Paint N Play

I came here with my lil ones for 3 classes through the city of Arcadia. Classes were taught by Ms. Kelly and she does a wonderful job and has a lot of patience. We signed up two summers and we came back to paint something of our choice and we weren’t charged additional fee luckily. Just simply the fee of the ceramic and an extra $ 1 for glitter decorations. Ms. A was also amazing! My kids really enjoyed Ms. A! We had the owner (Ms. Lisa) as a sub last year for one of the classes and that was less enjoyable. She always has a marketing scheme pushing more sales, more $… Just say no.

We should have read into the reviews better before making reservations. Not worth the price. Even those who scored it high had noted that the place was much too expensive.
We decided to hold a birthday party for our child with a small group. Yet, we were advised to «close» the doors for $ 200.
Little did we know that it was $ 200 IN ADDITION TO what we were initially charged ($ 175). We thought she was offering us a flat rate of $ 200 for the minor benefit of shutting the doors (of an infrequently patronized location).
Our group was not too large to warrant closing the doors nor requiring to more than double our charge.

Had a wonderful time with my 4 year old daughter. The staff was helpful in identifying what project was best suited for my child. They helped her feel comfortable and allowed her to show her creativity. My daughter is shy and artistic so this was the perfect experience for her.

Compared to Color Me Mine, the quality is lesser and the prices are much higher. A big disappointment for someone who likes to support small businesses — without be completely ripped off.
Facility is clean and comfortable and staff was friendly enough but not overly enthusiastic about their jobs.
Bummed that I won’t be returning, but over $ 100 for two little pieces of pottery and 30 minutes of time is absurd!

Store nicer than when in Sierra Madre. Comfy chairs now and staff polite.
Unfortunately, it was a total ripoff. $ 60 for a small snowman plate that my 5 yr old granddaughter painted in 30 minutes. Seriously? I’m all for making a profit but this is just absurd and an insult to customers.
Very disappointing as this could be a great family outing — but I think Disneyland might be less expensive! Consider yourself warned!

Lisa, Sandra and Kelly are GREAT with the kids, great with adults too !!! I highly recommend Paint n Play for kids birthday parties. They handle every detail and make sure the kids are all having fun. All you parents do, are relax and mingle with the other parents. It is truly a stress FREE birthday party for you and the kids. I love how they do things and they have the party thing down to a science. We LOVE IT !!!
Keep up the good work, PAINT N PLAY.

I took a friend here who had never done this before, and so we were really excited and planned our day around it.
We selected the pot holder, which was essentially a piece of 4×4 inch ceramic square tile that would eventually be mounted onto a metal (see pics attached).
The price written on the tile was something like $ 23, which I thought was pretty pricey considering it was just a piece of tile. Oh well, we thought. At least it comes with the metal part too, and it’s nice when put together. So we brought the tile and the corresponding metal part to the cashier, where we were told that the metal part was AN ADDITIONAL $ 10. In other words, the 4×4 piece of tile ITSELF was already $ 23, and they were going to make an additional $ 10 off of us if we wanted the metal piece. Does not make ANY sense to me. What would I do with just a piece of 4×4 tile?
We expressed surprise, but they did not waver. The cashier did, however, say that she was going to waive the extra studio fee ($ 10???) for us. I thought it was ridiculous that we could have paid $ 43 EACH for a little pot holder. Our total came down to $ 69 for two potholders. I felt so let down and also felt bad for taking my friend here, so I just paid for both of us.
This place was such a disappointment.
Also, if you’re a beginner, they give you pointers about colors and layering. If you’re not a beginner, having someone watch your every step, providing commentary all the way, can be less than helpful. Also, I found it weird that they «police» the process of getting up and getting more paint. You can only get like 3 colors at a time, and the lady has to squeeze it for you. Felt a little like preschool, to be honest.

Lisa & her Great Staff are Wonderful to work with.
Kudos!!! My Thanks to All!

