Clay Dreams

wow this place has really bad reviews but we went there few weeks back for my daughter’s birthday and we had a really good time. we didnt have any complaint when we left. we were given proper instructions on colors and everything. the girl who was working there that day was very helpful and polite and nice. we will be going back soon.

I have been here twice and its ok, not great. The positives: they have lots of cool things to paint. The negatives: the people that work there are weird and rude, and they only let you take 4 colors of paint, which I thought was very strange. You are better off going to this place in Belmont called Indigo Fire.

The customer service here is absolutely horrendous. I have tried this place a few times and each and every time I am treated horribly. First of all, they have no manners and are incredibly rude from the moment you walk in, don’t expect a nice greeting or even an acknowledgement that your an actual customer. Secondly, they are nasty about how much paint you use. They will constantly scold you about it and discourage you from using too many paint colors. I can’t tell you how many times I was reminded that the paint is expensive. Despite the fact that I took a dime sized amount and they need to relax and stop being cheap, I paid for that paint so I frankly could care less how worried they are about it. Lastly, forget asking any question about supplies, pieces, paint colors etc. You will just get a nasty look and a quick snippy answer. The most unfortunate part is I had brought a child here and they were incredibly cold to them as well. This place is over priced and unprofessional. The pieces are okay and theres paint there. If you aren’t concerned with customer service then they have the supplies you need but at a relatively high price. At least its local and has relatively reasonable hours. However, I would recommend searching for other places if you are brining children. I will say based off other reviews it seems as though they might be making an effort to change so perhaps give it some time.

LOVE Clay Dreams! I have been coming here since the place opened 16 years ago when I was a little girl. They have had a few not so friendly employees along the way but the owner, Rosemary is absolutely wonderful!!! She is this SUPER friendly older woman who has been in the ceramics and teaching business 40 years and she clearly knows what she is doing. Her current staff is quite small and are all family members and family friends and they are all helpful and attentive.
The place is a good size with walk-​in service and a separate party room that you can reserve ahead of time. The price is very reasonable at the cost of a piece plus a small studio fee that has no time limit and they have a very good selection of pieces to paint that are always changing, they will even specially order something for you if they can. As for the comments I read below about the place being dirty and dingy, I’m sorry but I have to disagree. I always see the staff cleaning, doing dishes, moping floors, dusting, etc, etc. The building is a bit older so its not perfectly new and modern but seriously, it is an art studio for kids so of course there is going to be paint on a few surfaces.
The place is run more old fashioned with paper slips and on an honor system. You pick your piece, paint, pay and leave. Then the staff glaze it and fire it for you and you pick up a week later. You are supposed to bring your receipt that they give you when you come to pick up your piece but most people forget it and they usually remember you and your pieces that you painted and always double check the names on the bottom.
It is really simple and doesn’t require much instruction as the whole place is a do-​it yourself and be creative atmosphere, the staff is really just there to monitor, help get you set up and answer any questions but the painting is creative people don’t stress over it, this place is meant for you to relax and let kids be kids! Overall this place is amazing to take the kids for a new activity, host a party or go on a date or girls night out! I highly recommend Clay Dreams!

I went here today with the little boy I nanny for because he loves painting. We walked into the shop and there was no one else in there painting which was nice. The woman who worked there came out of the back room and told us to pick something. I wouldn’t say she was rude but she definitely wasn’t very pleasant. I figured ok, whatever and we looked around for something to paint. The little boy was trying to choose and she asked if we were ready yet, like she was annoyed. Again, whatever I thought nothing of it. So we find a piece and sit, like she had told us to and she is on the phone and gestures to me «one minute.» So we waited, and waited some more and while she is still on the phone another phone rings and she hangs one up and answers the other. I wouldn’t mind if these calls were business related but they were clearly personal calls. In total we waited at least 10 minutes. I finally got annoyed and we just walked out, which I’m sure she didn’t notice because she didn’t even look up from her phone call. Never going back here again.

