I went there for what I thought would be a cute interactive date. It was the experience I'd hoped for. I bought a Groupon for two for the pottery wheel. The experience wasn't as "hands on" as I had hoped and the service from the young women there got increasing worse. The space was very hot as their AC wasn't working and the staff complained about it far more than what was necessary particularly because they couldn't do anything about it. The Groupon did not include having your creations fired although we were told we could come back and paint them in their studio after they dried. This isn't an experience I'd recommend. If anything, going to paint their already made pottery could be a more enjoyable option. read more

Recreational Art Studio - Art Schools Near Me - Harrisburg, North Carolina

If I could give zero stars I would. This place is a total scam. I bought a groupon for my moms Christmas present. It was all booked for months and when I was finally able to get in they cancelled our appointment the day of. We were able to reschedule a month later but got caught in traffic (we drove 1.5 hrs), sent a text to let them know we were on our way but would be 15mins late. Showed up & instructor refused to accommodate us. My mom was literally heart broken! read more

Recreational Art Studio - Canceling class THE DAY OF! - Art Schools Near Me - Harrisburg, North Carolina

This is a deal we found on Groupon. I enjoyed our instructor , Kimberly. It was fun and she was very helpful . There is an additional $10 fee to have it fired to be able to paint it. If not you have to take it with you to dry then come back another day to paint it . I don't now if we will come back just to paint it. read more

I love this place. Me and my children had so much fun painting. You really feel like your at home. You pick your item you want to paint, pick your colors , and the brushes and water are already at your table for you. After your done painting you leave it there and the will put it in the kindle. You pick it up 7-10 days later. They have kids seats and smocks to use. The owner was so kind and didn't mind my daughter being a little messy and when my infant started getting fussy and my 2 year old needed attention at the same time she came over and help me out! she just wanted us to enjoy our time both me and the girls. They also offer lots of other services. I really want to take the pottery wheels class looks so fun! So will review back when I use that service. Plan on returning loved this place! read more

Recreational Art Studio - Moms mug - Art Schools Near Me - Harrisburg, North Carolina

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My son and I took a pottery class. The class itself was fine, albeit pretty pricey. We had to pay extra to have our pieces fired as we really loved what we finished. I've been trying to reach them for MONTHS to come paint or just to pick up our pieces and I guess I wasted a lot of time and money as this business has seemed to have disappeared. Super disappointed. :( read more

Kimberly was the art teacher and very helpful.. The experience as a whole was super fun and I would definitely go back.. If you're looking for a nice date night activity then I definitely recommend this one. read more

** BEWARE!! @ new Concord Location (Recreational Art Studio) Long, but worth the read. ** My sister, my mom, and myself went here on 11/23 to paint the ceramic Christmas tree for the class they were offering. Upon arriving, we are told they did not have the Christmas trees that my sister had ordered that they promised would be there! They quickly found some extras in the back, though, so no biggie. There was no guided instructions by the instructor on what to do and the brushes were very worn with little to no paint, which as the last reviewer who gave a bad review stated. I have never painted pottery before and my mom made it known she hadn't, but still VERY MINIMAL help/advice. Now getting to the pick up part, I arrived on 12/7 @ 6:30PM to pick up my tree and my sisters after the fire glazing process. Upon arriving, I wanted to buy some pottery for my kids and put snow on my tree, but I was told they had a class at 7 PM (which was nowhere on social media stating they were closing early, just a hand made sign on the door) and they had to set up for it, so I wouldn't have time. I just picked the trees up and left. It wasn't until I got home and started unboxing my tree that I noticed a rather large crack on my tree and that I was missing the light to it. It was packaged very well, so this crack could not have happened in transit and it's a crack you would definitely notice while painting. I also put my name on my stand and on my tree, but my tree only has my name on it which I'm afraid it could have possibly been dropped and they tried to cover it up hence the crack on my actual tree? I don't know, because I have messaged the page directly here on Facebook, I have called and left a voicemail, I have even reached out to the old page (the pottery cottage) to have this addressed and especially pick up my light that I'm missing for it!! I will attach pictures here. It's been 48+ hours and NO RESPONSE OR CALL BACK. Yet, the messages have been read from both pages. I also live about 35 minutes away one way. Please do not waste your money! Unfortunately, I made the mistake of paying in cash ($60) and was not given a receipt. I finally got in contact with them and they said they would make it right they just had to order a new piece. Never heard back from them since last communication almost a month ago - remembered I haven't heard back from them, so went to check and saw they had blocked me. So instead of making it right like a business should do, they just treat customers like this. AVOID AT ALL COSTS! read more

