My eight-year-old didn't want to leave...and nor did I. In the city's longest alley is Studio Kusi,…read morea pottery studio in a restored garage. Ariana, the owner, grew up in Mount Pleasant and decided to open a pottery studio once she lost her federal job in 2025. My eight-year-old daughter and I took a class just the two of us on a Saturday afternoon. Here's our experience. 1) Experience: It was truly wonderful! Ariana starts the class to the level and experience of pottery you have. She let my daughter lead what she wanted to learn. Providing the clay and supplies, she taught us how to mold clay, add decorations to it, paint clay, and more. Ariana has two pottery wheels to if that's more your style, but my daughter opted for molding it with her hands. She made a jar with a lid and I made a dumpling-shaped ring holder. Ariana has a kiln and fires the pottery. Once it's done, you return to pick up your work. Ariana gives 20% of her profit to organizations doing good work. 2) Space: It's in a small garage, but it is SO COOL! It doesn't feel to stuffy at all. Ariana decorates it with plants, lots of natural light, and there are shelves with pottery waiting to be fired and a little store where Ariana sells her pottery, ceramics, and jewelry. She's so talented! Since it's in a garage, there isn't a restroom so plan accordingly. 3) Neighborhood: It's in the heart of Mount Pleasant close to public art, restaurants, and more. On I usually find street parking along Irving Street NW (where I used to live) or the Columbia Heights Metro is a few blocks away.

I was delighted to visit Ariana's pottery studio and learn for the first time ever how to make my…read moreown pottery from clay dough. Let asside the joy I felt making something that looks beautiful just with my bare hand and seeing how the end product would like along the process... The thing I would like to write this review most, is the grounding sensation that I have felt while going through this process. I kept hearing and reading about folks talking about how working with clay refines their energy and balances it, until I had the experience by myself. There is definitely something about staying mindful and focussed while aligning your body movement and mental focus during working with clay to make pottery. It felt really theraputical and grounding. It is really a whole body experience. I am grateful to Ariana and to great instructor that gave me the class and I would absolutely go for it again and again and again. And I recommend you all to try it; especially at such a special space that Ariana has put together for her studio.

Booked a private intro class for a bday party and it was lovely. Sarah, the owner, was helpful and…read morequick to get us on the books (I contacted at least 6 studios). Jon was our instructor and he was also great. I wish firing a piece was included but that's an extra $30 per piece...so it is pricey at $800 per class (with 10 people - $80 per person)... but that's seemed pretty standard from all the studios I contacted.

Was recently gifted a selection of pottery from here! I was so impressed with the quality that I…read morewanted to come share! My favorite was the most beautiful blue glazed vase with a speckled interior. My flowers have never lasted as long as they do in this vase, and they help bring such a fun, artistic flair to my coffee table set. Hoping to come back myself and look at some other pottery for my new apartment!

My partner and I attended the Glass Lover's class over the weekend and we are hooked. The space is…read morestate-of-art and inspiring, and the instructors (Erwin and Arden) are not only masters at their craft--they are also wonderful hosts. We learned a lot and had fun while doing it. We're thrilled we found WGS, and will absolutely return as soon as time permits! Life is better spent making art.

I booked a private group class with Washington Glass School for a wedding bachelorette party. My…read morefriends and I could not be happier with the event!! The staff (Patricia and Erwin) were friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. They provided shipping for those from out of town. They even took some photos of us and sent them to me afterwards. The communication was seamless throughout the whole process. The price was very fair. Very down-to-earth, local community atmosphere. I would love to do this again.

Awesome local fabric shop, lots of bolts to choose from!…read more Clean and well organized on the inside, welcoming atmosphere, friendly customer service. Will definitely return for future projects!

If you're into sewing, croqueting, and more, there's no better place. Along a main road in…read moreHyattsville with many other shops, this spacious store sells all sorts of yarn, string, and more. They even sell kits to help teach you how to croquet. Staff are friendly and passionate at connecting you to their art.

I would love to try Hinckley Pottery, though after reaching out multiple times via their contact…read moreemails and phone and not receiving any replies after 8 days, I can't get hold of any staff here. Most of their classes are sold out online with no indication of when they might become available again, and rather than open their website day after day in hopes that something becomes available, Hinckley really needs to have a way to get in touch with them. If you are going to provide contact emails but either not monitor those inboxes or choose not to respond, that is simply bad good customer service.

Great space, serious craftspeople, excellent teachers, elegant work, a longstanding…read moreinstitution--the real thing. Beautiful.

