MCS Clay Studios — Attraction in Clearwater

Early Oct 2020 - instructor Martha has a cold/cough which made me uncomfortable visiting. Wish I had known of such cold so I would have rescheduled the class instead of coming 1hr+ all the way out to Clearwater early in the morning. At least inform guests ahead of time so we can make adjustments and come another time would be considerate. A lot of people have underlying conditions and cannot take the risk of being around a simple cold, tbd on if it was just a simple cold.

As of everything else - Purchased a Groupon for the 1-class. You get (2) 1lb pieces of clay to make 2 small pieces on the wheel, a heat torch to dry it, and glaze to paint it afterwards. Total expect to be there for about 3 hours. The instructor helps you make the two pieces rotating amongst guests, then you dry and glaze on your own. Pick up is 3 weeks later. This is a bit different compared to the Clay Center in St pete simply b/c you're only visiting 2x (create then pick up) rather than 3x (create, paint, pick up). I couldn't tell you which one is better for the sake of pottery but this was convenient not having to make the trip one less time. Making clay pottery is a lot more difficult than I expected. I'd suggest looking up what sort of piece you want to make beforehand, typical suggestions I heard were: cup w/o the handle, bowl, planter, colander, Christmas tree decor, or something abstract. Keep in mind anything you mold, you're able to carve after while glazing.

The instructor Martha herself, minus the cold, was very patient and helpful and managed helping the 6 of us well.

Logistics - there's 6 wheels, so 6 people in a class plus 1 instructor. Wearing a mask is no longer required so other guests did not. There's about 2ft between each artist.

I would have rated this as a 5 star had masks been required for all guests and had the instructor inform us of a sickness beforehand so that I would come another time when she was feeling better / not coughing. The instructor wore a cloth face mask, face shield, and gloves. Call ahead to clarify if...

It's been an exhausting multiple days and why I booked this class this weekend is beyond me....but I'm glad I did. This is the our 9 year anniversary gift to each other, which is pottery or willow.....we are corney and fillow the traditional anniversary gifts ideas. Although he bought me a custom cutting board with a willow tree carved on it, I thought this was a cool idea to incorporate the both of us. I recommend this small business who truly has a passion for pottery and teaching those who wish to learn. There was a small group of 6, all women, except my hubs ( he was a trooper and they loved him attending). These are our creations minus one that I forgot to take a photo of.....this is before we chose our glazes and we get to pick them up in three weeks. What a cool and fun experience. Thank you MCS for a great day! We can not wait to do this again and bring others along. Also, thank you Tina, your energy was...

As a surprise for my birthday, my boyfriend got me a ceramic class, we planned in advance and he got it from Groupon. With excitement we arrived twenty minutes early and were told that they over booked and can’t take us. The instructor asked if we could reschedule for Friday, with us both working in the morning and could come after work whenever we both get off. Friday comes, and we are on our way from tampa to clearwater, only for the same instructor to say we are too late and can’t do the class anymore. We weren’t offered a refund nor an apology for them messing up on their end especially for my birthday. I’m very disappointed with this, be aware that your appointment...