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I love The Pottery Cottage! I have been coming to paint here for several years and I can honestly say-- the new location is fantastic! There is a much better selection of pieces to paint and the prices are very reasonable. The staff has always been helpful and friendly. Check it out! read more

My boyfriend and I were in Charlotte for the weekend and saw this on Groupon and decided to do it since we've always wanted to. This was seriously so much fun. The class was just me and him, it was a Sunday, our instructor Kristin, made the experience even better. It was a fun date, experience, overall a great time. If you're thinking about doing it, DO IT! Will definitely be back. read more

We bought the groupon for the clay making class for 2. My husband and I went and we were really excited. The actually "class" portion was a HUGE disappointment. There was no class. We walked in to the pottery wheel, and all the girl told us to do was "make sure you keep your hands on it at all times and make sure you keep it wet". That was the only directions she gave us, she did not teach us what we were suppose to do, how to change the speed of the wheel, she didn't not even tell us to let her know when we were done. She walked out of the room for most of it, so my husband and I were just kind winging it. I was really upset cause my bowl ended up caving in, and the girl came in and said " if you mess up again you wont have anything". She did not try to help by giving me hints of how to fix it, she pretty much just blamed me for messing up even though I had no idea what I was doing. She also told me it was too wet, and then told me I wasn't using enough water. So I was really confused. I feel like she was really young and not interested in teaching us how to do anything, which I thought since we paid so much money that we would LEARN how to make our bowls because it did say class. I was just very disappointed with the whole experience because my bowl was not even a bowl and I felt like I could have done that on my own, since i got NO help. I will say the girl that taught us how to use the dry clay making was a little more helpful and she actually went through steps to teach us a little of what we were doing. I would def not recommend this place to anyone if they wanted a fun experience to learn to use a pottery wheel. Been trying to get in contact with the owner but they do not seem to ever be around. I was really hoping this would be better than what it was. read more

Went in last Saturday with a Groupon. The instructor led a tutorial session before our small class of six people began our wheel time. The instructor also floated the room as we work in the wheels. I learned so much! I know I'll be going back for more! read more

I loved this little place! We got the groupon, brought some beer, wine and music and got the whole party room to ourselves on a Friday and Saturday night (took us two times to finish). Staff was so funny and helpful! We had a great time and think this is a great relaxing place for night out w friends. read more

Fantastic place to get out and do something different. Been here two times now and everyone is always fantastic. They're adding new pottery things this month and they're always helpful. Definitely check it out and BYOB for a good time! read more

I took a class with a deal on Groupon. It really wasn't a class - it was someone showing you a few tips and then they left and went on to help another class. At the end you don't get a fired piece, but I went ahead and PAID to have it fired. It took the class last July and they NEVER called me back to pick up the pieces to paint. I called several times and they said just call back. Finally they said they didn't have them AND wouldn't give me back my money. Would NEVER go back or recommend! read more

I have seen a mixed bag of reviews for this place but I have to say my experience there was great. I went on a Saturday and there were only 2 people working but they were very helpful. I was told my piece would be ready in 10-14 days and in a little over 2 weeks I got a call saying my stuff was done and it took longer than expected because of a kiln malfunction which is understandable (if you know anything at all about the lifespan of a kiln). Their prices are really great and they have a wide selection of glazes (paints) to choose from. I imagine this place would be fun for all adults and children of all ages. read more

