Cute little place hubby and I discovered while at the Troy Farmer's market. They had a mix of…read morevintage finds and some new trinkets; all of which were fun to peruse. We left with a cute little painting that we're going to hang in our bathroom.

Lovely place, reasonable prices. The service from the staff was great and they were friendly and…read morevery knowledgeable.

I took my boyfriend here as a surprise for his 21st birthday. It was the both of ours first time…read morewheel turning and we went in completely clueless but Bianca was very patient and helped us make beautiful pottery together! Not to mention I booked an appointment last minute and she was still able to get us in for an amazing afternoon. I highly, highly recommend The Broken Mold if you're a first timer or even if you want to take classes as this is a great, friendly, local business. Also the prices were great for the services/products you receive and you should definitely check out the shop as it's filled with gorgeous plates, bowls, cups and even earrings. I loved my experience here!!

Fantastic 1st experience at The Broken Mold. Bianca provided excellent initial instruction and…read moreguidance as we each created our first clay 'masterpiece!' This needs to be at least a yearly event!

I took a glass blowing class with my boyfriend. Raj was very patient and kind while working with us…read more(beginners) and answered our many questions. We had lots of fun and finally got to cross something off our bucket list. I definitely recommend!

I've came here multiple times, spent couple thousand of dollars, referred dozens of people here and…read moreeven was considering blowing glass here for a short period of time. With a few years of good service, you would think the owner would work with you when you need an easy 20$ joint fix but nope not Phil! He told me he could "make a piece worth the same in the same amount of time it would have taken to fix a 10mm clean joint break". Considering the price was 100$ for a 15 minute job, I'm sorry, but if you wanna get overcharged and work with someone who will never budge no matter how much money you put into this mans pocket come here !!!! Have had better experiences with other local head shops but will not name .

Staff wasn't helpful after Rebecca left. Had to ask for everything, outrageous prices, super messy.read more

This was a fairly standard paint your own pottery place - nice big tables, lots of choices in…read morepottery & paints. What makes it even better is the glass art option - so much beautiful glass to work with! I can't wait to go back for that! The pottery was our goal - so did that. No rushing around, great music playing just loudly enough. Fun time!

Lots of cool Albany swag. Even if you live here, you'll want a sweatshirt! Or a shot glass with…read moreNipper on it. Lots of unique things too, from body butter to bar tender essentials to books about Albany. Stop by and browse! It's a small boutique located in downtown on Broadway.

While I do understand that the ownership has changed and inevitably will give the store a different…read morevibe, my main issue has been that in the times I have been into this store since the change in ownership and management, the staff has been unpleasant and on one occasion in particular, made my friend and I feel very uncomfortable as she had a loud and extremely personal phone call during the entire time we were in the store without even acknowledging that we were there at all. I do think the selection has always been great, and I appreciate the emphasis on supporting local work, although that also seems to have changed a bit since the change. It is a pricey location for most things, but I do always enjoy seeing what is in the store, the card selection is consistently excellent, and it is a great place to find a gift!

I'm happy to support this local, family-owned business, not only for the aforementioned reasons but…read morealso because their employees are both knowledgeable and helpful. I tend to come in to have prints matted and/or framed. Archival materials are the norm. The staff will also mat to ready-made frame sizes or custom. Their training also makes choosing mats easier. "Do you want bright white or eggshell white?" "Let's look at them together." Additionally, they offer to amend things that I didn't notice. A print I asked to have matted and framed was slightly curved. I was assured the print would be flattened prior to being matted and framed so it would sit more snugly. I'm sure most customers would appreciate that attention to detail. Here's to hoping this establishment continues to provide goods and services to this community for a long time to come.

This store has been around for years and always has a great selection of products. My mom loves…read moreadult coloring books and comes here to stock up on assorted color pencils. They sell the pencils individually so she can selectively restock the ones she runs out of most. Apparently, green is the most frequently used color for all the grass in landscapes so she can buy individual ones here very reasonably instead of buying a whole new package of pencils. They also have a nice selection of gift items like small pouches, reusable bags, socks, cards and assorted small art themed things. The selection of easels is extensive and includes table easels and standing easels. Tons of canvas, paints and paint brushes. Prices are reasonable. I found the staff a little overbearing (they greeted me multiple times) when I entered the store but were friendly at checkout. Highly recommend.

My kids had received gift certificates here and today we went to check out the place. The short…read moreversion of this review is: my kids loved it here! The space is very open and bright. There are tables/chairs set up around the room waiting for painters to sit at. The walls are lined with shelves of blank pottery to choose from. There are items such as plates, mugs, teapots, and vases. There are dinosaurs, bears, cars, treasure boxes, princess crowns, and a variety of coin banks. There was even a holiday section with Santa bowls, Rudolf plates, trees, and ornaments. There is something for everyone from kids to adults. It would really surprise me if someone couldn't find a piece to paint. There are art books, stencils, and stamps to help get your creativity flowing. The paints are a variety of beautiful colors - and there even is a tile showing how each paint looks when it dries (which was extremely helpful). The only down side might be the parking but that really is a stretch. There were only a few spots in front of the store - BUT there is more parking down behind the shop. Do not be deterred by the parking! My kids loved it here and they ended up spending 2-3 hours happily working on their projects. The owner is very helpful and came by often to refresh our water bowls. In one week the pieces will be ready for pick up and my children can't wait to see their creations glazed and fired. I really am genuinely happy this business has come in. It was a nice way to spend a few hours and I can easily see groups gathering here.

