Sunday. We walk in and are asked by a staff member if we are here to paint or pick up. We say paint, and the lady tells me that they don't have space for my party and that I should have made a reservation (the last time I called ahead to make a reservation, "Bobby" told me I didn't need one and made me feel stupid for even calling ahead to ask). I look over at an empty table that could easily seat 6+ adults, and ask, "what about that one?" She acknowledges the empty table, and then tells me that they stop taking painters two hours before the shop closes. I ask what time the shop closes today, and she says 6:00. I look at my watch, and it's 4:02. I asked her nicely if we could still paint considering we spent two minutes talking about the empty table, and she said that it's our fault for coming too late. So I'm stuck standing outside in the cold explaining to my kids why we can't do the art project we've been talking about all day and trying to come up with another indoor activity that will make everyone happy. The staff members were rude, dismissive, and apparently didn't want us to drop the $60-$100 we otherwise would have spent on ceramics. There are plenty of other ceramic painting options in the city, and I am not wasting any more time with this lemon of a shop. read more

this place was fun. went with a few twenty somethings friends on a saturday afternoon, and as kids were running all over the place, you could hear a pin drop between us because we were just so serious about our painting, lo and behold a week later when i picked up my plate it looked like a kindergarten project, so glad i didn't pursue my lack of artistry skills. read more

Jen is fantastic. We had a birthday party for my daughter, and Jen did an amazing job and was super flexible. Highly recommend!

Our lackluster greeting upon entering was the highlight of the service we received. The only staff there was too busy painting her own piece of pottery to really assist us. We were given a 2 minute talk on painting etc. The staff member knew we had a Groupon but didn't mention that most of the pieces were more than the $14, which is fine but she should have at least thought to mention that. One of the girls we were with asked her a question about paint 3 or 4 times as we were uncomfortable and had been given little to no direction/help. Turns out had the staff member taken the time to listen to the questions, instead of painting her own pottery, one of the girls wouldn't have had to restart her project. We had been running a little late, so she offered to stay a half hour later, that statement was followed by "sorry I'm pissed off, I have a long day that starts at 11am". Someone needs to address the concepts of customer service with her, we were her only customers, perhaps a verbal filter is necessary in some situations. She also told us we could come back anytime, but didn't mention to us the fact that there's a studio fee if we return more than a week later, till after we checked out. Overall the staff member acted as though we were an inconvenience, and that she would rather just be sitting alone painting her own pottery. Overall, they had a couple nice pieces, more nick knacks. If you're looking for good/reasonable customer service and or guidance, then I would recommend you go someplace else. read more

Seems like a cute idea and a great place for individuals or small groups but I attended a birthday party for a friend's kid today and would definitely not recommend it to other parents. There is not a lot of space and the young woman working with our group did not seem to understand children and had little patience for them. She had very poor customer service skills and made me feel very unwelcome. read more

Fantastic little shop, feels family owned, can get crowded depending on time of day, but definitely worth the trip. Ask to get tips from JEN, she is so helpful and will give you great advice (super smile too). read more

I took my mom here for her birthday and it was really fun. We brought a bottle of wine and some snacks and had a nice time. I realized right before closing time that I had forgotten to paint the lid of my teapot and Andrea (I think) stayed open for us with no obvious annoyance. It was a miserable night and I'm sure she wanted to get home but she was great. It seemed a little pricey for our two items but I would do it again. It was a fun, different way to spend a night out. read more

My bridesmaids threw me a bachelorette party here on Halloween night (BYOB and paint your own pottery??? The COOLEST). It was so much fun. The staff was awesome and got really into the party vibe, plus they let us use whatever paints and however much paint we wanted (some places let you only choose like 3 colors). They were really fun. The prices were not at all bad for Chicago. read more

The staff at Glazed Expressions are RUDE and not customer friendly. I have owned my own business for years and your staff is the most important asset. This business will not survive with the present staff. read more

Honestly, I love this place. I don't know why the staff get such bad reviews sometimes, but I've seen them work wonderfully with kids and adults alike every time. It's a really fun activity, though it can cost about $20-30 per adult (I've never gone with kids). The staff is fun and funny and weird and the music is fantastic, especially if the one girl (I forget her name) is there and she usually is. I mean they have been pretty busy the last few Saturdays I've called in so if you can avoid the weekend, do it, you'll have a much calmer experience painting. However, either way the ladies who work in this studio are super helpful and nice and we always have a great time. It takes WAY longer than most people think to paint a piece so I totally get why they have the two hours before close rule and I think it's a little suspicious the people who show up after painting hours have such bad reviews... maybe show up before the deadline and you'd have a better experience. You wouldn't show up at a restaurant 10 minutes before they close would you? So go during the recommended hours, bring some wine and some cups, and have a blast with good music and good people. I promise you won't regret it. I haven't yet. read more

I felt the need to post a review because the service here was so horrible. The activity itself is pretty fun, but I would suggest going to another pottery painting place. First, it was super expensive. I went with another adult and two kids, and we paid about $100 all told for us each to paint one piece. For that high price, the service is atrocious. When we got there, they spent maybe 2 minutes explaining what things were available to paint the ceramics. They don't even provide water to wash the brushes between colors. They don't call you when your piece is ready for pickup. When I went to pick it up today, it took about 5 minutes for me to be acknowledged, even though there were two couples total in the store, and they weren't being helped. Worse, they wouldn't give me a bag to carry the four pieces home. When I asked for one, they said "we don't do bags." As I said, I really enjoyed the activity, but the customer service totally tainted it. read more

DO. NOT. go to this place. This was the worst and strangest pottery painting session Ive ever had! The owner, a larger man was working the entire time my partner and I were painting. He was not just rude....but a deep level of mean. He was unwelcoming when we called, asking us to hold on 4 times. We gave it the benefit of the doubt thinking it must be busy. He was unwelcoming when we walked in, making us feel like a bother that we were even in his presence. He continuously put myself and my partners pottery painting down at least five times while we were there. He called us unoriginal and boring. He mentioned we were not allowed to use certain paint brushes or have water to rinse off our brushes. He gallivanted around the shop telling all the children what they should change about their piece. Looking back, he was borderline harassing me... on an afternoon I had off work where i wanted to make a gift. Every single time someone came in to pick up a finished piece of pottery, he would not say "hi" but "wait a minute" and walk around the entire store/ play on his ipad for a few minutes....just to purposely make the customer wait. I actually saw him playing games on there for some strange power trip making others wait. Do not come here unless you want to feel ridiculed, unintelligent and continuously put down by the owner. It breaks my heart someone can actual ruin such a fun-spirited activity. read more