This place was truly a disappointment. We did the pottery class using a Groupon. The girl ran through the instructions and we had to keep calling her back to give us more hands on instructions because of course, we didn't know what we were doing. She was nice but just not really helpful. The major disappointment came with waiting for our items. We made the pottery back in October 2018 and just found out that it is now ready. Anyone with the internet knows that it does not take 3 months for the clay to dry out so it could be fired. I called constantly and was constantly told it'll be one more week. I finally got the owner involved. Even the owner tried to make excuses. I still need to paint the pottery, so I wonder how much longer I'll have to wait for that to be finished. I would not recommend this place at all. Save yourself some money, time and aggravation. read more

Do not recommend this business at all. Had a birthday party for my 9 year old daughter on Sept 7th 2014. The party was ok but nothing that followed has been. First, I never received a single phone call and I was guaranteed that I would. Even after placing several calls to the business, my phone never rang. I was told that our pottery would be ready in 7-10 days. At the 14 day mark I phoned. Again at the 21 day mark and finally, after a month, the pottery was finished but again, no one called to tell me. I spoke to several different people over the course of the month, all of whom expressed to me that they did not know what the problem was nor why our party pieces were not ready. Finally, after a full month, I am told that I can pick up the pottery and, although she was standing 2 feet from me, the manager never offered to look at me. She grumbled that she was going to call me and then walked outside to talk with someone else. When I arrived home and opened our pieces, my daughters birthday plate was incorrect, color and all. I phoned again to express my dissatisfaction and told them that I wanted a replacement plate or a refund of some of the costs of the party and guess what, my phone has not rang. Terrible, terrible customer service. My friend said "They already got their money so they don't care" and I guess that is true. I have given them several opportunities to correct the problem and they have not even attempted to call me back the first time. Very unhappy and now my daughter doesn't even have her birthday plate read more

Great for children, not so great for adults. I went with my 8 year old daughter who had been there before but I had not and I told the lady working there this.There were many pieces that were not priced so the woman had to keep calling someone, I assume the owner, to get prices. I was given no instruction so I just assumed okay, you just paint it. That easy. No ! At each table, there was a container of paint brushes that were in pretty poor shape and as soon as I started to paint, I got these nasty clumps all over my pottery. I told the woman this and she said there may have been some acrylic left in the brush . So I've now pretty much ruined my $16.00 plate. She gave me another brush which worked fine, 2nd brush I tried, same thing. She gave me some newly washed brushes but by then my piece was already looking pretty bad. I gave up and painted over the mess and handed in for curing a pretty awful looking plate. I tried to remind myself that this was quality time for my daughter and I but I also wanted to make something useful and at least semi-nice looking for the $16.00 I paid. Bottom line,some clean brushes, instruction and an offer of a replacement plate would make all the difference. read more

I was very happy at first when I saw the prices, they are very competitive with other pottery places in the area. You can actually afford to get a few piece unlike other places around. We purchased several pieces and we then went to pick up the paint. The area to pick up the paint was awful. There was hardly any paint there(missing entire colors like skews entirely), and majority of the bottles were just empty. The bottles that were there were not labeled correctly. There was a sample painted piece in front with a number (the bottles were to be behind them with corresponding labels) but the numbers on the bottle didn't match. They didn't have half of the colors I wanted and when I picked up my finished items some of the colors didn't come out as I had hoped because the bottles weren't labeled correctly. As it stands now I wouldn't go back, but I would give another chance if I heard their paint selection had improved. read more

