Pea Poddery

This place had been great during previous visits but not our last visit. There was NO selection of pottery to paint. Shelves were empty so half of us just watched. During the entire time we were there the place smelled of sewer gas. Other customers were commenting as well. Plus only 1 employee working so getting help was challenging. This place is up for sale and now I know the effects.

The other reviews hit the nail on the head. This is a fun place to go, but the employees do not provide much guidance. There are plenty of signs to help you, and you can track one of the girls down to ask. However, if you want suggestions about the paint or any techniques this is not the place to go. Overall it was a lot of fun.

Really cool place! I made a huge platter for my husband for Father’s Day. It was $ 39 total and that included as much paint as I needed.
I was happy to see there was a high chair there. I had brought my son with me because I was putting his footprints on the platter.

I had been anticipating a visit to Pea Poddery since they first opened. I finally got my opportunity this past weekend, arriving with a girlfriend to enjoy a relaxing pottery painting experience. My friend and I walked into Pea Poddery and immediately sort of stood there not knowing what to do or where to go. We finally made our way to the back of the store towards the counter where there was a small line and waited so we could ask «We’re new — what happens first?» Just before reaching the front of the line I saw a young girl with a store shirt on (her back to us, facing the counter, seemingly just standing there and not doing anything) so I said «Hi there. We’ve never been here before and don’t really know where to start? Could you help?» She stated that we go and pick out a piece of pottery. That’s it. (Customer service skills were severely lacking — but I don’t really blame her — she appeared to be very shy and a young teenager, perhaps new and at her first job — I don’t know — but she didn’t look happy to be there) So my friend and I went into the area with the blank pottery and looked around for a bit to select what to paint. Once we found our pieces we just assumed to go to the counter to pay for them. (Or do you paint first and then pay? We didn’t know. But thankfully guessed correctly) Behind the counter was a very pleasant woman who rang us up and let us know where the paints and glazes were and a little about them. Then… that was it. The rest of the time (regarding the pottery painting) was basically feeling like we had to figure it out on our own — and I’m sure that there were tips or tricks that could have made things easier for us??? A tip sheet? Something? I don’t really know haha. We did find ourselves extremely frustrated by the young children running around the tables playing tag. I get that this is a kid-​friendly establishment, but if the parents weren’t going to say anything then a staff member should have — I had just paid $ 26 for a plate and, while carefully painting my design, several times came very close to having a child bump me as they ran around the tight quarters hitting each other with candy. Also, the music selection was really odd — 70’s acid rock… really not conducive to a relaxing pottery painting session. Some nice acoustic tunes would have really been more appropriate?
The Pro’s — Great location and easy to find from the highway. Lovely look inside the place — very nicely designed and laid out. Nice selection of pottery to choose from — a little something for everyone. Acceptable prices for the pottery (though I wouldn’t be ok having to pay any higher) — for those who think the cost is too much per item, keep in mind that it’s the only cost and not only covers the pieces of raw pottery, but also goes towards the paint you’ll use, wear and tear on the brushes, overhead, the firing of your piece (s) and the over all experience. So again, I found this reasonable.
The Con’s — Zero direction for newcomers. (And only if you ask for help) Only one staff member seemed personable (the woman who rang us up) — the others were quiet (and seemed quite young) and didn’t interact with customers — they sort of stood around looking like they didn’t know what to do. And that music — bad choice.
Suggestions for the establishment in the event that they read this review:
Especially when it’s busy (as it was this weekend), have a greeter near (or watching) the door. Someone who can say «Is this your first time?» And if we said YES, «Great, well let me give you a little tour and tell you about how this works and where to start!» (And to do so with enthusiasm, unlike the shy quiet girl who looked like she wanted to disappear and not make eye contact with us.) We’d never painted pottery before — your staff needs to all be enthusiastic (or at least out going) — get us excited and we’ll be more likely to come back!
Would I return? Well, yes, in approximately 2 weeks to pick up my fired pieces. Would I return again to paint? Possibly. But maybe only on an adults-​night.

