Katie Summerford and Vicki Burgess were stay-at-home moms when they first met Wren Hartley at a Girl Scouts event for their daughters. Hartley was the franchise owner of Color Me Mine—a walk-in, paint-it-yourself ceramics studio in Cypress. When they learned Hartley was selling the business, the two friends jumped at the chance to own the franchise together.
Although the pair had little training and understanding of how to manage the business, they officially took over Oct. 1, 2014.
“We were excited and eager, but when we got in here, we had no idea,” Summerford said. “Bir thday parties were scheduled, and people were coming in to pick up their items. I didn’t even know how to ring up something on the register.”
The new owners endeavored to attract customers by emphasizing that art training was not necessary to enjoy the experience. Over time, Burgess and Summerford began to get the hang of running the business. Today, staff members are trained in different techniques and are ready to inspire those who might not know where to begin, Summerford said.
“We’re really creative people, but we’re not artists,” she said. “If you sit down and try, it’s amazing what you can do.”
Customers at Color Me Mine pay a $5-$8 studio fee in addition to the price of their ceramic bisques of choice but do not have to make reservations to paint. The venue gives more value than a family outing to the movie theater or trampoline park, Burgess said.
“We’re different because you walk away with something—a plate, a mug, a gift for somebody, a memory,” Burgess said. “Spend two hours with your child, come back in a week and you have something you can use.”
Burgess said her favorite part of the process is seeing the pride on the faces of younger students when they see the finished product. However, only about half of their customers are children, she said. Parents often come back for date night or ladies night.
Summerford and Burgess said they hope to add a second location in The Woodlands by early 2017 and also plan to launch a store in Katy the following year. Summerford said she is excited to be a part of even more lives.
“I did all the glazing and firing our first year,” she said. “As crazy as it was, I went home that Christmas Eve and I thought, ‘How many gifts that I’ve touched are under trees?’ They might not know your name, but we get to be a part of all these different things.”
The crafting process
- Select ceramic bisque and paint colors
- Paint with no time limit
- Staff member glazes the piece, which dries for 12 hours before firing process
- Bisque is stilted and goes into kiln for 24 hours, where it reaches 1,830 degrees
- Finished product is matched to ticket, wrapped in gift bag
- Customer is called for pickup*