This place is such a good idea. It is too bad that the customer service is so poor. I have been twice in the last 6 weeks. The first time I went their stock was low, and they were out of a lot of glazes. We were told they were updating stock and a shipment was coming in. So we returned about a week ago. Even fewer glazes, and it did not look like they had restocked any of the pottery. Most of the glazes did not have glazed tiles that show what color it actually turns out after being fired which is information that I am sure most people would be interested in, The prices are not clearly marked many times, which means you have to ask for a price, but then when going to pay have been told a different price. Both times the only staff that was seen were young high school kids that clearly needed some supervision or training. All of that said and done, I might would return, however, Wednesday of this past week, someone who identified themselves as the Program Director accused my friends and I of lying, and was very argumenative. Here is the situation. 6 weeks ago we went with a group. When we went back last week, we saw our pieces from when we went with the group sitting on the shelf. They had already been fired. We asked one of the staff if it would be possible for us to take our pieces with us since we were there. She advised us that was fine. A short while later she came to us and advised that there was nothing attached to the order identifying the pieces. We assured her that another young girl had gone around to each table, written down a description for each piece with our name. Mine had special instructions for me to pick up separate from the group since I live right around the corner. She then showed us all the paperwork she had which consisted of one receipt and one piece of yellow paper that had no descriptions on it. She further advised that the pieces had been just sitting there because they could not identify who they belonged to. She asked us if we would be able to identify our pieces, and she would grind the sharp edges off, wash them and package them for us to take with us. We said sure and pulled our 6 pieces off the shelf for her and sat on the counter, these are the only pieces we touched, nothing else was even moved to get to our pieces. She cleaned them up and brought them to us later in the evening. When my friend looked at her piece, which was a music box, she saw that the music element had not been included in the bag, so she called The Pottery Cottage to see what she needed to do to get the music element. She first spoke with one of the young employees who argued with her that it was not a music box, that the hole on top was for the kiln not a music box, this employee was not able to help at all and said she would have owner call. Three days later no call so my friend called again about the music box. She then spoke with the Program Director. This person told her they did not have the music box (I was standing next to her when she asked about the music box the night she picked this piece to glaze and she was assued they had all the parts) When she realized the music box was part of the group order they had lost all the information on, the Director proceeded to tell her that we had messed up the entire order by picking up our pieces. My friend tried to explain that we asked and were told it was ok. The Director said that we were wrong, that their employees did not know that they shouldn't allow the pieces to be picked up, and because their employee allowed us to take individual pieces from a group we had ruined the order. What??? She went on to say she had interviewed everyone working that night and they all denied everything and apparently said we went back on our own, took the pieces, and I guess somehow ground the sharp edges off, washed and packaged in their bubble wrap and brown paper bag, all without anyone having a clue as to what was going on. If the "Director" treats her staff half as bad as she has treated my friend, it is no wonder they lied, they were probably terrified, although I seriously doubt she actually has spoken with anyone that was working that night. I think she saw this as an opportunity to shift the blame for their screw up to a customer, although I cannot figure out how taking a couple of pieces out of an order would mess up the entire order. I suggest that they stock the glazes and provide a tile for each glaze showing what color you will end up with. I suggest some training for the staff, all I have seen in there are young girls, probably high school, most of them are very nice, but really cannot answer many questions. They Need to invest in some new brushes. I suggest getting some stock in. But most of all try treating your customers with some respect, they are the reason you have a job. I was advised that Kaitlyn, the Studio Manager, did in fact take care of our order today except for the music box. read more

We had a really bad experience with my daughters 8yr party here . The teenager that was our party director was not very friendly, knowledgable, particularly good with kids and she kept disappearing leaving us wondering what to do next. The most frustrating thing was she neglected to put the 13 girls names on the bottom of pottery and since 6 or 7 of them got the same exact cat and painted them similarly it was near impossible to get the right piece to the right kid. It took several delivery trips to switch them etc and studying our pics from the party. They just gave us a list w/ incorrect descriptions of who had what. Also the party room was up very steep steps in a not so decorated or special room. They told us we would get our pottery back in 7-10 biz days but it took several phone calls and over 3 weeks to get back. We will definitely not go back or recommend and neither will the moms that were there with me as they were not impressed either. The pottery choices they give you are few as well. read more

