Create A Memory

If I could give this place zero stars I would. Owner is a very rude old lady… made me feel so uncomfortable the moment I walked in until the moment I left.

I first came to create a memory years ago when they were at their old location. I took my daughter her last month and was very excited with how much they have expanded. I was very pleased with my interaction with the staff and they made sure to thoroughly explain how to paint the pieces and what kind of out come you would get. Whenever I need a unique and heart felt gift they will be the first place I go!

After moving to Salem, Create a Memory was one of the first experiences we had and we loved it. We have come many times since and it was always very nice and the staff was so helpful. However, I feel that this last time they just failed in helping us with the logistics of our piece. My son was making a plate for his dad and we were in 2 different days working for 2 full hours both times on it. He had covered the plate with a base coat and then had painted a figure on top of it. Although we had many staff members comment on the piece, all of them failed to mention the background would seep through the figure he painted. He was so very proud of it and we both were deeply disappointed when it was finished because the background color completely came through and washed out all the color on the figure. Also, when I went in to pick it up, no one acknowledged it either and I know they all had seen it multiple times before it was fired. Luckily I had outlined it in black or else the plate wouldn’t even have had a figure, just a background. Very disappointed.

My son spent an incredible amount of time working on a plate at Create a Memory over two days. The staff looked at it many times and commented on his detailed work but at no point did anyone tell him that the colors would not turn out the way he was painting them. He was very disappointed that all of the time and effort he put into his work was for nothing. No apologies or explanations.
A good idea for unique gifts, but very disappointed in the lack of attention and care provided by the staff. Unsure if we will return or recommend.

Terrible experience. The first time we came in we had such a great time the employees were so nice and made sure we knew how everything worked and our questions were answered. How pleasantly we were treated at our first visit made us want to return today. It was extremely packed because of a birthday party which definitely was not the problem we understood some days and times are busier than others. The problem with this visit was that after choosing a piece of pottery and a place to sit and paint, I assured my 6 year old daughter that she could leave her piece on the table while we chose her paint colors against her plea that someone would take her piece of pottery. When we turned around to go back to the table a male employee had taken her painting piece from the table and allowed 2 adults and a child to sit at our spot we had left our things at basically saving our place. The people continued to sit down even after we stated that was our things and we were already sitting there. So after getting my daughter another piece of pottery to paint and finding another place to sit the male employee who you will be shocked to know is the owner decided to be unprofessional and walk up and start conversing with another older female employee about it and they both stared at us while doing it letting us know they were talking about us. About 5 min later after my daughter was half way done painting her caterpillar the owner has the audacity to walk up and ask us to move again because he has a family of 5 he wants to seat in our spot. Keep in mind this was after he gave our first seat and piece of pottery away. After stating that we were fine where we were he aggressively jerks my 6 year old daughters caterpillar she is actively painting from her hands and tells us aggressively we need to leave. My daughter starts crying because she is terrified that this grown man just did this to her. I am appalled that this man operates a business that primarily caters to children. After I explain that he is completely out of line he tells me he has had a hard day! Regardless of the type of day he had there is NEVER a reason good enough to treat a child this way. EVER! Never in my life have I ever experienced something so unprofessional and aggressive in an advertised family type atmosphere like this before. It would be an injustice to not share this information with people who have children. This was also reported to the BBB.

I can’t even count the number of hours that my family has spent here. Ann is an amazing woman who runs her business like everyone is family. She allows children of all ages to create lasting memories. While Gramma was alive this was her favorite thing to do. We would go and sit, create and eat dinner there. We had my sisters bachelorette party here after hours. She came out to my sisters wedding for me and had people put a finger print on a plate as a guest book instead of signing in a paper book. Create a memory is really what it says it is… creating memories. Lots of love.

Had the best time here! My mom and I stopped in after seeing the cool glass pieces in the window. The employees were super helpful and friendly and showed us all the techniques to make a wonderful fused glass piece. Great selection of glass colors, sizes and shapes to work with. Such fun!

Had a fantastic time here! Great fun, great staff, and compared to the last place I tried, pretty great prices! I will be going back for sure!
P. S. I also liked that they had stencils, stamps, and idea books to help you along.

Brought my twin toddlers here today to paint with their Auntie. We had a blast. Staff was so kind and helpful with them! Can’t wait to come back !

Love, love, love this place. Whether I go with friends or with my child or by myself I always have a good time. The owner, Ann, is such a personable individual. She or her son are always willing to help. Such a great place!

Create-​A-​Memory is a really fun place to go with the kids. Even by myself I would enjoy it. Obviously kids 5 and older will have a better attention span than the preschool and toddler type, but I’ve taken my daughter there since she was very little and it hasn’t been too bad.
The place is clean, staff (owners) are always very friendly. They have a good display and selection of paints. I haven’t gotten into their glass fusing yet, but it does look fun.
I went last night and they had a puppy, Tucker, out and about socializing with everyone. That was really fun for me and my kids.
I went an hour before closing time and was not even once pressured to get out of the store by closing. (I did clean up and go, but no one made me feel bad for coming in.)
I have had a positive experience each time I have gone in.

