This place was awesome! They were all booked on Valentine's Day for their "Three Hour Try It Class"…read morewhen I called but I emailed them and Russ got back to me quickly and let me know they had a cancellation and had room after all. My girlfriend and I are very glad those other people cancelled. Russ, Ginger, and another woman helped us and were all very nice and knowledgeable. The class was a very good value since we got a tour of the facility and top-notch instruction. They demonstrated how to make your first bowl on a pottery wheel which looks easy at first but takes some practice. They are happy to help you learn the basics and even go a bit further. Once we were done creating about eight pieces or so and after the three hours was up they let us pick two of the items each to have painted and glazed. We are excited to see how they turn out and to go to the Alexandria Clay Coop again soon. This made for a great Valentine's Day date too.

My partner and I took pottery classes here. Our instructor Lore was extremely skilled and did a…read moregreat job of showing the ropes. Glazing and firing your pieces outside of being a student is pretty pricy compared to other studios though so after our classes were over my partner and I found a new clay studio to class and fire our homemade pieces.

We came here for our baby shower and we had an amazing time! The owner of the shop is very easy to…read morecoordinate and is a very kind person. The pricing of the shop does not break the bank, but depending on what activity you select, for example candle making verse blanket making, the price may vary. There's plenty of space to hold an activity for up to around 25 people. When you do an activity there's about 8 or so people assigned to a table. We were able to have a table for food and were able to decorate the table and around it with freedom. Honestly, we had a lot of fun and would do it again!

I had a really fun time at AR Workshop last weekend in their Chunky Knit Blanket workshop. My mom,…read moresister and I decided to do the workshop as a fun activity for my mom's birthday and this was a great activity for all experience levels. The owner Stephanie was our instructor and was super friendly, helpful and personable. I went into this activity unsure of how my blanket would turn out and left feeling confident with my completed blanket (that now adorns my couch as an accent piece) The shop is easy to find on King St and there was plenty of street parking on a Saturday morning.

Great family business. I've seen it driving past my husband's work but didn't realize they offer…read moreclasses until I googled. So glad my friend and I came to take a short project class. We really enjoyed ourselves and will be back. Great instruction, designs offered, and value. They also have small gifts up front if you don't have time for a class, but want something hand made locally.

Fiscus Glassworks is a gem in Alexandria. I have now taken all of their classes from beginner to…read morestructure/dimension and design and build. I even entered my pieces I created in these classes at the Arlington County Fair and won the Reserve Grand Champion for my division! I now frequent their studio during open hours with their studio time passes. Brad and Maré are kind, welcoming and extremely knowledgeable! They can help you create patterns and make your stained glass visions come true. Definitely check Fiscus out!

What an incredibly special place! Their selection is thoughtfully curated and it so easy to find…read moreinspiration in their samples, or from their weekly instagram videos. Staff are knowledgeable and quickly help you find what you need. Best of all, they have wonderful recommendations (if you ask) for other local shops and cafes to visit - making the visit even better.

This place is 100% hype and couldn't care less about their customers. The staff was more interested…read morein their private conversation than in assisting me. You know that feeling when you walk into a store and feel like you are a burden to the staff? Like you aren't wanted there and/or are a nuisance? Well, that is the feeling I had from the very moment I stepped in. And, let me tell you - there are a number of similar reviews from other customers experiencing the same thing. So, the owner needs to learn about customer service, then hire the right folks and train them properly. I'm sure the owner will post a response that defends the awful staff and makes silly excuses- so I'm waiting for that :) I will never spend a penny here and would not recommend wasting any time here. Unless, of course, you love the hype of this place and want to get cute little photos to post on social media. Then, maybe this is your place!

This is such a cute shop and I loved the beginner sewing series so much that I signed up for…read moreanother class. The class lasts about 2 hours. Everyone wears a name tag (as someone who is not good with names, I LOVE this!). At the beginning of class everyone does an introduction. Everyone was so friendly and it was a very nice community. The area is cute and there are restaurants nearby to grab a bite to reward yourself. The instructor was very kind and patient with the students! Add to it calendar immediately after you receive confirmation for the class because the time doesn't show up in your email confirmation. There's plenty of parking nearby. Most parking allows for up to 3 hours (max). I recommend checking out the shop. They also still fabrics and other items. Don't judge my finished product too harshly

I took a beginners class here - it had plenty of street parking around the shop, convenient hours…read more(class was from 6pm-8pm), a small class size (8 for sewing machine basics), and an informed staff. The instructor (Valerie, I believe) was very detailed in her instructions that included threading a machine, debugging, ironing, sewing different stitches and lengths, assembling and dissembling the machine, and making a mini pillow. After she demoed different steps, she would have us try and wandered the room quickly correcting us if something wasn't quite right. We also had to repeat each action twice to develop the muscle memory. There are classes available for all things a beginning sewer needs to know up to how to make your own bodice at advance levels. The store has patterns, fabric, and take-home kits. If you cannot make a scheduled workshop, you can do the lesson over private instruction. I had followed YouTube instructions before and done lots of searches trying to figure out how to sew with limited success. This class multiplied my knowledge by 1000 and helped me identify what I was doing wrong on my own so I could course correct. If you're interested in learning to sew, this is your place!

