Sad update on one of our favorite family places. We were big fans of Ceramics at Home until our most recent visit.
We were one of the first to arrive that day and noticed immediately that most of the shelves were bare with only a handful of items available for painting. We were told this was a supplier issue and has been going on for some time. I can't help it might be time to find a new supplier. It's has to be hard to stay in business with empty shelves.
I can forgive the supplier issue but the biggest disappointment was in the service. Today, only a single teen was working and she didn't seem interested in providing any level of service. For me, key to the success of Ceramics at Home was the staff. They were helpful, enthusiastic and engaging. They were always there to help the kids and getting them to explore their creativity. They offered complimentary popcorn, water and helpful hints on how to create great looking projects.
The popcorn machine is gone. There is no longer water available to guests. My youngest son asked about a glass of water and was told to "You need to go to the Safeway down the street." The hair dryer is broken (and apparently it has been for a while according to the staffer) - this means, you'll have to stay much longer than normal because you'll have to let your project air dry between coats. The staff member told us to blow on our projects instead. Seriously? These are all easy fixes but we got the sense that no one was really interested in making them. That's too bad.
I'm not sure if Ceramics at Home is under new ownership/management but it's definitely lost its sparkle. Just read the reviews below and you can see what a great place this used to be. I hate leaving bad reviews but here's hoping the owners can get back to the formula that made them so successful and so loved by the locals.