its grand opening last December.
Georgina Meduri, balancing a paintbrush in one hand and a wine glass in the other, puts the finishing touches on her winter landscape and smiles. It’s a recent Wednesday night and a small group has gathered in White Plains’ Muse Paintbar.
“Years ago, doing ceramics was the fad,” Meduri said comparing that, to the recent paint-drink craze. “I’ve probably been here about 10 times since this place has opened up. It’s just something creative, fun and different to do.”
Although Muse has only been up and running in White Plains for five months, the chain has expanded to 14 businesses across New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Massachusetts since opening its first location in Manchester, New Hampshire, in late 2012.
The manager of the White Plains location, Miesha, said working at Muse has made her professional life the happiest it’s ever been.
“I just love seeing people get excited over what they’ve created,” she said. “I think people like coming here because it brings balance to their everyday lives, which are usually spent at a desk.”
The paint-and-sip industry began a little more than 10 years ago when the first studio, Sips n Strokes, opened in Alabama in 2004. The craze has gained rapid momentum since then, as an estimated 1,000 different paint bars have opened throughout the United States and Canada. Paint bar clients can either rent a party room for a private event or register to paint during public classes offered throughout the week.
One such studio franchise, Pinot’s Palette, recently opened in Tuckahoe, making that location its 90th in the country, and first in Westchester County. Although the company is new to Tuckahoe—it has only been open since December 2015—it has grown exponentially since getting its start in Houston in 2009, and now has locations in 37 states, and one in Toronto.
Pat Cipollone, owner of Pinot’s Palette studio in Tuckahoe, said the appeal of paint bars comes from people’s desire to have an alternative night out and create their own artwork.
“In the end, you’ve created something that’s genuinely yours,” Cipollone said. “Paint bars open the door for people to appreciate art, and it relaxes them in a way.”
Cipollone said the popularity of paint bars makes publicizing his new location a challenge; he mainly depends on word of mouth to draw a crowd. He said his instructors do their best to keep the night light and fun for everyone, but in the end, it’s up to the client to make the best of it.
Julie Alfonso, an instructor and assistant at Muse Paintbar, said one challenging aspect of the job is encouraging adult clientele not to take themselves or their work too seriously. She said there’s always an opportunity to come back and try it again.
“We do our best to make everybody feel comfortable and not hold themselves to an unrealistic standard,” Alfonso said. “This gives people a chance to come out and do something new; to feel like a kid again.”
