I normally don't leave bad reviews, but what happened to my sisters and me at Shara's shop was so upsetting that I feel like people should know. To preface, we love thrifting and Vintage shopping. We go all the time and wanted to check out Antique Row. My sister has been to this area before & has purchased many items at various shops & wanted to show us around. Today, we were simply browsing for some rings. Shara, the owner of Red Studio, was very friendly at first, but the moment she noticed that we took interest in a few items, we noticed her entire attitude changed. We could sense something was off, so we made certain to put items that we tried on right back in front of her just to avoid any possible misunderstandings. The girls continued to try on the rings to see which ones they liked, but I left to browse another small book shop right across. That was when my sister called me on my phone to come back because Shara had accused us of stealing 8 rings. She also said that we stole some gold ones too, which made zero sense because none of us were interested in gold, period. First, she said we took 8, then looked around and said 6, then 4, then suddenly 2. Her story kept changing every time she spoke. We were even looking around, trying to help her find the rings she thought we stole. Another important note, there were at least 3 other customers in her shop while we were there. Just older and probably fits her typical customer demographic. So then she said she was going to call the police. Which was totally fine for us; in fact, we calmly offered to call for her. The moment I told her that I was going to call, she told us that we should just leave. If she genuinely believed that we stole anything, then why would she tell us to leave rather than tell us to wait for the police? We did leave her store, but not the area. We waited right outside for 40 minutes in the 40-degree cold with another nearby shop owner because we didn't even want to get into our car and have her accuse us again of "hiding" something. When the police finally came, we all went inside, and they talked to her. The police officers even noticed that she couldn't keep her own story straight. She went from "they stole 6 rings" back to 4 again. She was extremely defensive, uncooperative, and refused to give the police any form of ID. She even started to yell at them and came outside to take a picture of us just quietly standing there, even after being told not to by the police. She said she was going to post the pictures on Facebook. Earlier, she mentioned that she had recorded us, but when the police asked for video footage, she said she didn't have any. When the officers asked her what was supposedly stolen and where from, she claimed that she had already "refilled the items," Which also makes no sense. If something was missing and she knew the police were coming, then why would you refill the spot instead of keeping it "empty" and showing them the evidence? It honestly seemed like she misplaced things herself and/or did not realize there were other customers who had been in and out of the store. She insisted we were the only ones inside when there were definitely other shoppers coming in and out. She probably did not notice since she was so fixated on us. The part that really hurt us the most was when my sister had mentioned that she was planning to buy a few rings that she thought were cute, and Shara snapped back and said, " No, you weren't, you were just going to take them." The implication was extremely clear. She judged us based on our age, our race, and especially our appearance. The entire situation made us feel targeted and was extremely biased. We walked into Antique Row excited for a relaxing day of antiquing. Instead, we left her shop feeling humiliated, stereotyped, and disrespected for absolutely no reason at all. No one deserves to be treated like that. read more

I walked into her shop and instantly knew she was "my" kind of artist. ALL her pieces are amazing, interesting, creative, and have movement, life, interest, beautiful color combinations, texture, etc etc I spent some time just looking at her art in the way one would do at an art gallery, because a lot of it just speaks to you, in the color choices, the movement of the ink, paint, sculpture. The texture choices, the mixed media choices. I knew I wanted to buy some pieces and also know I'll go back to buy more. While looking, I appreciated that she at first allowed me to look at things silently (I feel overwhelmed when the sellers in small spaces immediately walk up when I haven't gotten a chance to look!) She came in again later and let me know I could ask about anything when I'd like to, and I took the opportunity to just let her know how much I love her art. This led to some wonderful conversations, and I discovered she has two rooms, and it was great finding that out. She has larger and smaller paintings, sculptures, jewelry, glass pieces, lamps, and more. The flower lamps are interesting to look at and aren't my style but I appreciate the way she explores texture and knew a few friends who would adore the lamps. I was drawn to most of her paintings. Her glass pieces, and sculptures We chatted about her balance of darker pieces - what she said "some people call creepy" but what I personally and what she personally do not find to be creepy. Some folx find darker tonet art as such, whereas we both just find it to be an exploration of something that exists I personally love art that balances dark and light, both in color but in concept or feeling. My home is filled with such pieces, and I loved that I found an artist that combined both in some pieces, and leaned one way or the other in others. I look forward to going back to buy: more paintings, some glass pieces, and some sculpture. We also talked about how she enjoys exploring different mediums, testing textures, seeing what goes well together. Some of the paintings were really beautiful and she collected some other print images on top. I've never seen these before and I really appreciated their uniqueness. She acknowledged some of her art is for a specific audience and others are for more to enjoy. And I just love that she is allowing herself to express herself and explore, and finding the balance for her joy as well and trying to find the people who connect with her artwork. I think she definitely would be of interest for anyone who loves modern art, AND anyone who likes classical pieces and then for her more "classical pieces", she has sort of "impressionistic", emotive paintings. As well as ink based and paint + wax. She also sells jewelry which I honestly didn't even dive into since I was so enthralled by everything else! Finally, I just really loved and appreciated our conversations. I loved hearing more about her perspective. The way she works, and some of her life history read more

Red Studio Gallery - Ink, forest piece - Art Galleries Near Me - Kensington, Maryland

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Very artistic and beautiful selection Something for everyone. The owner is very nice!