Last weekend, we held our daughter's 13th birthday party at Piece d'Occasion. Nine girls, including…read morethe birthday girl. It was a huge success, due in no small part to Heather's efforts. When we arrived shortly before the party, we found the place done up lovingly with balloons, a table nicely decorated for the girls, and another table set up for presents, with a commemorative plate for the occasion that all the girls got to sign, with our daughter's name already beautifully painted on it. Her favorite music was playing, too, with a custom playlist that Heather created for her based on her preferences. Once the girls finished catching up with each other, Heather led the girls through the process. There was a huge selection of figures for painting, and, of course, all the painting and decorating supplies the girls needed. While they worked, they were given glitter tattoos, which they went nuts for (what is it about glitter?). When the girls finished their pieces, they got their pizza (included in the price) and then we brought out the cake, and the party wound to a close. It went a few minutes over, but Heather was very understanding about it. The girls had a terrific time. My wife and I were delighted with everything, and Heather was wonderful to work with. The price was more than reasonable for what we got. We'd celebrate another birthday here in a heartbeat; in fact, we very well may, when our girl's 14th birthday rolls around!

Despite my curmudgeonly facade, I really, really prefer to buy local, and to support small…read morecompanies and artists. However, I really feel like the Capital Region doesn't make it really easy for people to practice this. Yes, there are a few farmers' markets, but everything is so ridiculously overpriced, I just can't justify adding even a lowly bag of spinach into my budget. There's also an "independent" used book store around the corner from my place, but they specialize in text books for the local colleges, and are often more expensive than the UAlbany bookstore. Don't even get me started on the independent coffee houses and restaurants. It's like someone thinks that the people around here have really deep pockets. And while there surely are those people who do (politicians, etc., etc.), there are enough colleges within city limits to make the argument that there are enough people who CARE about independent business, but can't AFFORD to support them on a student budget. The Paper Sparrow gets it. Thank GOD. This is a boutique that would fit right in in Portland's trendy Hawthorne strip. Is it out of place for Albany? Hell yeah. Not so much in historic downtown Troy, which seems to have eons more personality, but it was nonetheless an unexpected treat. On a regular basis, the Paper Sparrow boasts a rotating selection of cards, bags, hair accessories, jewelry, soap, hand-spun and dyed yarn, and doodads, all (1) HANDMADE, (2) BY LOCAL ARTISTS, and (3) TOTALLY AFFORDABLE. In fact, most of their absolutely adorable necklaces and earrings could easily be passed on at other stores in the area for a cool $30+, but here, for only $10. Some really awesome and unique hair clips for less than $5. Here, you can purchase one-of-a-kind pieces at fair prices that go right back into the community, supporting local artists. Really, I love it. It's kind of like Etsy on crack. And this is the store's mission, too. I thought that maybe it was a fluke that all this adorable stuff was so reasonable. But then I checked out their website, and it was all in their ultimate plan--making beautiful, locally made things accessible to more people. Did I mention they have a gallery space in back? They do. And they have new showings every month for Troy's Last Friday event. It's pretty fantastic, and I absolutely love what this place is doing. I really hope that it's around for a good, long time, because we honestly need more places like the Paper Sparrow around.

The woman working was so rude. Everything's so overpriced, especially considering the necklace I…read morebought fell apart after a week. Bye $79

My wife and I had been here a few times on dates, and she mentioned that it's cool that they do…read morebirthday parties.. SO I called in a reservation and got it going! The person on the phone got it in with a 50$ deposit, you need a min of 8 people which wasn't an issue. Lou was our host and they were very helpful, fun and nice. We got everything a week later and it was all wrapped up beautifully. They always have rotating items which I like. Lots of cute vintage and some creepy, cursed looking things (my fav.) The price covers the piece, supplies, and firing which I think is great. The 420 pieces are especially fun. The pricing can add up (we usually drop $60 when we go there just the two of us) but in THIS economy, and with everything you get in the overall process, it's well well worth it. Staff is always nice, place is always clean, and it's a great local business.

Wide variety of pottery and paint colors, clean studio and reasonable pricing. However, the staff…read moreseemed overly controlling and particular. Not sure why we have to write down the colors we want for them to put it on our pallets, but then later are able to refill or add new colors if we need? I don't see a difference that makes... It would also be nice to have the painting tips and tricks lesson to be optional. While I never came before this I have taken many pottery classes and made my own pieces. Having to wait for the whole studio to be ready for the lesson took away from the time I had to paint before closing. Not to mention the now extra $10 to bring it back and paint again. I can slightly understand that but all of this together I probably will choose another studio next time.