Fang, along with her business partner Amy Lin, opened the store in December 2016 after attending school together at Rice University. The goal was to make a space where people could rediscover the fun of art, Fang said.
“We actually started off doing art classes, and we wanted to expand our business to be more inclusive to everybody because I think that the barrier to entry seems really high for a lot of people to create art, and we wanted to just make a space that made art seem more accessible to people,” Fang said.
Having not had any experience in owning a business, Fang said she quickly found out not having that background was not a setback, but rather helped her focus on the things that she did have previous knowledge in. She received a double degree in visual arts and architecture, which helped with the construction of the business.
“It definitely is a steep learning curve, but it’s not a business learning curve,” Fang said.
The cafe offers not only drawing and watercolor art classes led by Fang and Lin, but also more hands-on projects, such as making earrings or decorating a mini terrarium. For people who want food and drinks after making their artwork, the cafe also serves a variety of hot and iced beverages and food, including matcha lattes, smoothie bowls, milk tea and macarons.
Ultimately, Fang said she wants the space to function as a place for people to find joy in art again—something she feels is lacking in adults.
Fang said she hopes to expand the business in the future, but for now, she is focusing on featuring more local artists to help them showcase their work to the community.
“There’s nothing quite like discovering a new favorite artist that you’re just like, ‘Wow, this is incredible,’” she said. “You never know when you’re going to stumble upon that next great art piece.”
Honey Art Cafe
3516 S. Shepherd Drive, Houston
832-582-0672
www.honeyartcafe.com
Hours: Tue.-Fri. 3-8 p.m., Sat.-Sun. noon-7 p.m., reservations only Mon.
