• Cost - $10 to $30 for smaller items, and up to $65 for larger items

If you’re looking for a relaxing, yet productive way to spend an afternoon or evening the Clay Café is your answer. It doesn’t require skill, art classes or a reservation. All that’s needed are at least two hours and a working hand. There is a whole wall full of pottery, with items to suit people of all ages. They have everything from plates and mugs, to piggy banks and robot figurines to dog bowls and toothbrush holders. There is another wall full of different paints and glazes, and for those who take a little longer to get the creative juices flowing, there are binders full of stencils and ideas to trace directly onto your piece. There is no pressure to finish your creation in one sitting. In fact, they’ll give you up to a month to come back several times. When you’re finished, they fire it in their kiln and it’s ready to pick up in 2-3 days. What’s even better, they clean up the mess!

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HE SAID:

The day we went to the Clay Cafe, I mentioned on Twitter where I was going . The next day I got a text message from a friend who proceeded to ridicule me for it. Obviously he’s never experienced the awesomeness that is painting pottery.

Wow, that sounded a lot cooler in my head.

All jokes aside, I had a lot of fun at the Clay Cafe. After a few minutes of browsing, I finally decided to paint a monkey.

Leave me alone.

The staff were more than happy to explain some of the different methods for creating a unique piece of pottery, but I decided to go it alone. They have examples on the wall of what each paint color will end up looking like, so I picked out the necessary colors for a monkey in a suit and off I went.

Susan was done long before me, but I really enjoyed taking my time and trying to get the details just right. Unfortunately, my intense concentration didn’t exactly foster deep conversation, so all you first date people, make sure you pick something to paint that frees up your mind for getting to know someone.

After I ran down the street to Subway and picked up a small snack, we discovered that they did have coffee, tea, and a few little treats available. It’s not a full fledged cafe with baked goods and indecipherable drink names, but that’s not really why you go there anyway, so no points deducted for that.

I had a lot of fun at the Clay Cafe. The atmosphere was friendly and inviting, and they provide such a variety of options to make your piece unique that you could paint the same thing more than once and have it turn out differently each time.

SHE SAID:

I thoroughly enjoy arts and crafts, so a trip to the Clay Café was an instant hit for me. I’ve been there before and painted more detailed items such as a teapot, but I wanted to keep it simple this visit so I chose a small flowerpot. Instead of painting a design on it, I opted to try one of their specialty glazes. This was a fun alternative to designs that require a lot of concentration and could induce rage. I also wanted to create something that was useful.

My flowerpot took a little under two hours to complete, while Brad’s was closer to three hours of commitment. To avoid one person waiting for the other, try picking similar size items or designs with the same level of detail. Also, don’t wimp out on the coats of paint you apply.

Clay Café has a really fun, laid back atmosphere. The studio is very colourful and inspires creativity. The music adds to the experience too. They had a bunch of old LP’s playing artists such as Patsy Cline and Michael Jackson. They also have live music on Friday and Saturday nights.

Clay Café is a great place for a first date or as a spot to create heartfelt gifts for the ones you love. You can also book their party room for things to do for more than two (and up to 25!).