Earth Glaze & Fire

Such a disappointment! I went here assuming and expecting it to be like Surefire glaze where my family had always gone to before in Oregon. Aside from being overpriced, the staff was not helpful at all. Your very limited on what you can do as far as fixing any mistakes. At the other place we would go, any mistakes you made or if you changed the direction of your design. They allowed you to rinse the paint off to begin again. The only associate that could «answer» any questions (she was pregnant) wasn’t any help at all. If a customer tells you they are not satisfied with the product or outcome and wants to change their mind, you should try to accommodate to not lose any customers. Apparently that’s not a concern of theirs. This place smelled extremely horrible inside. It smelled like an ashtray and urine! Their hours also state they close at 6, yet at 5pm the pregnant girl was shouting they were closing in 30 minutes. I do not recommend this place at all. I would find a better one in Portland or somewhere else. I didn’t hear not one person that worked there try to give anyone any creative tips or advice. How do you work at a place like that and not be artistic? Everything painted as an example to customers was very plain. Their brushes are a joke! Buckets full of the cheap plastic ones from a child water color set.
Very disappointed and pissed off that I WASTED money here

I went and painted with my daughter who is almost 2 yrs old. I did find the staff friendly and helpful. The selection of items to paint was also good. It was our first time at the shop today and we will go back again to paint. I was concerned that it would be hard to have my daughter paint, but it all worked out well.

You never know what you’ll find in their shop! We’ve been coming here since they opened. I love all the kitchen items! I’ve made a butter dish, multiple spoon rests, bowls, and mugs, etc. My kids have their favorite cereal bowls that they’ve made throughout the years. The owner is always so kind. I love that she recognizes my son and remembers him. My favorite spot in Vancouver!

This place is a lot of fun. When planning to visit this business in the evenings, please be aware that they actually close 30 minutes before their posted hours. We visited for a rare Girls Night Out on a Friday night and thought we had an hour and 15 minutes to paint. Then we found out they stop painters a half hour before they close, which made me feel rushed the whole time. I think this should be reflected in their hours, rather than small note listed below their store hours on their website. I looked them up on Google to see their hours, which doesn’t share their note, and only tells you they close at 8:00.
In my retail experience after the store closes at the posted hours, the employees stay behind after hours to clean up the store. At Earth Glaze and Fire they will literally turn half the lights off at 7:30 and start putting away the painting supplies, even if you’re finishing up your painting project. They do offer to keep your project for 2 weeks, so you can come back to finish later. But for some patrons that’s easier said than done, especially since they’re closed on Sundays. (Weekends are the best time for me, and many other community members, to visit this business.) I always have fun when I visit this business, but it seems their hours change every season. Which makes it hard for a busy person like me to get in there and have fun with them. I would give them 5 stars if they change their posted hours to accurately reflect their hours of operation.

Great way to spend an afternoon. My granddaughter and I had fun painting ceramics. Now we have to wait until next week to pick them up and see what they really will look like.

The owner was so lovely during our relaxing visit. It was our first time at the shop and she spent a lot of time guiding us through and helping with our art work. I loved the customer service and atmosphere and will definitely be making this a frequent spot to visit.

We had so much fun! Reasonably priced as well. The owners are a mother and daughter. They were very nice. Would’ve been nice to have more help or advice for newbies like myself but they seemed to always be busy doing something else while we were in.

I used to help out here. I provided giod customer service and the owner became a friend. Then it was sold to a couple, who were not the friendliest. Now a mother/​daughter own it and even opened a place 2 doors down. They are nice and helpful people. It is a relaxing environment to paint. I recommend thie venue to anyone who needs to destress.

Came here when I was younger and had a blast. The customer service was top notch when I was there, not sure about these days though. It’s a great place to go if you wanna be creative but maybe just don’t have the space in your apartment/​house to do it at home. :) I’ll definitely be back again soon.

I was really disappointed in their customer service. It was mine & my siblings’ first experience going to a ceramic painting shop. We walked in & one of the employees was right by the door but didn’t say anything to us — did not acknowledge us at all. We had to figure everything out on our own. We were there for over an hour & during that time they didn’t come & see how we were doing or anything. Most the tables were taken & so we had to use a tall table that only had two chairs & there was three of us — I stood up the whole time. Hope they improve their customer service skills because I really enjoy the idea of this business and love being creative myself.

There is a quiet calmness that pervades the business, along with the great music, that is conducive to the creative mode. That is evident in the number of customers you see in the business, working on their respective pieces.
Being a fan of these types of establishments, I was eager to try my hand at painting with glaze… it had been several years since I last did so, and I was not disappointed. The friendly reception by the owner and the gentle handholding she offers to guide you on the way to creating your own piece with just a few words of encouragement were all I needed in creating a piece I had thought about doing for years.
I painted nursery rhymes by using my own faux Aztec hieroglyphic patterns as a theme; look at the picture I provided. When the piece was ready for pick up one week later, she was eager to show me. I was delighted at how well it came out, as well as the quality of the clay piece!
No need to feel compelled to finish in one day, they keep track of your artwork for you in case you need to finish another day.