Fun, fun and more fun! A great place for a family activity. The owner Ann is more than helpful. We would highly recommend this place to anyone.

This place is great for everyone! My nephew and nieces want to go here every time they come to visit! And I love this place as well as my parents. A nice place to go relax and create a wonderful art project. And the best part is you don’t even have to be artistic! I can’t draw at all, so they helped me print out a photo and used carbon paper to transfer it onto my project and ta-​da!!! The staff is extremely helpful and very nice, always! I would totally recommend this place to anyone and everyone!

Create a Memory is a fantastic place — truly one of Salem’s gems for all ages! I love going there with my girlfriends or with family — it is so relaxing and fun! The staff are fantastic and will assist you with project ideas or techniques that will make your piece turn out the way you want it to!
The space itself i fantastic — spacious, bright, and cheery. I love that Create a Memory moved downtown because being centrally located makes it convenient to go out to eat before or after you get your «pottery» on!
One more thing — I love that they now offer GLASS classes! I’ve only made one glass project so far, but I look forward to returning to make another. If you think painting pottery is fun, try the glass classes too — it is SO much fun and the end result is amazing!

I only came to Create a Memory because my girlfriend wanted to go. I took her for her birthday; I had no idea what I was going to do. I always though painting pottery was kind of girly! I WAS WAY WRONG! The proprietor Ann is friendly and very helpful. John her son is very creative and makes wonderful pieces. Dwain is Ann spouse and he is funny and can answer just about any question you might have. They are willing to help you out with anything.
Enough about the staff. They have projects from $ 5 up to $ 200. There is no limit on what you can paint or how you paint it. Ann is opened minded and she won’t hinder your creative process. If you can’t finish your project they will keep it safe until you return. You pay for the project not the time. You can work on projects for weeks or mouths. The atmosphere is wide open with many tables to work at. They even have a computer so you can look for ideas or pictures. They have drinks available for purchase (Not alcohol). The whole place is kid friendly and wheel chair accessible. They are located below a parking structure, so you won’t have a problem find a parking spot.
So I said that painting pottery was just for women, well I was right. You can paint sport team logos, guns, bands. There is NO LIMITS! Plus you bring your girl in and she will love you long time. :) Create a Memory is great for kids, families, friends, groups and parties.
To top it off there is NO CLEAN UP. Just paint, pay and leave. Come back a few days later and you project is done.

Woweeee… what a fun bargain!
I happened upon this place one night while out on the town and vowed to return during business hours with the family sometime soon. Then spring break happened and I thought, «What the heck – let’s go!». I checked out the website and, finding very little information, called and asked if I needed an appointment. I was told no, and we headed out.
I expected to find the place crowded but I didn’t. I think that the lack of publicity has caused this place to remain hidden – so I hope this helps get the word out.
The interior is bright and cheerful, and there is no shortage of ceramics to choose from. Prices range from $ 10-​$ 65 and the price of the item includes all materials to decorate it and kiln firing. For what it’s worth – I chose a crab bowl and gave him a handle bar mustache.
We were helped immediately by one of the owners and he ave us very clear and detailed instructions on how to best tackle our ceramics. Even if he didn’t help, though, I bet we could have figured it our ourselves, considering that everything is laid out well and easy to locate.
In addition to the ceramics they offer glass fusing. This is by appointment only, however, so plan ahead. Price for this class is only $ 25. I will definitely be attending one of these.
If you have kids you have to come here. Hours of creativity await!

If you’re feeling creative, this is a fun place to be, whether you’re 5 or 65. They have a wide variety of ceramic pieces that you can decorate however you want. They have a large selection of paint colors and styles, stencils, tools, stamps and several ‘idea books’. Don’t have time to finish it that day? They will save it for you to finish another day!
We have been there a few times and the staff is always friendly. Even with the large amount of customers, they remembered which piece was ours when we returned to finish our work. They were very attentive and when we looked stumped on something, they offered solutions. You can check with them for classes, too.
You can work by yourself, with friends or familiy, they even have settings for parties. If you’re planning on going during the weekend or close to a holiday, prepare for it to be busy. You might want to call ahead to see if they have any parties or classes scheduled the day you want to stop in.
The finished products are as good as you make them. They are your custom designs! After you finish painting, they will finish the product with a protective glaze. During our last project we had four pieces and all but one came out great. The fourth needed a little more glazing, which they felt was needed to protect the item, and we had to pick it up another day. After the second glazing, it turned out as good as the others.
Great for kids parties, family activity, hanging out with girlfriends, gifts for birthdays, weddings, and holidays (Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc), or just some creative time alone.