Right now, you can go to the Arts & Crafts Society to get your fix of handmade woodwork, pottery,…read morescarves, shirts, table runners, bottle stoppers, purses, jewelry boxes, vases, decorative plates, spoon rests, earrings, necklaces, watercolor paintings, and... I think that's about it. This month, the members have exhibited their wares - and everything's available for a very fair price. Perfect for getting that little "New England gift" for a family member. The staff is really friendly and talkative, asking lots of questions and giving you advice on how to make your own homemade things. Also, classes are available in everything from jewelry making to ceramics (hand building AND wheel throwing!), woodworking to knitting. Very nice, and perfect for those with too much energy.

From the owner: The LexArt is a non-profit regional education center dedicated to the preservation and promotion of…read moreexcellence in both the traditional and contemporary arts and crafts. LexArt supports and inspires artists and craftsperson by providing classes and workshops for our members and for the general public in all mediums by well-known, professional instructors for adults, and teens at all levels of skill at reasonable prices. We have four fully equipped studios: Ceramics, Metalworking, Weaving & Fiber Arts, and Woodworkers. We also have areas in Painting, Photography, Need Arts, Decorative Arts, and Polymer Clay & Beading. Each month, LexArt host free exhibitions and sales of quality fine art and fine crafts created by our members and local Artists .

My favorite paint (and sip) studio! They have 2 rooms upstairs and downstairs. I've been to both…read morewith numerous different instructors at this point. What I truly appreciate about the studio is that they are BYOB so it offers more flexibility if you are going with people to coordinate bringing snacks and drinks. They ave all the supplies such as glassware (wine glasses, corkscrew), plates and napkins. My first event here was for a "Paint Your Pet". That is considered one of the special events since there are specific instructions to submit by at least ~2 weeks in advance the reference photo so they can screen print it onto the canvas so it is more of a "paint by numbers" than following the instructor since it would be challenging to paint each unique pet. They offered great guidance of how to start. Understandably depending on the fur or pet detail it may take longer. I loved how mine turned out and proudly display it at home. They also offer a reward/loyalty system and somehow I have completed enough paintings at this point to level up to "Collector" so I'm excited to redeem a free painting session. After each event they send out a review survey so if you fill it out you receive a 10% off discount code for the next booking. I also got a birthday gift code of 20% off that I used for the most recent "Autumn Porch Leaner" class. Since I've also completed so many standard canvas paintings at this point I've also branched out now into the unique long/tall paintings for a different experience. I haven't had a bad experience so far and love going to Pinot's Palette Lexington location for fun with friends and family!

Pinot's Palette mom time turned into the perfect me-time with my lovely mom friends. A splash of…read morecolors, laughter, and creativity made it such a refreshing self-care evening. Truly an awesome feeling to pause, paint, and pamper the soul together.

The Paper Mouse is a beautiful store. They stock a wide range of pens, inks, paper and gift items…read morerelated to paper products. The store is a visual delight. Everything is displayed beautifully! The people who work there are very helpful and knowledgeable about pens and inks. They really took their time helping me with my selections as I am new to the world of fountain pens. Wonderful shop.

I've been this place upwards of 50 times, the services are so wonderful, and everyone is so…read morewelcoming. Wonderful for artsy collectors and casual browsing alike.

My higher grade is more for the art center itself rather than the performances. There's always a…read moresmall exhibition at the center of the building and it's nice to see artists can work on their projects late into the night. The facilities look clean and orderly, including the bathrooms and artist studios. I liked seeing all pottery made by the various artists. I also enjoyed the theater itself. While the seating itself isn't all that special, the acoustics are quality. If you expect something significantly higher than community theater here, you may be disappointed. While the performances were fine, they're not really all that polished and feel rather barebones (two actors playing one role in a production was rather strange). If you want a more grander theater experience but without going into Boston, consider Reagle in Waltham. (For all you Yelp police out there, yes, I paid $ here for tickets so I can review)

