Not a great experience on my first visit to a Hobby Lobby. I was on a mission to get in and out…read more Felt like walking into a Home Depot except Home Depot at least has a handy app to tell you what aisle something is on. On a positive note, I did need to stop by the fabrics section with a question. This person admitted to me they weren't great on the given topic but showed me some fabrics in case I wanted to look. Polite and she walked me over instead of just pointing. That's good. I walked around for a bit looking for the next two things I needed. Not an employee in sight to ask. I finally decided to just buy the things I had in hand. They had a single register open and one open for returns. There were about 20 people in front of me and the line was moving very slowly. What I didn't understand, two gentleman employees were standing in front of the register area, not making eye contact with anyone, and just stood there. One had a bunch of tags around his neck so he looked like some sort of manager. He slinked away, then would slink back. Never make eye contact, didn't open a new lane, then he'd shuffle back off. Took forever just to check out. Based on that experience today, I'll likely stick to ordering off Amazon and just being patient. Not impressed.

Hobby Lobby is amazing! I went to get Valentine stickers, bought bath towel sets, Christmas candy…read morefor gifts, drawer organizer, and other items. I wish they had a store in Newport News area.

Spirited Art is SUCH a great idea! No artistic skill necessary and you still end up with a (semi)…read moreprofessional looking painting! I took my mom here as a Christmas present and we both had a blast! From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere was lively and welcoming. We had about 12 other people in our class, and although we each painted the same picture and followed the same instructions from the teacher, all of our paintings looked slightly different but equally as impressive! The calendar on their website displays photos of the different paintings that correspond with the dates they are being offered. Just choose one you like, make sure the date works with your schedule, and purchase it directly online. There are a variety of options to choose from; everything from cartoonish images to Monet-inspired paintings. If you're a diehard fan of certain Virginia colleges, they also offer University of Richmond, VCU, and JMU themes. When you arrive, everything is already set up for the painting (colors of paints needed, brushes, and a blank canvas). There are aprons at each seat as well. The studio itself is a large open space with long tables towards the back where the painting actually occurs. The teacher we had was super friendly and the atmosphere was very relaxed- everyone was chatting the whole time. Painting AND wine?! Spirited Art has partnered with the Wine Loft, which is directly next-door, so there is at least one designated server per class. Not only is there a list of wines available (many at $5/glass), but there is also a painting-friendly menu of snacks that are easily eaten during the class. I think you are free to order anything from the Wine Loft's menu if you'd like, but they've created a more streamlined menu of suggestions conducive to the painting class. To help the servers keep track of orders, they use a cool system of numbered poker chips that attach to your easel with Velcro. I will definitely be back to test my skill on a different painting (and enjoy some more wine, of course)!

I had a wonderful evening at Spirited Art with some friends enjoying wine and trying my hand at…read morepainting. I think the wine gave my inner artist a false sense of confidence but I definitely had a lot of fun. The instructors will take you step by step to create your own unique version of the chosen picture for that day. They have templates you can trace to get started if you are not comfortable free-handing the design. Our instructor Kerri made sure to tell us that these paintings are ours and so you are free to make your art as personal as you want. We were painting a funky peacock and if you wanted a pink peacock instead of a blue one go for it! I appreciate this free flowing format to the class, it allows you to truly love your work. Everyone gets together for a group picture at the end of the class in front of their Color Wheel. Spirited Art in right next to Wine Loft so they had a waitress available to us for drinks and food. You can also BYOB for a $10 per bottle cork fee. I saw tons of other neat pictures on the walls so there may be more painting classes in my future. I also got a rewards card which will earn you points towards a free class. If you are looking for a fun activity with friends or just want to tap your inner artist check out Spirited Art in Short Pump.

My dear wife received a gift certificate to attend a cooking class at The Kitchen Classroom and…read moreasked if I would like to join her. Saying yes was a good decision. We had a lot of fun and made some really delicious food! The classroom space itself is large, with multiple prep areas, storage, and teaching table. There is a dining table that seated twelve (our class was 10.) You are greeted with water and the option to purchase beer or wine by the glass or bottle. After a quick walk through you form teams of three or four and set about preparing the entire menu (in other words, it is NOT one station prepping the main course while another group is limited to boiling pasta.) All the mis-en-place has been set out so all the measuring is already done, but the rest is hands on mixing, cooking, plating, etc. The instructor orally delivers instructions and walks around to catch anything going astray. The class was two hours long. Our menu was on the theme "Italian Classics." Items to be prepared were Chicken Piccata, Artichoke Bruschetta, Bucatini in Creamy Pecorino Sauce, and Chocolate Budino. I won't review the food -- it would be a review of our own cooking -- but I will say that preparing it was easy with guidance and tasted absolutely delicious! Each work group eats their own prepared food but at a communal table. The crew also boxes up anything extra that is left from your prep., like extra bruschetta topping or leftover pasta, to be divided up as each work group sees fit. And I didn't have to wash dishes! My wife is the chef in the family, I am never going to cook at her level. But this class was not beyond my abilities and made me completely at ease. Can't wait to go back for other classes here!