So I have taken my daughter who is a good 3yr to E, G, & F. A few times. The first few times the Owner was the only one in the shop. She is easy to talk to and friendly about explaining how they do things. Leave extra glaze on table, etc. The last time I was there for free Christmas ornaments her daughter was in. My friend and here daughter who I had brought with previously were there as well. I like to wash out my tray and brushes between uses. Especial with my daughter because one of their number one rule is no mixing glazes. The daughter scolded me and was EXTREMELY RUDE TO ME. She also said some rather mean things when my daughter started crying because she had glaze on her hands and had to wait for help to go to the potty. It made me resolve to never go back. On top of this the shop is EXTREMELY cramped and they have a break it you bought it policy. I would not recommend taking small children here. Maybe a 10 – 12 yr. They offer birthday parties, but they are expensive and the small space they offer there is just not enough space.

The owner is pretty helpful and «into» working here! Her daughter is a major bitch with a big chip on her shoulder & an even bigger stick up her ass!

This place is very fun for adults, kids, families or birthday parties. The prices are reasonable and include all post processing. We have spent some rainy Saturdays and have lots of fun things to show for it. I took 3 weekend days to finish a cookie jar house and the staff were very easy to work with. Photos above!

I’m going to have to agree with Claire and Sonja’s comments on here. I walked in with my kids one afternoon and 2 women in there didn’t even acknowledge us. I had to ask them step by step what to do as we had never been there. I had been there once when it was the old owners and they were way friendlier. The older woman who seemed like the owner seems pretty full of herself and not too willing to interact with her customers. Many of their Facebook posts seem like they complain about either paint waste or people leaving their projects there too long. The other thing I think is negative toward a business is they post business hours and then on random occasions they close early for workshops or other activities, resulting in turning customers away when they made a special trip down thinking the shop would be open.
I highly doubt we’ll be back. I’d rather drive a little further to another place.

Update: They’ve since walked away from the idea for a charge for paint waste. That’s good news. I still don’t feel comfortable with their choice to delete reasonable posts on their pages, so my current plan remains to go to friendlier studios. (See detail below.)
Original:
I’m disappointed in the new ownership who started there somewhere around the end of March, 2012. We loved coming to the old store previously, and spent a lot of time, money, and heart here. But a recent exchange (or lack of exchange) with the new ownership on another site has left me cold.
The new owner recently posted a complaint about «paint waste» with photos on FB to show what they mean when they say people are wasting paint. They expressed how paint waste makes them «want to cry,» and how similar trays would be fined in the future.
One photo had a clear misuse of paint, no doubt. Overflowing with one paint in multiple containers. But the other two photos showed nothing short of what I’ve seen at many other painting places — small amounts of multiple colors left behind in the trays.
I expressed concern in a comment over the idea of being fined for such a thing, as there didn’t seem to be a lot wrong in the second and third photo. Another woman agreed in a comment and mentioned that the previous owners would not have complained about such a thing. I mentioned that I was there once when the old owner showed me «paint waste» and it was a tray that was full of one color that the kid had left behind, but it was nothing like what’s in the photos.
I went back today to see if they had responded to us. Instead, I found that we were deleted from the post. That simple. We didn’t use bad language, or say anything derogatory. We simply disagreed, and we were removed, presumably to keep a positive light on their page.
To me, while a very small incident and not even in-​store, is still disrespectful censorship for no reason other than to show their best face. They could have responded with further explanation, perhaps explaining something not obvious in the photos. But they chose to delete us instead.
So I won’t be back. There are so many other places to paint. But I’m sorry this is what has become of the store.

I JUST FELT LIKE PAINTING SOMETHING.
The last time I did the paint & glaze thing was when I was 10, so it’s been long overdue. This place was close to where I was living so I stopped by to check out their piece selection and prices.
They have a large variety of things to choose from: standard plates & cups, 2-​piece sets, animals, bigger pieces, etc. Go in and check for yourself! Everything seems to be pretty reasonably priced as well. What I also like about this place is that they don’t charge a sitting fee or a fee for firing up your piece. You only pay for what you choose to paint.
The only things I didn’t like were:
— The woman there didn’t seem too friendly. I had gone there 2 times prior to just look at their stuff and she looked at me weird. Is it because I was wearing running shorts? Who knows. When I actually went there to paint the third time I had to ask one of the workers what to do. I would have appreciated some acknowledgement or assistance for coming to their shop.
— I’m pretty sure the small penguin I picked out to pick was priced $ 4.00. After I paid for it the total was $ 6.00. ?? And they don’t charge a sitting fee. Pretty sure it was $ 4.00 because in my mind, I was like ‘Sweet, only 4 bucks’.
BOTTOM LINE:
Take the kids here if you need an afternoon activity or come here if you want to get all artistic and shiz.

Great selection and we appreciate the longer hours.

Well run pottery painting. Great selection, friendly atmosphere.