My first time back to The Umbrella Arts Center since the pandemic happened…read more I saw that they had a dinner and a show option on Thursday nights and the menu looked appealing, so I purchased the meal for $21. Dinner was available for pick up at the concession stand beginning at 6pm, while the show was scheduled for 7:30pm that evening. Traffic delayed me, so I arrived closer to 6:30pm. There was a game going on at the playground the next block over, so there were a lot of cars parked on the street, but parking was still not an issue. Dinner came in a brown paper tote and came nicely packaged and of a good portion size, so I even had some leftover. They had a vegetarian alternative (Nag's Head Roasted Yam, Grilled Zucchini and Squash, Caramelized Onions on Wild Rice (V)), but I opted for the meat - Starter: Hush Puppies with Maple Butter Entree: Pulled Pork Platter with Coleslaw and Collard Greens Dessert: Chocolate Flourless Brownie (GF) Catered by Nosh restaurant and the Concord Market. I was pleased with my meal. Sure the collared greens were a bit plain, but I was just glad to get a decent portion of vegetables with my meat and they were not overcooked. The brownie was individually sealed, and a little messy to eat, but quite good. And I had no trouble finding a seat at a table. In fact I had options. I could have grabbed a small high top for myself, but I decided to sit at an empty spot at the end of one of the 3 long tablecloth covered tables just beyond the concessions and ended up chatting with the pair beside me. I had a great experience at the Umbrella Arts Center! Quotes from the website regarding the show being performed that evening: A heartwarming musical that lifts up the beauty in second chances and the transformative nature of friendship. Percy Talbott is a spirited young woman seeking redemption. But in the small town of Gilead, she finds so much more. Based on the beloved film that took home the Audience Award at The Sundance Film Festival, the musical's rich score is marked by Americana folk rhythms, soaring melodies, and irresistible charm. It reminds us all about the resilience of the human spirit, the magic of new beginnings, and the power of community.

Awesome place for a fun crafternoon!…read more I came with a few friends on a rainy day to do a project, and had never done anything with mosaics before. We bought about 3 hours of time which is really the minimum amount of time it will take for a project. They had all of the supplies and colors and textures you could ever want and helped us every step of the way! It was about $15/hour plus the cost of the actual item you are putting the mosaics on. And note, you will need to let the tiles dry for 24 hours and grout it at home (if you are not local and can't return) The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, and it was a great experience.

Nice teacher, good glass selection, good choice of shapes for making fused plates and bowlsread more

What a treat to have this small little space in the center of town! This new shop is such a bonus…read morefor the community. We had two awesome kids' parties hosted here just recently and loved the experience. Sue is very warm & friendly, planned super sweet activities that were spot-on appropriate for the ages, took special care to fit our themes and made it all super easy on us to carry off. I can not wait to come back here for future birthday parties. Until then, we really look forward to take advantage of the fun classes she has on the schedule.

Our daughter had a wonderful birthday party at Craft.ed. The planning went smoothly and Susan was…read moreso helpful throughout the process and during the event. The space is very charming and my daughter and her friends had so much fun! They also loved being able to bring their crafts home. Susan is so thoughtful, she even took some photos during the event to share with us. My daughter is signed up for a workshop in a few weeks and she is very excited. Craft.ed is great for events and I hope to be able to sign up for one of their workshops soon!

My nine-year-old daughter has been going to ActonArt for over four years and I can't recommend it…read morehighly enough. It's well worth the drive from Cambridge, and judging from the number of other folks who come from as far away, many agree. Whenever we have to miss a week due to illness or vacation, my daughter is more sad about missing art than anything else. I also appreciate the diversity of subjects they have in the drawing classes; many different objects and people from world cultures are represented, and John always gives a little talk about what they're drawing, whether it's a famous building or a particular species of animal or an important historical person. I'm impressed with the quality of teaching both in terms of skills and how much the teachers seem to care about the kids.

a pretty bad experience for my daughter. She learned a lot more for less money in less time on…read moresimply draw app. inexperienced instructors.

Scott is a great teacher, and he creates a wonderful atmosphere for learning at any skill level! My…read morepartner and I had no prior experience with sculpture, and we both had a blast despite being complete newbies. Regardless of whether I continue with stone carving, I left the class with fun memories and a new appreciation for the art form.

I took a weekend workshop with Scott and had a wonderful time. His studio is light and airy and…read moreonce we got into the groove of carving, he put on some classic rock music which was a great touch. Scott let us choose our own stones from his supply and encouraged us to visualize our sculpture and mark the stone with charcoal so we knew where to chisel. He was very attentive and helped us individually with our pieces, giving helpful suggestions along the way. Will definitely be coming back!

Came in for strings. What a shop. So many beautiful, high quality guitars. Price for strings was…read morereasonable and I'll be back. Wish they had lessons.

I went in to buy a new Martin acoustic, but the staff's bored snarkiness made me think they learned…read moretheir social skills in high school, and stopped there. The good news is I bought exactly the guitar I was looking for, the bad news (for them) is that I bought it at a different guitar store that had much better service.