I booked my kid’s birthday party here. Never again. When we arrived (15 min before the party) the parking lot was full. There were zero spaces left for any of our guests. We drove around the back of the building to unload. Inside the store was chaos! So many people, and so few staff to handle it. (There was even another impromptu kid’s birthday party underway, at one of the tables out in the main room of the store, with gifts and gift bags all over the floor.) The staff person assigned to our event was being constantly accosted by other patrons for assistance. We had the private room set aside, but it is small. With a party of 12 kids there was no space in there for anything else besides the big table for seating. So no cake table (they used a portion of the main reception desk nearest to the private room entrance to stick the cake) No gift table, no table to accommodate plates, napkins, candles or goody bags (we had small take-​away candy bags for the kids, because you have to leave all the painted pottery pieces behind at the end so they can be fired.) No reasonable space to accommodate any parents who might want to linger and observe/​assist their kids (and when the kids are fairly young, 5 – 8 years, many parents stay.) As our guests arrived (no idea where they parked) we took the gifts from them and put them in our car out back. The children did quite enjoy choosing & painting the pottery pieces, but some kids get through the process quickly while others are much more meticulous about it. When the speedy kids were done, they had nowhere to go & nothing to do, because the place was so full & the party room so small. (A party of 8 kids is the very most I would recommend.) I suppose I could have brought a game or crayons… but the table is a big wet mess after painting… and more to the point, a party here is not cheap! It should be managed start to finish by the Pea Poddery staff, IMO. Slower kids should be assisted & gently moved along. We finally just started the process of wiping down the table and bringing the cake out even though some kids were not finished painting, because we were running out of party time. Yes the «painting of pottery» table is also the «eating of cake» table, and it must be transitioned from one activity to the next with the kids in place, bc as I said there is no other place to go. Two weeks later the kids were all delighted to have their pottery pieces delivered to them (one of which was lost by PP, but then found when I phoned about it) The finished pieces were lovely, and I will likely take my family/​friends back, in small informal groups, to paint more pottery, but I remain quite certain I will never book another kids party here.

My friend and I came on adult night (they serve food and let you BYOB) and had a really fun time. We both painted a chip n dip set. I have painted a lot of pottery before, so I knew the drill, but I did notice no one helped us or gave us guidance on what to do with our pieces (such as wiping them with a sponge and water beforehand, tips about the paint, etc.). It was ok because I had done this so many times before, but they didn’t know that. Also, the music they played was pretty terrible. A weird mix of sappy 80’s songs and classic rock. Definitely could have used more upbeat and current hits.

What an ideal place for a kids birthday party! (I guess you can figure out why we went to Pea Poddery! ;) I honestly would never have stumble upon it in its small plaza off of Rt 295… but now that I know it is there, we may just go back.)
Our pottery B-​day party consisted of about 10 kids all around the age of 5 yo old. They set the kids up a small private room in the back, but allowed the parents to wander at will. Melanie was our hostess and she set the kids up with all their pottery, brushes, paint etc. I have never seen so many preschoolers sit so intensely focused for such a long time! Everything was well organized but they still were able to give the kids plenty of time to finish their craft. It was a complete success.
Since it was a bday party, I can not speak to the cost of the figurines or the activity, but I can totally see myself bringing my kid and a few of her friends back here on a rainy (or snowy) day.

I was sorely disappointed with a recent experience going to a girls’ night out there. My friend arranged it, collecting $ 14 from each of us for a BYOB night. We arrived to a packed place with long lines. I fully expected the $ 14 would be applied to a piece of pottery to paint, but no, the pieces were additional! My friend was so embarrassed and apologetic. Apparently, the $ 14 was for a cheese and éclair spread from BJ’s or Costco and 80s music on the speakers. Workers were nice, but overall it was a complete rip-​off at $ 34 for a small trinket box.

Love coming here! Went here with a bunch of my sorority sisters as an alumn event. We booked the private room and brought are own snacks and wine. I went today to pick up my piece –and it came out absolutely beautiful!!! I love my new owl mug. I stayed to paint some more pottery as an impromptu date night with the hubby. He was a little hesitant at first, but got really into it! Melanie was such a big help to us in creating our pottery pieces. This is a great place for dates, a friend night out, and perfect for kids too! So friendly and really a whole lotta fun!

Love this place! Paint your own pottery complete with piece, paint, kiln firing, and glazing. Super friendly and helpful staff as well as pieces from $ 1-​$ 100.00. Good variety of kiddy projects and household items for adults to paint. Went with a group of 20-​something year olds and loved it! You do have to wait 5 or so days to pick up your piece but as long as you’re local, it’s not too bad. The pieces come out much nicer than the ones from Plaster Fun Time.

Really cute shop that opened up & I’m thrilled to finally have a local pottery place! The owner is very friendly and helpful and there is a very nice selection of fairly-​prices pieces to choose from to paint. My friends and I booked a private room to use and had a blast– we brought our own snacks and painted away. I will update after I pick up my finished piece in 5 days but so far I plan on coming back with my kids to make some Christmas gifts!