How cute is this establishment! Came in for an event and was just in awe at all the beautiful…read morethings this place has to offer! So it's an artist playground! Great way to support your local DC creatives! Come by to support!

I really enjoyed the uniqueness of this experience. I have never made soap before, but having the…read moreIntimate instruction, awesome Customer Service, in a clean and professional facility, made it something that I would definitely do again. I really enjoyed my time and encourage everyone to check out this woman owned and minority operated business.

I really enjoyed the painting event at the Meridian yesterday with Nikki teaching. She was such a…read moregreat instructor and guided us gently through the steps to create a water / lilypad piece. Nikki was very kind and encouraging (and very helpful when I needed a little bit more support). I look forward to attending and even maybe hosting future events!

Paint the Town completely dropped the ball. I spent weeks confirming headcount, party details,…read morepayments, and logistics with them. Then, on the morning of my daughter's party (scheduled for 11:30 AM), the instructor sent a vague text at 6:45 AM saying they wouldn't be able to make it and then never responded to any of my follow-ups. To make matters worse, I couldn't reach anyone at the company. I called, texted, and emailed multiple times trying to see if they could send a backup instructor or at least switch to a virtual format. Nothing. No support, no communication...just silence. Finally, I heard back from someone on Monday, asking if I wanted to reschedule. Because apparently, that's how birthday parties work? This company clearly doesn't understand the basics of customer service or event planning. I regret ever trusting them with something so important. I would not recommend Paint the Town -- look for a more reliable company that actually puts their customers first.

I was at a nearby event at one small, woman-owned business, when I was also encouraged to check out…read moreCherry Blossom. I'm glad I did. It's not a big store, but it is packed with journaling supplies, self-restoration tools (e.g., career exploration cards), cars, and items that would make really excellent gifts for family members and work colleagues. I found the perfect card for a friend about to have a baby with the kind of funny note on the front that let's both of us know, I know her. For the BuJo fans out there, the store has a wall of colorful pens and a large basket of different washi tapes plus several kinds of notebooks and journals.

Bought a neighborhood map of Seattle from their shop in the downtown DC Christmas market and it's…read morenow happily hanging in our kitchen. Given how picky we are about art and how long it takes us to get art up, that's saying a lot. The style and colors are perfect and it's a great way to remember other parts of our lives. My only complaint is that they don't have more maps to buy. As somebody who lives in the burbs of DC (I know, judge all you want), I had to pick between DC proper or past cities I'd lived in. It would be really cool to have maps of some of the closer in burbs.

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.

I was really excited to attend a ceramic class at Sio Ceramics, especially to make a "charcuterie…read moreboard" as advertised, but unfortunately, my experience didn't live up to expectations. The class started fine. We were each given a pre-rolled slab of clay to cut our desired shape from, but right from the beginning, I felt a little restricted. The instructor told us we couldn't draw designs into the clay or shape it in any way. We could only paint the top of it, which was a bit of a letdown since I was expecting more creative freedom. I was surprised to find we were only allowed to use 7 colors--black, white, blue, orange, purple, green, and red. I understand that ceramics can be tricky, but I had hoped for more variety, or at least the chance to mix my own colors. The ceramic paint doesn't look the same after firing, so I was disappointing that since we couldn't mix the colors, we would have more of a variety of options. The class was split into two tables, and it seemed like the instructor mostly focused on the other table. It felt like we had to flag her down whenever we needed help or had questions, and even then, she would go right back to the other group. When we asked about possibly using different colors or getting more help with our designs, her responses came off as a bit rude. At the end of the class, I walked away with a piece that I guess I like, but it's not really a charcuterie board--it's just a flat ceramic piece with a design I painted on it. The class didn't provide any design templates or smaller tools for fine details, so make sure you're comfortable freehanding your entire design. The brushes were too large for any intricate work, which was frustrating. The pick-up process was also strange. I was emailed Thursday that I had to pick up my piece by Sunday during a very narrow 2-hour window per day. The urgency of it felt a bit much, and I was lucky to be in town during that time. Otherwise, my piece would've been thrown away, which seemed pretty harsh for a class I paid $100 for. Overall, I don't think the experience was worth the $100 class fee. I expected more guidance and space for more creative freedom. I'm not sure I'd recommend it to others, especially if you're looking to make something really special, maybe the other classes that are offered are better experiences, but the charcuterie board one isn't.

From the owner: Sio Ceramics is a vibrant pottery studio located on the Brookland Arts Walk in Washington, DC,…read moreoffering hands-on workshops, private events, and ceramic classes for all skill levels. Founded by Makeda Smith, the studio combines traditional and modern techniques to create functional, handmade pottery while fostering connection through clay. Whether you're a beginner or experienced artist, Sio Ceramics provides a welcoming space to explore the joy of crafting. Book a workshop or private event today and create something uniquely yours!

Everyone knows that I don't give out five starts very often. A business must go way over and beyond…read moremy expectations to get all five! I have been to several paint nights and have even left in tears from one of those... that was not the case with Creative Mankind. This company travels around to different venues and offers a variety of painting options. I met up with a group of friends and we painted a Mardi Gras themed picture. Right off the bat I knew it was going to be an awesome experience. We were greeted with upbeat music and beads to celebrate the occasion. Our instructor really put a lot of thought and passion into the class ahead of time. Laying on the canvas was a template of the mask we needed to transfer to our painting. She let us know that we could "go rogue" and change up the colors and skip the sketching parts but I am way not that talented! She had one completed painting on an easel and another blank canvas for demonstration up on an elevated easel. It was visible to everyone in the room without having to stand up. She was extremely accommodating as far as time given for each step, which I really appreciated! It was fun how she would tell us how many songs she would play for us to finish each step... "okay you have two songs to do this step!" There was an assistant who walked around and offered advice and guidance which was helpful. Creative Mankind had partnered with a restaurant that offered drink specials and happy hour pricing for apps! The restaurant provided a dedicated server to us which was a nice touch. And huzzah... my painting actually looked a lot like the sample! Which for me is a huge deal because I am really not artistic or creative with paint. We were all encouraged along the way and our confidence was bolstered by telling us that everyone is an artist but we express our artistry in different ways. I was with a party of six and all of our paintings turned out different and reflected our personalities. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Creative Mankind for any event they host. They also do private parties!

I'm a remote employee in CA and work with a virtual team. We meet up on a quarterly basis in…read moreArlington, VA, (DMV area) so when we do come together, we try to make the most of our time and make it a point to sneak in some fun! For our last trip in July, I was tasked with coordinating the fun team activity and stumbled upon Creative Mankind. I was considering a couple other options, but when I started communicating with Staci (the owner and host), there was really no question that this was the activity (painting class) I wanted to plan for my team. She was so nice, so patient, and super accommodating in every way possible. She even found the most perfect venue to hold our team event (Lyon Hall). She provided all supplies, ensured the ambiance was great and lively, and her instruction was so thorough! She guided us -ever so patiently- every step of the way. We had so much fun! I would, 100% recommend Creative Mankind for your next work team event!!

I am a credentialed teacher who has worked together with Jessica in tutoring students who need…read moreextra help. Jessica has a wonderful approach to helping students understand math. She does not do homework help; she does, much much more! She helps break down anxiety and fear around learning, especially math, and shows students that math can be fun and exciting, and is connected to everything in life. Once they get over their anxiety and see how fun math can be, learning follows so quickly. Definitely contact Jessica if your child has any anxiety or resistance toward math!

I've watched Jessica provide consulting to local businesses on how to become more successful. She's…read moregot a knack for working as a teacher to help individuals and businesses achieve their potential.