The service was incredible. The graduating kids from school made a platter for the teachers. The guy that helped us was great with the kids. I needed the platter for a party on Monday. I didn’t realize the store was not open on Monday and I contacted the owner, Rose Mary, after the store closed on Sunday evening. She came back to store within an hour to give me my order. And the platter is beautiful. I would come here back again and again.

I had a good experience here on 12÷30÷13. I came with my three young children. The place was nearly empty and the selection wasn’t the greatest but the employees were very kind and helpful.
I wonder if they’ve taken the negative reviews to heart.

Went here today with my 2.5 year old and 5 month old to paint some things for Christmas. The staff was extremely helpful and accommodating. I had called earlier in the morning to ask if they had any flat ornaments to use for my baby’s footprint. The woman on the phone put me on hold, went to check, and kindly put one aside for me.
After we picked our items and sat down, another employee helped me paint my baby’s foot and stamp it on the ornament — and she nailed it on the first try!
I’ll definitely bring my kids here again.

Sounds like we had a similar experience as others. We walked in at 4:15 and got a rude reception with «no, you can’t paint anything since we close at 5pm.» It was hard as my 4 year old started crying and I reassured him that we would finish painting within 10 minutes (like all crafts for little kids), but he was really rude and we left and tried to recover reading books at Foxx library. Rude owner, but cool concept. Won’t be going back, but wish that the guy working there was a bit better at customer service.

If I could give this place zero or negative stars, I would.
I don’t know where these positive reviewers went, but it couldn’t have possibly been here.
The customer service is deplorable. I asked where items were and the employee responded with a vague wave of the arm and a curt, «over there.» The selection is paltry, the shelves nearly bare. The place is, in general, really dirty and dingy.
I was thinking of hosting my daughter’s birthday party here (with at least 10 kids… cha-​ching!) but after this experience, I would be embarrassed to have people I know go there and think that THIS is what I find entertaining and acceptable.
Furthermore, I felt so uncomfortable by how rudly this employee treated me, that I would never expose a group of eight year-​old children to the same treatment.
I have made arrangements to host my daughter’s party elsewhere, where I know we will be treated well, have a much broader selection, and I will not be embarrassed by the experience. You get what you pay for. The prices here were quite low in comparison to competing shops, but the quality of the inventory and the rudeness of the staff have driven me (happily) to do business with the more costly, but much more professionally run, pleasantly appointed, and better stocked «Made by Me» in Cambridge.

I went here with my two kids and the overall experience was very disappointing. The service and support is slap dash, minimalist at best, and at the end the man who seems to run the place (and seems to be much loved by other reviewers too) made it a point that we would be leaving right then, even though my daughter was not yet finished her piece and it was 4.49pm, a full 11 mins before closing time. At 4.55pm he cleared up our table and took the paints away without asking whether we had finished. If he is the owner he is doing a good job of running his business into the ground. If he is an employee, he should be searching for another job. It is totally inexplicable how he can behave like that. Either way, as a customer it was an experience we won’t be repeating. Try Art Beat across the road — no clay, but lots of other crafts.

I went here recently with another mom friend and our two daughters, age 4 and 5. We all had a lot of fun picking our pottery — they had lots of fun coin banks for the kids in various shapes. And we had fun painting it as well — after some initial confusion on paint colors, we got the colors we needed. There was only one person there on staff, and he seemed a bit overwhelmed, so we just helped ourselves when we needed more paint. Our pieces were ready a week later, as promised, and turned out looking quite nice. And the price was reasonable, especially with the groupon. I’d go back and paint pottery here again!

Our bachelorette party of 10 strolled in for some relaxing girl time as our planned beach day was cancelled due to weather. We unloaded our drinks and snacks and the clay dreams team gave us the directions. The team was more than friendly and enthusiastic the help both navigate the store and creatively for the less artistic. Our overcast day was filled with sunshine, laughs and smiles. Thanks clay dreams!

