This review is for Doug at Grand Hill Gallery. He framed a stunning watercolor my husband picked…read moreout in Italy outside Palazzo Pitti in Firenze. I brought my two-year-old with me to browse (bad idea) and he was patient and sweet. He even entertained my son with a wooden duck and made him laugh. The piece took a couple weeks, as I advised there was no rush. Doug upgraded my glass to museum quality to thank me for waiting. I will attach a picture, although my I phone camera doesn't do it justice. YES I recommend this business!

I go here for getting prints and photographs framed. Great frame selection and good eye for detail…read more The owner is very patient and works extremely well with customers.

My all time favorite gallery!…read more Great artists, great people, amazing owner. The artist talks are my favorite events here. This place is a bit of dark Victorian vibe going for it.

Rogue Buddha presents challenging, interesting and original contemporary works from local artists…read more The current exhibit features some fantastical, supernatural "found materials" creations from Michael Thomsen (which I am lusting after), some rather disturbing but quite beautiful paintings by Caitlin Karolczak, and as always, original works from gallery owner Nicholas Harper. Well worth a visit.

Wonderful little indie bookstore with a diverse selection of books and crafts. Very cozy and…read morewelcoming store. My new go-to local bookstore!

Come one, come all to Hearthside Books in Watertown Minnesota. Step into a world of books, a…read moreselection of books for ever reader, every age and every genre. An added plus, locally made goodies. The owners make you feel like you're part of the family. Check the website and Facebook page for wonderful, family friendly activities. Bonus for the bookshop cat. Make a day of visiting Hearthside Books and grab lunch at one of the local restaurants. Thank you to Hearthside Bookstore for being the best of the best.

Stellar service and beautifully crafted jewelry...so much to choose from. I even ran into the…read moreartist of the earrings I chose for a gift!

On Sunday, we had to drive several hours (~3) round trip to babysit our son so we could attend the…read moreblacksmithing class. We arrived about 10 minutes early, but there was nobody at the shop. We knocked on the door, tried calling, and walked around the building to see if there was someone there. After 25 minutes, we finally decided to leave. We later received an automated email explaining that their "auto-reminders did not go out to you and to our instructor as they were supposed to." At the bottom of the email, it gave me the option to unsubscribe from their emails. For a class that costs nearly $90 per person, I would expect a higher degree of professionalism. All of the class attendees were responsible enough to show up, without auto-reminders. There is no excuse for the instructor forgetting! The refund they issued did not cover the cost or inconvenience of babysitting services. Their automated email that I could unsubscribe was unprofessional and felt like they were making excuses. The customer service was awful and I would never recommend that anyone goes there.

I have bought a poster from his studio a few weeks ago: they told me it was shipped but could not…read moreprovide tracking information. I have been reaching out several times asking for updates (or at least for a refund), but the sale office is ghosting me. I do not usually write negative reviews, but the poster was supposed to be a gift and I have paid an extra amount to have it ship it to Italy. I was expecting at least some explanations. It's been weeks and I have no idea whether I will ever receive it, or if they actually shipped it, nor I believe that they will refund me. The way they have ignored me is unacceptable and unprofessional. I am truly disappointed and would definitely not recommend it.

This beautiful art work has decorated my classroom for years. It is not only a conversation starter…read moreand an important educational piece but also allows my students to see themselves and our shared values on the walls.

Great little place. We went for open studio which was extremely reasonably priced and a fun date…read morenight. The scheduling was a bit confusing but after we input the amount (it was set up as choose how much $ you'd like to support the studio with), we showed up and were delighted to find a clean workspace for both of us and a pound of clay. Tools were provided and there was a class that was getting taught how to make pinch bowls. At the end the instructor took care of collecting the piece and firing it and we input the info in a QR code to pick it up later after it was fired. Everything was provided and we had a great date night at an affordable price. Pieces take a couple weeks to pick up. We will be back again!

This local business wants you to play with clay and have fun being creative! I purchased a number…read moreof clay kits and did clay at home. I had a specific budget and they were able to help identify what worked within my budget.

I volunteered and attended Art in the Hollow this year. Love that they are community driven vs…read more profit. Booth space is very affordable. Also very nice open nature space at the park. I will say there's not a ton of seating options, more so you'd have to sit in the grass or there were some rocks on the hill that people would sit on. Free parking at the larger Saint Paul Brewery lot and they had free golf cart shuttles to and from the lot all the way down to the park. Definitely don't let distance/parking stop you from attending. Everyone was so welcoming

I've been intrigued by the Paint Nite concept for a while now, and I'm glad I finally was able to…read moreexperience it. The first thing to know is DONT PAY FULL PRICE. These are always on sites like Groupon, and you can probably find coupon codes online for their website as well. The event I attended was at the Big Thrill Factory in Minnetonka, and due to the ambient noise from the rest of the building, I wouldn't highly recommend this venue. But the food looked good, and the wine/beer options were reasonable. There were parts of the instruction that I thought went too fast, and other parts that went way too slow. The beginning was a little stressful for me, in part bc I've never painted on canvas before. I am a pretty crafty person in general, but my skills are more from years of summer camp. Our instructor had music playing, and at times it was distracting and very loud. She also kept encouraging us to drink, which I didn't mind but I think some people will find excessive. Our instructor was cheerful, but there are things I think she should have repeated or emphasized more (like using a lot of water mixed with the paint for the first step, and how to do blending better. I have no idea how to do a lot of shading, or work with light) If the idea of painting appeals to you at all, I think you'd have a good time at a Paint Nite event, no matter what your skill level. I can see why some people go again and again! We were there for almost 2 1/2 hours. I wish she hadn't taken such a long break before the final part of the painting, bc I would have liked to stay longer to add more details during the last step, or allow parts of my canvas to dry before adding more things on top.

My cousin took me here for a my birthday gift. She got a Groupon deal, so there was some type of…read morediscount. Initially, we went online together to pick a date with a painting subject that we liked. I think it would be fun to paint with friends, but even better if I actually want to hang up the art piece on my wall! Paint Nite seems to hold all of their classes in restaurant party rooms. There were about 40 people in the class held at Andiamo in Apple Valley. We had our own server in the back private room for drinks or food. Drinking was encouraged, as that likely loosens up some of the anxious people who want to paint perfectly! People were encouraged to use their creative spirit and paint what they feel in the mood to make. Our instructor was named Lisa and she did a wonderful job. She took her time to go through the steps slowly, offered help as needed and had some music playing while the paint dried. Bring a few friends, have a wild time and go home with a handmade creation!