Renee's Ceramic Cafe — Attraction in Iowa City

Renee's is a wonderful place to create and relax. Renee, the owner, has worked hard for the last 20 years to provide an atmosphere to "release your inner artist." She loves to watch children bring their imagination to life through painting. She loves it when they discover there are no rules. Shouldn't a turtle be green? No, it can be whatever you want it to be. She loves to watch people connect. Just gossiping about life, or really, really getting lost in painting their piece. Over the last two decades, she has hosted uncounted numbers of birthday parties, events, painting classes, pottery wheel classes, sculpting classes, almost anything you can imagine. Whole families have come back again and again over the years. Children who visited her when she started now are grown and bring in their own children. She has gone to schools and daycares to teach classes and provide artistic opportunities. She has shown her civic pride creating 4 of the coolest Herky statues for the last two Herky On Parade events. She has given speeches to students and local entrepreneurs about owning and operating your own local business, both as a business owner and a female business owner. During the initial covid lockdown, for Easter, she sold a painting and toy "to-go" kit for below cost to try and give the kids a somewhat normal Easter holiday (I was the one in the bunny costume running out to people's cars to deliver as they were not allowed to come in). I know there are even more things I am forgetting. Looking at Google, I notice there are only 33 reviews over 20 years. Of the thousands and thousands of people that passed through her door, 33 reviews. I can see that. I never leave reviews. If it was a good experience, I tell my friends. If it was bad, I tell my friends. Word of mouth is how most of us operate. Now to be transparent, I am Renee's husband, so my opinion is biased. But what I've said here is not. Renee's has become a staple of the Iowa City Corridor Area. Twenty years in an experience-based industry should speak for itself. I just wanted you all to know her family loves her and are very proud of her and what...

I’ve been to Renee’s many times back when it was in Sycamore Mall, but since it moved out I hadn’t been back. Today I went to her new location (on Gilbert, near behind Gumby’s Pizza) and it’s even better. There are a few main things I love about Renee’s. I love the variety of pieces. From small figurines to huge sculptures, there’s something everyone could find useful. I’m always a fan of painting dishes because once they’re glazed and fired, they’re safe to eat and drink off of. I always feel that the pay-by-piece pricing is helpful. When you go, you choose a piece, and then paint, brushes, etc. are all included on the price written on the bottom of that piece. The environment in there is very welcoming. There’s art absolutely everywhere you look. Tons of glazed pieces, paintings, and hand-sculpted masterpieces. The whole place feels like one giant art project that makes you feel free to be as messy and creative as you want.

I’m so thrilled to see Renee’s is just as good as it was, and even better. I’ll...

Walked into the shop and was immediately faced with dozens of options ranging from large to small. Most options need to be fired and picked up at a later time so I came in asking for a piece I could take home today. I was shown a shelf of options priced $5-$25, but most pieces were $15. I chose a small fish for that average price of $15 and finished it within half an hour. There were limited paint color options for the pre-fired pieces but I was very happy with what was available. At the end I had the option to add glitter to my piece and of course I said yes! I could pay with cash or card. The whole experience was very direct, short interactions with staff which made focusing a breeze. I would recommend this experience to those with older kids who want a family activity, couples looking for a creative date option, or individuals needing something new to play with. Will be returning with loved ones to share...