I wanted to please an adult friend and decided to give her a party she’d want (friends, laughter and stories, and something different) — a party where everyone takes something away that they want. Paint N’ Play was perfect! The oldest guest was in her 80s, the youngest not yet 40s.
Lisa and her staff planned what was available in the price-​point I wanted to spend; refreshments were my part IF I wanted to do it (I did). They then did set up and cleaned-​up. I was a guest at my ‘own’ party!!!

This place was kind of whatever… I came on a Thursday at Noon so it wouldn’t be crowded.
No one introduced themselves to me. One lady got my three year old started painting, and did a pretty decent job at that. Then customers came in and we were left on our own. Since they give one color at a time, we were stuck. 3 yr old plus no paint = disaster.
Then an employee came in to change her hours and she actually helped us even though she wasn’t technically working. But then Ms. Sandra (according to apron markings) admonished her for putting on makeup and she left. Ms. Sandra gave us a tiny spot of paint and told us to save paint she would give us more later when my son ask for more. I was already done with this place.
For me the kicker was that Ms. Sandra was telling the first worker that helped us how she HAS to work on Mother’s Day, Easter… And it SUCKS, right in front of my child and me! #1 I’m teaching my 3 year old not to use those words. This place is for kids to learn good things. #2 If she doesn’t like her job, I’m sure someone would. Human resource problems and the ordering of paper towels from Costco should probably be done in an office.
For a higher end place, I expected a bit more. I gave it two stars because the shop and location are cute, and my son liked his day.
But other than that, I think it needs a bit of a takeover.

Super great EVERYTHING! The staff and owner took care of everything. They were great with the children and the adults. When the owner tells you she has been doing this for 15+years…trust her. It was a great birthday setting and we had a bubble blowing after party at the park, practically across the street. I doubted all of it, the food, the crafts, the explanations of the craft painting process, the breakables everywhere, the location and the price. In the end, it was all worth it and then some. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to anyone who wants a stress-​free birthday party for their little one. Additionally, you and your guests can take home your creations on the same day.

We had wonderful time at Paint N Play for our little girl’s 6^th birthday party. The staffs are very friendly and helps run the party smoothly. All the small guests and adults are enjoy the party. Thank you Paint N Play give us a great memory!

This review is long overdue. I was a little surprised to read some of these reviews, because we’ve only had positive experiences here, and not just one.
We first had our dogs paw prints made into a ceramic plate to hang on the wall. We have 2 Pomeranians and one is a little skittish around environments she’s not used to. Well, they were SO terrific here, let me tell you! We brought both the dogs down and the owner really took her time to make Gracie comfortable and to get a good imprint on each of the dogs. We were told it would take approximately 3 weeks, which seemed reasonable considering how popular the studio is. I bet they had a lot of firing and glazing to do there! They came out gorgeous!
Next we decided to do our grandchildren’s handprints, as well as our own, to make a little family tree on our kitchen wall. We came on two separate occasions and they couldn’t have been more helpful, especially with our 2 year old grandson. Patient and sweet, all around. Honestly, considering the amount of work that goes into one of these plates, I completely understand the price they charge. Perhaps the person who was complaining thought she was buying some plastic monogrammed dish from Wal-​Mart. We now have a beautifully decorated kitichen wall showing the hand/​paw prints of those we love best!
We brought my oldest granddaughter in to do a ceramic project. She loved the experience and really enjoyed the young people who are employed at the studio.
Last, but not least, I had a girlfriend visiting from the east coast. We walked by the studio and she decided she wanted to try her hand at a piece. She went back and spent a wonderful afternoon creating a pasta bowl. Since she wouldn’t be in town to pick it up, she asked me to retrieve it, and send it to her. This bowl came out so beautifully, it looked like it could be sold at William Sonoma!!!
This studio has really been an integral part of the Monrovia community for at least 10 years. The owners are very benevolent with their time, volunteering to help with activities for The Foothill Unity Center as well as offering a wonderful program for children who are terminally ill. They are generous with their space as well, opening it to a number of wonderful art programs in the town.
We will continue to support them for a long time to come.