My husband and I came here for date night recently. It was Chinese food and it was fantastic! The…read moreinstructor was funny and make it really easy for us. It was a lot of fun and not to mention came out delicious! We definitely will be back for another date night.

I'd never heard of this store before but it looked neat and I went in to check it out. It was well…read moreorganized and clean. It had lots of toys and collectibles for older children to adults. There were some franchises I recognized like My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, and Care Bears, and some based on Disney characters and Sanrio (Hello Kitty). This seems like a great place to get gifts for people who are interested in these characters as it has some unusual items related to them like makeup, stickers, and fashion accessories. They had blind boxes as well, but not everything has prices on them and I didn't want to keep asking how much everything was. It looked like it had just opened in this location so maybe they weren't finished setting up.

Myrah is so sweet and she is very helpful when I don't understand things. She is amazing!read more

Very friendly and helpful staff. Answered my questions about machines while shopping around for…read moreone, and fantastic selection of fabrics, needles, threads and more.

overall not a very welcoming store. The ladies a somewhat friendly but the owner is a bit a a…read morecrabby patty. Won't be going back anytime soon!

I needed a frame for a local breweries-styled print I received on Christmas (it was from local…read moremerchant Twig in Lakeside), so I brought the print with me and headed into Michael's. After testing it with several frames, I opted for a fairly priced classic brown and black frame. It had two hooks in the back, so I checked the picture-frame hardware aisle for other options. Command Strips were one, but after speaking with one of the ladies in the custom frame department, she recommended some of the metal twine. She had some extra, so she cut off a piece for me and threaded it through. Definitely above and beyond! It's been hanging right next to my front door ever since, and people comment on it when they walk in. It's actually my only framed hanging print in my apartment -- all others are canvas prints.

Michaels has every craft and art item that I have ever needed. It's the best countrywide art store…read morethat I have ever seen. GO TO MICHAELS

Good selection of fabrics, but terrible customer service at this location. They do not stand behind…read moretheir work, so if you're unhappy with the results for any reason, your sales associate will suddenly ghost you, and the manager will attempt to convince you that YOU are wrong. I've spent tens of thousands of dollars at various Calico locations over the years. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

I had a great experience at Calico picking out fabrics and having throw pillows made! I worked with…read moreKelly and we had such a blast! She was so incredibly helpful with all of the details, from helping to choose coordinating fabrics and pillow sizes, to making sure the assembled pillows were perfect when they came in. It was clear to me that all of the staff at Calico love what they do and helping clients design pieces they will love. I can't wait to come back and find new ways to use more of their beautiful fabrics! Thank you Kelly, Tonya and Calico!!

Need to change your schedule online. I came to get something really quick and ended up waiting.read more

I popped in this greeting card store because I got a coupon for a free wallet!! Coupon Queen…read morestrikes again! Score! The wallet was super cool, a full size Aztec design retailing for $14.99, thanks Counts Hallmark! We were given a promotional fortune cookie upon entry, inside was another coupon for in-store discounts! The salesperson was very friendly and hospitable guiding us to various departments. My friend and I then browsed the store (hey, the coupon is how they get you in, but it's a good marketing strategy) and found that this is much more than a greeting card shop. My friend purchased a cute garden flag, they some nice choices. Need a nice gift for someone? This store has a great selection of mugs, stationery, jewelry, figurines, toys, collectibles, candles, scarves, ornaments, gourmet candy and more. It's well stocked with gift bags and wrapping too. (The gift wrap was a little high priced, I usually get mine at the dollar store). Hallmark is well, the hallmark of the greeting card industry. They set their standards high and this store definitely lives up to that name. It has my stamp of approval. The additional items we bought were 20% off with my coupon (this is how we do it!) so we felt satisfied with our visit! The cashier