Zenaida Mendez - Daily Record
December 2006 CHESTER -- Joanne Dean was intrigued as she watched two
visitors pour jewel-toned mica powder into their egg-shaped
ornaments at Studio U's activity center.
"What a great place to bring a date," she said as she watched.
"Doing something like this together is very different," she
explained.
"It would be a very neat situation to put yourself in" to learn about somebody, she added.
Sharing creativity and quality time with a date, friends or family is precisely what Ash and Brad Reifler of New York had in mind when they conceived Studio U approximately six years ago.
The couple's first Studio U location opened on Dec. 16 at The
Streets of Chester on Route 206.
The Reiflers often had friends and family members visit their
spacious New York City townhouse basement and engage in
various craft activities.
"I think their experience was so uplifting,"Ash Reifler said, "and
the whole aspect of being engaged in doing something and being proud of it at the end was just very fulfilling."
Sensing the need for such opportunity and the physical space
where other parents and their children, friends, or dates could do the same, the Reiflers decided to supply it.
Studio U is a do-it-yourself art space.
"So anything you see -- anything on the trees, anything on the
display units around the store -- are things you can make," said
Tracy Harris, Studio U's director of stores.
Samples of ornaments, frames, jewelry boxes, plates, vases and
jewelry are displayed for inspiration and sale.
Projects can be as simple or challenging as the customer desires.
There is an activity center where people who walk in off the street can complete a project in approximately 10 minutes.
"The customer comes in, picks a project, and then we gather all the tools and stuff they need," Harris said. "Then they sit down and there are additional tools, like scissors and paintbrushes, that are already on the table waiting for them. We give them complete instructions, and they can, step by step, go through their projects."
Varying Projects
The projects are conceived by a three-member design team: Sarah Bush, Julie Wigg and Vickie Pozzolini, who produce a new set of projects every six to eight weeks.
"They've made all the mistakes, done all the things wrong!" Harris said. "So these instructions are written specifically for any lay person to be able to come in and leave with a nice, quality finished project."
The featured projects at that station will change monthly, Harris said. This month it's making ornaments.
"It's awesome," said Cornelia Roche of Chester Township after
taking a tour of the center. "They have such a variety of projects to do, and, for somebody who wants to be creative but is overwhelmed by all the choices out there, it's great because they have some set projects you can pick right off the shelf and do."
Over at Kids to Go, children are welcome to bring in their own
artwork or create something at the center.
"I'm going to bring my son in," Roche said.
Her 8-year-old "loves to draw," she said, "so if I can transfer some of his drawings to some kind of medium, have somebody do something with it, it would be great."
Crafting options
Other crafts include jewelry-making, beading, stamping, gold leafing, etching, embossing, mosaics and decoupage. There also is technology that enables customers to convert photos into faux paintings or transfer images onto items such as mugs or pillows.
Studio U, however, does not work with raw clay and is not a
pottery-painting place "but we can do almost anything else,"Harris said.
The staff still is settling down at the Chester location, but hopes to introduce various craft classes and after-school programs soon after the start of the new year.
The center already can accommodate large groups and parties.
Children's parties start at $25 per child, and adult functions start at $40 per person.
"The entertainment aspect is what people really seem to enjoy,"
Harris said, "but then they also have this really cool finished piece when they leave that they can take home. And it's not another popsicle stick ashtray, it's not your run of the mill (project)."It's a finished piece even if it's done by a 5-year-old," she added.
"It's something that you are really pleased to have sitting out on your coffee table or hanging on your wall."
"I love it!" Dean said, proudly clutching the bag containing the
ornament she colored.
She said she teaches at a local health club and has agroup of
women to whom she will recommend a visit to Studio U.
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