We had a great time making a birthday present for the kids grandma! To top it off it was ready super fast… i expected it to take a week and it was ready by the next day
The staff was super friendly to my high energy boys!

My girls were invited to attend a 6-​yr old bday party this past Saturday and our experience was awesome. I wanted the experience to be great since its close to our home, it’s family owned, and always looking for celebration locations. The workers greeted us as we came in to the store. The gift we carried was quickly taken off our hands and placed with the rest of the gifts. The workers took charge of the kids by passing out balloons, ushered them to eat their meal, and then prepped them to start the painting fun. I was quite impressed with the friendliness and how smoothly they handled the party guests. The kids were supervised while they painted which left time for parents to chitchat and catch-​up. A big plus different from other paint activity locations I’ve visited is my kids got to take home their art that day. Definitely would consider holding a party at Paint N Play in Monrovia, a great experience.

We had our daughter’s birthday party here. Overall, we were pleased. A few problems including being overcharged left us slightly disappointed.
Positives: Service was good. All the kids had a great time. The party was well-​managed.
Negatives: It was sometimes hard to get the owner on the phone leading up to the party, because she is very busy. They overcounted the number of adults we had (and you are also charged for adults at the party). They charged extra for added art supplies like glitter without telling us beforehand. There was a longer than expected wait to finish the projects, so people could not leave with finished projects when the party was planned to end.

I have been going to this place since 2004. I don’t know what people are complaining about; they obviously don’t know ceramics. This is a great studio with great staff. They are always accomodating and eager to help you with special orders or whatever it takes for you to make a great project.
I have made many items for weddings, gifts etc. Ceramics are expensive and Lisa does a great job at telling you the truth. She goes out of her way to find just what I need. I love this place!

Have been coming all the way from Orange County to Morovia for their events, community service, art shows and my family parties. Such a wonderful artistic yet family environment. I have always felt comfortable bringing my kids and letting them paint while I visit all the beautiful little shops out in Old Town. It is a great day trip for me and my family.

This place sucks. I went to this place about a year ago to de-​stress. The owner explained to me and my friend the process since we were first-​time customers. She emphasized the fact that her store had no hidden fees like other stores (supposedly other stores charged for studio fees or something like that).
There were not too many selection of the ceramic materials — you could tell that a lot of them were hand-​made by beginner ceramists. I chose a square-​shape plate that was uneven (it was the only thing that was remotely nice) and it costed me $ 30 or so. I thought, oh well, at least I dont have to rush and since my design is a little intricate, I can come in here several times without additional fees to finish my paintings. Yeah, right…
I visited the store to finish the painting 3 times. I originally thought that I could finish in 2 visits but both times I was told by the store owner that she was closing 1 hour early. At the third visit, the store owner told me that there was a «palette fee» of $ 10 that she forgot to mention to me in the beginning of the process. Palette fee, my a$$!! That was something that she just created! I could not imagine any decent and honest store owner would forget an important disclosure like that to a first-​time customer.
Service in this place was non-​existent. The workers and owner seemed to be more interested in talking about boys and gossips than giving customers any attention.
I would never recommend this place to anyone. Horrible experience.

A mom and pop version of Color Me Mine, owned by two women — we were invited here for a kid’s birthday party.
Located in Downtown Monrovia, the windows are filled with a variety of ceramic objects painted by patrons and the owners alike. For the kids b-​day party, the girls painted butterflies and the boys painted swords. They were available at the end of the party for the kids to take home that day.
The owners also played games for/​with the kids and offered face painting. In the back of the store they set up tables to eat on or do crafts on. They allowed food to be catered.
Overall, the kids had a great time. The only draw back is that the store is rather small and narrow so when the adults are mingling in the back or eating; all of the sudden the owner would ask the adults to move so that the kids could play a game at that location in the store. It was odd because there were other parts in the back that were opened where she could have had the games. This happened more than once and was actually disruptive both to the kids and the parents.
A unique b-​day idea and if you don’t mind having a rather strict ‘party administrator’ moving you around like cattle… then this may be a place for you to look into.
3.5 stars.