My 9 year old daughter and I have been frequent visitors to Clay Dreams over the past 5 years, and I can honestly say that we have never been disappointed.
Why we LOVE Clay Dreams!
1) Studio fees are reasonable~particularly for the wide array of vibrant, beautiful colors you can select from; the huge selection of brush types and sizes, and the incredible stencils available for the more advanced painters
2) The variety of pieces you can select from are fabulous and the cost of the pieces are completely in line with how complex the piece was to make for the potter
3) The knowledgeable and helpful staff are there to assist, whether you are a first time painter or a frequent painter looking to use advanced techniques to make your piece special.
4) The staff is willing to help if you have any questions.
Last week, we took our Japanese exchange student from the Arlington-​Nagaokakyo sister city program to Clay Dreams to create a masterpiece (she picked a donut bank) and she said it was the most fun she had during her visit. The opportunity to make something herself that she could bring back home was irresistible and she enjoyed the guidance and instruction the staff provided.
Making pieces at Clay Dreams is worth every penny we have spent over the years. We will continue to frequent this awesome place where creativity rules!

Average at best. Paints are weak, the rates are unnecessary expensive, they exploit the fact, there are not too many pottery painting places in the area. Their glaze was not clean, few particles got stuck on my pieces during glazing and they said there is nothing they can do about it. Hello, I paid for the item, how about keeping your glaze clean?

I had my daughters 7^th birthday party here a few weeks ago. Good size area for 15 kids. It went smooth and everyone had a good time.

I have been to several «paint your own» pottery stores in the area and have has my best experiences at Clay Dreams. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the variety of items to paint is amazing. I feel that the studio price is the lowest I have seen and the items are always ready on time or before promised. If you are looking for a fun and relaxing activity, this is the place to go.

Went there with my sister and niece. The guy working was so rude to us that we left within 5 minutes. DO NOT GO THERE. For a few more dollars go to «made by me» a bit further down on Mass Ave. They are really nice there and have better choices.

I went here with 2 of my friends– one had her heart set on painting one of those vintage Christmas trees with the lights on them. They are apparently hard to come by, and she enjoys crafts, so she figured she would make it herself.
The trees cost $ 45 – 85 which seems like a lot, but maybe that’s standard. They were of course out of the $ 45 ones, and apparently the ones being made are accounted for. Don’t make more Christmas trees around Christmas time, or anything.
The man who was working immediately told us we needed to pick items quickly because they were closing early. They are open till 9 p.m. on Thursdays and we got there at 7:20 p.m. Also, we are not little kids so we should neither be spoken to like little kids, or should it be assumed we would take that long. We were done by 8:40 by the way. His tone made two of us want to leave, but we were there to make the tree. But we didn’t pick out our own items, because I don’t give money to rude people.
He was a little more helpful explaining the colors and helping the drying process, but he gave us a ridiculously small amount of paint and said it would be enough. We probably refilled 5 or 6 times.
There were two women working who were a lot nicer than he was, so maybe certain shifts are not as bad.
The fun of this trip was pretty much taken away, so I wouldn’t take a date of kids, or the elderly, or anyone you like with you. Flying solo with 2 hours free and a mission seems to be the demographic that would do all right here.

Kid-​friendly, cheerful place. I went here to make Fathers Day gifts for all the men in my daughter’s life, and the staff was happy and helpful. There was a birthday party going on at the next table, and the kiddos seemed to really be enjoying themselves.
Clay Dreams has really made the ceramics experience unintimidating for people who haven’t been around glazes, kilns, paintbrushes, etc. Instructions are clearly spelled out for the newbie, and the staff leads you through each step. If you’re searching for a «throw-​your-​own vase» sort of studio, this isn’t a place for you. However, if you’re looking for a little artsy entertainment with a cute souvenir, this is a great choice. Takes a week or so to get your glazed treasures back.