This Is A Crafty, Nifty, Grandma Heaven. So Many Little Trinkets, Perfect For Crafting Birthday…read moreCards, Small And Large Projects. Thank You To The Lady That Helped Me Navigate Around. Very Affordable.

Fabulous place! It's so exciting to get art and craft supplies sustainably and at amazing prices…read more The staff works hard to keep the shop organized, which I appreciate a lot. Upcycle CRC has donations-based inventory, so you never know exactly what you'll find, but it's always fun to look and I usually leave with a cool stash that cost way less than expected. Before you go to a big box craft store, give Upcycle a try!

I figured it was about time I did another review for this place. (an update) I really recommend…read morethis place for those who are interested in the arts (aside from music and acting and such). Depending on the class you're taking, it can be really fun, or just really relaxing. I take manga/comic classes, which I take basically every semester, it's just a class I really love. They now have an adult class for that class, so hopefully, the adults won't waste their money anymore, for a lot signed up for the ages 10 to adult class and were for some reason disappointed to see a class full of kids. So it was really good that they finally added an adult class. I also took an expressive figure drawing class a couple of times, which can be a difficult class if you don't fully understand the action line and such yet. (but I recommend taking the class! Ms. Susan is a super enthusiastic/encouraging teacher! one of my favorites there!). And they now have digital art classes! I have yet to take it, but I'm happy they added a class for those of us who draw digitally! The classes are around $200 for 7-9 classes, one class a week, and most are 2 1/2 hours long. There are all sorts of classes that you can take, a lot of different types of teachers, and students that take it as well! MY ONLY CON ARE THE BATHROOMS RIGHT BY THE ENTRANCE! I really recommend buying wet ones or other types of cleaning wipes, for little boys (and possibly some grown men honestly) tend to go on the seat. I prefer going to the bathroom before waiting for my bus, but it seems 9 out of 10 times I go in the bathroom, there's always a little and (very rarely) a lot of drops all over the seat. Id still use these bathrooms over portapotties though. (for Alexandria birthday firework thing, I actually did walk to this building to go to the bathroom instead of using the portapotties)

I've taken ceramics and mosaics through the Art League at the Madison Annex, which is essentially a…read morebuilding with different studio classrooms. Although the Art League is technically located the in Torpedo Factory, most of their classes are held here. I actually like that it's not located in the heart of Old Town, because street parking in the area is usually available and students can also use the lot behind Sport & Health. If you're enrolled in a ceramics class, you're also able to pay for open studio time which is pretty cool. I've gone and met some really amazing artists who can be a great resource for additional input for your art projects. Overall, the environment is diverse, welcoming, and lots of fun. I absolutely love taking classes here and would highly recommend the Art League.

One of my muffler hangers on the car body had fallen off so there was no way to keep the muffler…read moresafely hanging. Jesse shaped a piece of steel rod into a hanger perfectly matching the location of the old one. Then he welded on a metal plate and now my muffler is nicely centered again without hitting anything when on the road. Otherwise no car shop was willing to help but only Jesse!

I needed special size extra long bolts for my car that I could not find supplied at any store…read more Jesse made the bolts for me exactly the length and thread I needed and it took him no time at all! He was very fast and and even coated the bolts for me so they do not rust. I would not hesitate hiring Jesse Robinson for any size custom blacksmith work. Since Jesse did such a great job the first time with making specialty bolts I decided to use his skilled welding services again for repairing my exhaust as it had cracked but did not need full replacement and for a Saab, those are quite expensive for a new one! Jesse quickly saw which connection needed replacement, then cut the old one out and perfectly welded on a new connection and pipe in place so that nobody could tell it was not the factory exhaust once he was done with it! He also completed all the work on a holiday! Would definitely use Jesse again next time I need a quality welder.

A charming and elegant ballroom space, which also rents as an AirBandB, since it has a bedroom and…read morekitchen as well. It's on the 2nd floor above the Sarah Campbell shop (no elevator), with high ceilings and beautiful light, two blocks off King Street in the heart of Old Town Alexandria. We had a seated dinner for 45 people, with a dance area, and all praised of the beauty of the space.