Excellent service. Wonderfully quirky. Showstopper pieces for you and your home. Unique Jewelry and home décor.

Avoid. The owner is racist. My 13 year old daughter had her first...and hopefully only experience with being racially profiled. I went into discuss the incident the next day and the owner was rude and dismissive. Very hurtful to a child that literally went into shop. I had previously purchased a lamp that sits in her room and she asked to go with a friend to purchase some additional accessories after school. Terrible and quite traumatic. She treated her like was a thief. Terrible read more

The woman who runs this store is flat out rude and nasty and is a curse to all of other merchants because her attitude and demeanor could drive anyone away from this market. I was not even there to look at her items. I was standing there in the hallway with my pregnant friend and I had my 18 month old baby in a stroller. We were looking at books from the beautiful French bookstore, because there was a bookshelf in the hallway. All of a sudden, the owner of red door came over to me and said in a very rude voice, "do not block this hallway."It's funny that she said this, because there was nobody there- we were literally the only patrons inside of this shopping area. There were no patrons at all, and beside that, it's a little surprising that she couldn't see that we were there for a purpose, to see the French books, and there was no intent to block the doorway or cause any damage. As I was trying to move and maneuver out of the narrow space with my stroller, I turned around and my backpack accidentally brushed against a display of old postcards that she had , and she yelled at me not to hit the display. At this point, I told her she was rude and didn't deserve my business or anyone else's. I was simply minding my own business, looking at the books from the French store, and the witch from red door ruined my experience. The other merchants in this place ought to have a talk with her because she is a bane. read more

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Never go to this hole in the wall! Shara makes jewelry that is bad quality but looks good. She glues things together and they break apart after wearing them once. She accepts no returns and only repairs her jewelry for a fee. Imagine, she would not glue some pieces of a $35 necklace unless I paid her $25. Shara is wonderful when she wants you to buy her products, but when I took the jewelry(2 necklaces) back to her to fix, she was a different person. She was absolutely rude and told me that I lied about when I had bought the jewelry and that I had mishandled the jewelry. read more

The woman who runs this booth is very rude and the other sellers should be aware that she scares off potential customers. My sons and I were on antique row shopping for my oldest son's birthday. He loves antiques and my younger son loves accessories. My younger son was admiring the ring selection at the Red Studio booth and wanted to purchase a ring that had a frog on it. The woman ran out from her booth and yelled at my son that he could not buy a ring because they weren't for children. The ring design was a frog with big eyes and a silver tongue piece that stuck out and moved side to side. I was going to buy it for him, but I was so appalled by the way she treated my son that we stormed off without purchasing anything from any of the booths. I recommend that the other sellers speak to this woman about her horrid treatment of potential buyers. Her booth is one of the first ones when customers walk into the building. I see from other reviews that she has a history of treating customers poorly. It's a shame that she has such a negative impact on the shopping experience of Antique Row in Kensington, MD. read more

Miss Shara's work displayed at the front store immediately caught my attention, and I'm so glad I came across her and her art! They are truly beautiful, and breathtaking. Miss Shara is such a nice person, and delightful to talk to, that I knew I had to have one of her works! read more

Red Studio Gallery - A corner in her shop, displaying several of her beautiful art! - Art Galleries Near Me - Kensington, Maryland

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I used to live a little over a mile from the Studio and would run by daily to train for races. I loved to look in the window and see the new things at the gallery. It seemed to change either daily or weekly. When I finally went into the shop, I fell in love with the art because it was always fresh and new. I became friendly with Shara, the owner and artist. She has a great outlook on life and is great to talk to. I have taken classes from Shara and I still keep in touch, even though I moved to Rhode Island. I have bought many pieces and have been inspired many times by her and her art. If you have time on a Saturday when the farmers market is in session, or even a pick-me-up from the winter gloom, you owe it to yourself to stop by and check out this awesome spot! read more

Shara is an amazing and evolutionary artist with a strong body of work. My husband and I love this studio. Her artwork really speaks to us. We often find ourselves stopping by to visit Shara and purchase new pieces. She is so easy to talk with and has a delightful personality. If you are in the market for original art, check out the Red Studio. You won't be disappointed. There is something for everyone. read more

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Our visit with Shara could not have been more delightful! She talks you through the creation of each piece and artfully assist you in picking the perfect one for you. When we were unable to find just the right earrings for one of the TWO necklaces I purchased, Shara made a pair for me a mailed them as a gift! Her art and her heart are beautiful! read more

What an awesome day we had at Red! Danielle made my 12-year-olds birthday painting party absolutely perfect! From the time spent understanding my daughter's interest and personalizing her package to meet our needs to the very fun atmosphere ... It was the PERFECT party for our Tweens. Each child received personalized attention tailored to their interest and skill level and left proud of their masterpiece. Her patient approach balanced art lesson with the guidance necessary to keep a group of girls on task. They learned, laughed and discovered untapped abilities. I highly recommend Red for a party or painting lessons. You won't regret it! read more

I love Modern Art, and this studio is full of it! Beautiful!!

It would be hard to overstate the versatility and creativity of this mixed media artist. Her necklaces and earrings are spectacular and totally unique. Her collage paintings are evocative, iconic. Her wire sculptures--both minature and often lit with tiny lights and bold garden pieces--are witty and beautifully designed. I insist on taking visitors to Red Studio and they are always grateful. Not only is the selection of works impressive, prices are extremely reasonable. read more