Stressed out and running out of clean dishes? An Okemos store offers a way to kill time, express creativity, relax and construct cute, homemade bowls and cups.
Nestled inside 4750 Central Park Drive in Okemos, Art Unlimited is an outlet for people itching to roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty, pull out their paintbrushes and exercise their artistic muscles.
"It's kind of fun to go here before an exam, or any time would be good for a first date," said Anne O'Connor, owner of the year-old studio. She added that the store's fireplace helps to add a little romance to the atmosphere.
Art Unlimited also offers wheel-throwing, painting and drawing classes, and jewelry-making workshops. The classes range from $20 to $140.
Instead of an hourly studio fee to paint pottery, Art Unlimited charges a flat rate of half the price of the piece. Prices for anything from candy dishes to serving bowls range from $4 to $45.
"I come in after work, and it is a nice stress-reliever," said Melissa Nay, 1999 MSU alumna. "This is a great place to be creative and to paint a wide array of pottery stuff," she said as she applied yellow paint to a new food bowl for her cat.
Nay said she was never worried about not having enough skill to create masterpieces of her own, because the instructors have given her a lot of insight into the artistic world.
"It's easy," Nay said. "You just come in and they help give you that little extra artistic edge."
O'Connor said her staff members do not necessarily have art backgrounds, but they all are able to assist others in their artistic endeavors.
Complete with red clay-stained apron and hands, Laingsburg resident Laura Ford looks the part of an Art Unlimited employee.
"It is really fun to watch people come here and pick things up," Ford said. "This is the only job I've ever had that I have really enjoyed."
Art Unlimited has a back room designated for molding clay and wheel-throwing classes.
"Everyone comes in with an idea and we make sure to assist them with their idea," Ford said. "A lot of people come in who are not experienced, but this is so simple, anyone can be an artist here."
New works of art are placed into one of two kilns in the back room of the store and are fired at about 1,860 degrees for about 30 hours.
Each piece is taken out after certain intervals to be given an additional clear glaze to make it both shiny and food-safe.
Art Unlimited hosts special events for parties or meetings, as well as a weekly ladies' night out every Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m. that includes theme nights and live entertainment.
But that doesn't mean that there isn't room at Art Unlimited for the guys, O'Connor said.
"We don't have a lot of guys here, but the guys that do come in do an awesome job," O'Connor said. "They just need to take a chance and come in."
