Artful Adventures — Attraction in Vancouver

Very disappointed in this experience. Pricing is as kind of outrageous for a family activity. I would definitely recommend finding a better solution for family art nights. The clay pieces available to paint are really cheap generic pieces from china so the quality just isn’t worth the price. I understand costs are going up I’m just not sure these will ever be worth the price. The glazes they use aren’t that impressive I would say they cover the basic colors in different hues but beyond that they seemed lacking in options. They give us little tile pieces as a pallet and this just leads to problems with waste. Either the paint is brushed off the pallet or it inevitably mixes with other colors. I would recommend a cheap pallet to better the experience for customers. At the very least might save them a few bucks and be less wasteful. Really the only thing they can offer for their prices is the use of a kiln to fire the glaze. I’m not convinced that alone is worth the cost associated with the outing. I genuinely feel a family or friends group could go to a local arts and craft store or even a Joanne’s with their coupons available and find many different art projects for a fraction of the price.

The customer service was very neglectful. They never checked on us and ended up with us having to request help on a few different occasions. The fact that there was two employees and neither of them felt the need to leave their desks and check on our group seemed less welcoming of us and more like we interrupting their quite time. We were the only ones there so they might have been doing something important beforehand. Now I do have a deaf daughter and so they might have been intimidated to speak with us but she loves people and would have appreciated being interacted with. She loves making friends everywhere and I’m saddened that she was overlooked.

I’ll admit painting is a messy activity with children but I was surprised they had such a small sink to try and wash hands and arms, ( and let’s be real faces lol children ya know). Now they do have a sink at the end of a very narrow hallway. It is very cluttered with used tiles and brushes. Just a very cramped space for parents to help children clean up. Also unfortunately not accessible at all for people with mobility issues especially those who might need help from a wheel chair or other mobility aid.

One thing that surprised me was how much they had us clean up. We cleaned up our work area as would be expected but on top of that they expect customers to take your time to hand wash all your own pallets and brushes. In retrospect having to hand wash our supplies isn’t that big of a deal it just seems like that would have been included in the studio fee you will find out about when you are done painting. Now I did expect some sort of fee for using their painting supplies but was just mildly surprised it’s not brought up until the very end.

Probably the strangest things is the fact they they ask for a tip as you are paying. I don’t know if it’s just the check out software that they use but be careful when paying with debit or credit. It takes you to a tip screen automatically choosing a 20% tip option. I could have easily just hit continue and I’m sure others have and will make that mistake. Just something to watch out for when you are paying.

All in all it was an ok family activity. It was just overly priced and the service was lacking. I’m not surprised there ends up being so many unclaimed art pieces people have left their instead of going back to finish. I guess the good news is if you are bored and want an activity you can come here and buy the uncompleted projects at a discount.

We love our weekly art outing and we’re disappointed with this one. Fret not there are countless other options out their for us all to enjoy. Keep...

The concept is awesome! Glass fusing is a fun time and it's great to have access to a different style medium.

But be very cautious if buying gift cards and Groupons, be sure you don't purchase ANYTHING that says workshop (unless that's what you want) it cannot be used for open studio activities. It is a hassle and affected my whole group. Odd that the establishment received money for a transaction and yet they won't let you use those funds...calling IT for a gift card work around for the computer system is a waste of everyone's time, especially since my receipt says Managers Discount -$53. I was told this issue had something to do with a Washington State law that changed so it's no longer an issue. Unfortunately my family purchased Groupons this week for our craft day, but wound up paying out of pocket because they were told their Groupons are for a workshop only.

You're also paying an additional $10/per person to work in the studio on top of the project price. I'd say the concept could use a rethink; maybe a membership or a rewards punch card would be more approachable.

My situation was resolved although I lost a few bucks out of the transaction; $65 gift card, my total was $53. Even with tax it is still only $57.13. So I waited more than 20 minutes for a resolution and feel taken advantage of ($7.87 is more than $2-3 I was told. I asked for a drink to cover the remainder, and she said she was sorry, that it was too late they had already processed it.

I appreciate the two employees that worked to find a resolution but overall, it was a pretty ridiculous situation for everyone.

Update per response:

Thank you for your response. Upon arrival my 69 year old mother walked in first. She did not share anything of her introduction. As for my arrival I walked in and needing to use the restroom straight away, so I was not looking for a sign.

While I did hear the sales pitch about selling alcohol and other drinks with every new customer walk through I did not here anyone ask "is anyone using a gift certificate" or something along those lines. Which I think would mitigate the type of experience I had and for others that overlooked that sign.

I did not look up the Groupon as I had been gifted a gift certificate many months prior. So I was unaware of both purchases up until the point where I wanted to use my gift certificate (which also did not mention a workshop just the value). All three Groupons were able to be charged back so no further error there.

However, when I asked for IT to be contacted, I was told that the whole gift certificate would not be used in that scenario...only if they had to charge for the workshop instead which in that case I would have saved it. So to be told after it had been processed, wasn't appreciated. A simple offering of something of somewhat equal value like a beverage would have smoothed that scenario over completely.

I understand you're a small business and my review has been edited to change the tone, but is still accurate to my experience. Per your response and not offering any kind of apology for the situation, I do not feel that it warrants adding another star...

Our first venture to Live, Laugh, Love Art was actually quite pleasant. We arrived for a paint class, of which we had the wrong day, so they helped us with some fun projects available for walk-in customers. We had a nice time and rescheduled our paint class.

That is, unfortunately, where our good experience ended.

When we arrived for our rescheduled paint class, I brought my mom and twin six year old girls. I was told shortly after arriving that only one adult was able to be with the girls. While I was a bit miffed, it wasn’t that big a deal and I can understand not wanting to overcrowd a room for paint projects with kids. I decided to wait in the car and let my mom stay with her granddaughters.

Not long after I left, my mom came out of the shop. They had asked her to leave as well. Come to find out (as it’s not made clear to parents at any point prior to purchase), that unless you as a parent ALSO pay to take part in the class, you are not welcome to stay. Like, at all. They wouldn’t even let my mom shop their store while my girls had the paint class. She was asked to leave.

As a recap, people that I don’t know are asking me to leave my children all by themselves without me being able to stay just to keep and eye and make sure they’re comfortable. Are they background checked? Are they legally licensed like a daycare, certifying that my children are in a safe environment? No idea. They disclosed nothing.

Needless to say, I didn’t feel like that was safe for my children. Add to that, during our original visit, we were told that one adult or guardian was permitted to stay with a child. Admittedly, I was mad and didn’t react the best. I was elevated. I returned inside to pull my kids out. They refused to not only acknowledge my unease but they offered no solution, no explanation (outside of it being their policy), and nothing to reassure my concerns or offer any kind of customer service to rectify any misunderstanding. I was asked to leave, bluntly.

I’m just in shock. Aside from informing whomever cares to read this, I will also be reporting Live, Laugh, Love Art to the Better Business Bureau. If you choose to do business with them, just a word of advice to make sure you’re clear on their policy beforehand as they have no interest in accommodating or offering any kind of customer service.

Edited to add response to the owner

It’s so unfortunate and sad to me that, as a business owner, you’re more concerned with gaslighting me and my mother and painting us as irrational and angry rather than showing any interest in rectifying a bad experience with a customer or even acknowledging our concerns. No parent I know would’ve been comfortable putting their children the situation you were asking me to put mine in.

I will not be engaging with you any further as your behavior has made it clear there would be no benefit. I truly hope you choose to treat your customers with more consideration and respect...