"I could stay here all day," said my eight-year-old artist. If you love crafts, Merry Pin is your…read morespot. Inside a corner building along popular Georgia Avenue NW, this woman-owned craft store is more than that. It's a community hub and cafe. Walk inside and you'll find well-organized crafts and art supplies throughout. They sell yarn, needles, stickers, stationary, glue, everything. My daughter especially loved the kits to learn how to crochet and knit. Near the register are "mystery grab bags" for $7 that my daughter bought. In the back is a button area where you can fill a small paper bag with buttons for $1.50. The cafe is on the first floor with a few tables and bar seating. They sell pastries like ham and cheese croissants, empanadas, a pickle plate, and more. My daughter loved the bacon empanada and the gourmet rainbow marshmallows. They also sell drinks of all kinds, including mimosas and margaritas. The upstairs is where you'll find one big room with long tables, couches, and lots of craft supplies in their Little Free Craft Library space. My daughter could stay for hours making art! The public restroom is on this floor too. Street parking is very easy to find even on a Saturday.

I really wanted to have a better experience at Merry Pin. I love crafts, and supporting a local,…read morewoman-owned business? Perfect! I went for the Gilmore Girls fall event and it was just... not good. Tickets were $45. The event sounded great! Themed drinks, trivia, bingo, grab bags, episode viewing, and themed crafts. The concept was fully there, but the execution wasn't. There were a ton of major issues. Trivia? The person was sick, so it didn't happen. Bingo? Every card was the same, so it didn't happen. We didn't learn this until an hour into the event, because that was when the first staff member entered the event space upstairs. The themed craft was making polymer clay magnets. One problem- there were no actual magnets. Other supplies, like parchment paper and a pot holder, were also missing. The craft required an oven, but there was no staff member assisting with anything upstairs. Guests had to set up and preheat the oven themselves. People were taking things in and out of the oven, including other people's items. It just was too complicated without a staff member overseeing it. The episode watching started after an hour. It was an okay set up- a projector, Netflix, and some speakers. But it was just okay. It was difficult to see and hear, and the Netflix would pause for long periods of time because no staff member was present. I hoped for a fun atmosphere where people would react to the episode, but many people were talking or doing other things. The food was a huge issue. Included in the event was themed drinks- these were good and had a good concept. Also included were pop tarts, mallomars, and "grab bags" which contained eggs rolls and mini pancakes. The egg rolls were cold by the time the event started, and one person next to me wanted to know if they had meat. No one was there to answer the question. The food ran out before everyone got to the event. Ordering food was an issue as well. You can tell from the menu that the food was frozen and reheated. It took forever. I arrived half an hour before the event. I got my first food item 35 minutes after ordering and my last item 45 minutes after ordering. One item, hash browns, were still cold in the middle. The quality was what I expected- actually not bad- but it took forever. I think all of the staff were working on the food instead of doing anything else. Other little details were not great. The event room was packed and some people sat on the floor. There was water provided upstairs, but it ran out. You had to bus your own dishes and trash, but the dish bin was full. There weren't lights on all of the tables, so once the episode viewing began it was hard to craft. I really wanted to like Merry Pin, and maybe they were just short staffed for this event. In the end, some of the people I came with wanted a refund. It just felt disorganized and unfinished. I would be cautious about other events here.

Terrific instructors and classes. Love the offerings, including first friday events and third…read moreThursday artist talks. A gem in the community!

Washington Studio School is best described as a community of dedicated career artists with a…read moregenuine enthusiasm for art and true interest in working with students to help them develop their skills and confidence as artists. I've now had the pleasure of working with two different teachers at WSS and came away impressed both times. This school is a great place to build your skills, knowledge and confidence as an artist (i.e., impressive array of class and workshop options, small class sizes, comfortable and supportive environment, strong sense of community). I highly recommend WSS for anyone truly interested in growing as an artist.

On a whim I just wandered to the store and had the most transformational stationary shopping…read moreexperience ever! Ye helps me to identify the most beautiful journal, along with pens and other accoutrements. On every visit the staff has been accommodating and friendly. Stop in if you can.

What a lovely space and collection of goods, and if I lived in DC, I'd be here all the time. The…read morestore reflects a design aesthetic where you feel like there's a lot to look at without being overwhelmed, and there's so many fun things to look at and buy and items are chosen for their quality and relative value. I had a very positive experience with the friendly staff, who were professional and warm and offered to go back to the storeroom to get something I mentioned in passing. Just a great place.