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Date: 12/31/2020
ENFIELD, CT – This past November, the Tipsy Paint Brush and Kil’n It Pottery Studio celebrated their one-year anniversary. They are a female owned small business operated by a mother/daughter team.
Owner Wendy Markham explained, “My daughter Melanie and I operate the business. It’s two studios together in one very spacious location. Tipsy Paint Brush offers paint and sip parties with canvas painting, wine bottle painting and mason jar painting. Kil’n It Pottery Studio offers sculpting and pottery wheel workshops with step-by-step instruction. You can walk in and paint ceramics as well.”
She continued, “We have a wide selection for everyone. Plus, we offer private parties of 5-15 people at no extra charge to the regular admission. Our paint parties and pottery workshops range from $25 to $45 a person for admission, and our ceramics start at just $6 each.”
Tipsy Paint Brush is also a BYOB (bring your own beverage) establishment. Customers can bring their own beer and wine. They must be 21 with a positive ID to consume alcoholic beverages and no hard liquor is allowed by law.
Markham attended New England School of Art and Design in Boston, Parsons School of Design in New York City and Berkshire Community College to study entrepreneurship.
She began working for another paint party franchise as a part-time instructor.
Markham admitted, “After working at another paint party franchise for a short time, I realized I would rather start my own business instructing paint parties. That's when Tipsy Paint Brush began nine years ago. It grew to be one of the largest paint party businesses traveling in the Springfield area. I loved working in a social environment and teaching beginners how to paint when they believed they had no artistic talent.”
Markham said she had Tipsy Paint Brush for eight years on a traveling basis. She went to different restaurants, halls, bars and homes in the Springfield area.
“It was super popular and I gained a large customer base on Facebook,” Markham replied. “I grew Tipsy Paint Brush to the point where I wanted to leave my full-time corporate career as a graphic designer for 37 years, and open my own art studio.”
She continued, “My daughter Melanie was working at a pottery studio at the time. She worked there for eight years and became the manager, so I wanted to join forces with her and open a studio with painting and pottery. We don’t know of another art studio that offers both in one location. I knew it would be a hit.”
Markham explained that during quarantine, the business began to offer kits-to-go. They sell ceramic, canvas and glass painting kits that come with instructions. Once they were able to reopen in June, they were able to have half capacity of 30 people.By the end of October, she shared, the business was back up to 85 percent of the sales they were making in February.
Customers can register for pottery workshops or paint parties, and order their kits to-go online at kilnitpotterystudio.com and tipsypaintbrushparties.com. The studio offers curbside pick-up of kits to go at their Rt. 5 location, along with free delivery to the Enfield area for orders of $30 and more.
“We are so very grateful that we are still in business. This being the first year in business and during a pandemic, our goal is to be open at full capacity of 60 people again, once regulations allow us to,” Markham added. “Eventually, we would like to add another kiln to keep up with firing all of the pottery our customers create. And we are always thinking of new, creative pottery and painting ideas.”
Tipsy Paint Brush and Kil’n It Pottery Studio are Tuesday through Friday at 12 to 8 p.m. Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 860-698-6161 for further information.