Pottery Painting for a birthday outing, seems like a fun idea right? Not so much. After picking out pieces and sitting down an employee came over and took all our names and what pieces we had picked to look up pricing to make check-out easier. Not sure what was done with that list because at check-out an overwhelmed and confused employee left a line of people and with each person left to hunt down the price, many times not knowing where the item was and needing us to show her. Even those of us who knew the prices and shared the information got to go through this process. We had a group of 7 and during painting, an associate kept trying to scoot our table/group more in the corner to make room for other customers. At one point, one of the girls was directly in front of the wall air condition unit, hair flying trying to paint. When we brought this to the employee's attention, blank stare and she walked off. Here's the best part- we were told the pieces would be done in a week. At 2 weeks they finally came clean out my piece being warped during the firing process. I have called 7 times to get the promised refund, twice speaking with the owner, Jennifer. I was even told they would mail me my piece with the refund. 46 days later no refund or pottery. Every time I've called everyone knows the piece and situation, yet no resolution ever occurs. A waste of $ and time. Would not recommend. read more

My family loves this place. I was looking for some entertainment for visiting grandkids & found a Groupon. I took my 4 grandkids & their moms last summer & all of us painted pottery. Since 2 of my grandchildren lived out of state & I didn't want to have to ship their items, the Pottery Cottage offers a "rapid fire" for a slight charge to do it ASAP.... Later in the year, my daughter-in-law & I decided to go to one of the adult "wine & paint" classes. We really enjoyed painting a painting which now hangs in our respective homes. We both have a background in art but some others were "amateurs" & the class & instruction is structured so anyone, regardless of ability, can come away with a nice piece of art.... I got another Groupon & the grandkids, their moms, & I returned the week after Christmas. The inventory was a bit low but everyone was able to find an item to their liking. Once again everyone had a great time. I think the prices are fair. The service has always been great. Any of the personnel I've dealt with has been courteous & helpful. They don't hover. If you need hand-holding, I'm not sure how things would go. We are aged 4-65 & able to paint on our own & find what we needed. We got help & suggestions when picking out glaze. The kids had a blast & my out-of-towners asked could we make this a regular activity when they visit. (Some extra "stars" - the Groupon I got had the 'wrong' location on it even though I chose Harrisburg - their explanation was no room to list both on one page ??? but when I called Pottery Cottage to verify I could use it in Harrisburg, the manager said no problem. When we were ready to check-out the lady helping was nice enough to waive the "rapid fire" surcharge (which is usually very low anyway) because she said she'd gotten all caught up on firing pieces so none were ahead of us. We were able to pick-up our pottery in time for my out of town family's departure). Adult or child, if you're looking for a fun activity w/ a tangible item to come away with, I recommend Pottery Cottage. ((Keep in mind, this is poured bisque ware & not hand built pottery. I did see where they were going to offer pottery classes for thrown pottery.)) read more

I used The Pottery Cottage in Harrisburg for my 6 year olds birthday party this month. They did not deliver as promised. No balloons, which was included in my bill. The girl was in and out, but not very helpful. I went to pick the pieces up and she was to write everyone's name down with a description, which wasn't done. The keepsake piece, they had offered balloons or a cupcake. My daughter chose balloons. It has a cupcake instead. A lot of the pieces they could pick they only had ONE of each. My daughter didn't even get to paint what she wanted because someone else at the party grabbed the only one. And then upon picking up the pieces, I asked to leave 2 pieces there for the families to pick up and the lady said she was afraid they would get lost. I contacted the owner almost 2 weeks ago and she has yet to contact me back. I am very disappointed to say the least. My daughter's first comment with tears was I asked for the balloons. I'm in the customer service industry too, so the worst part is that the owner is ignoring the entire situation. It's a shame, because we would spend a ton of money painting there. We won't be back if they can't even call and discuss the situation or try to make it right read more