AC Fun Factory: Cafe Pottery And The Splatter Paint Room — Local services in Manassas

Unprofessional. I booked my appointment on the company's website and specifically chose Pottery Wheel Lessons for 2 for this past Saturday at 3PM. There were a handful of appointments in 15 min increments available when I booked my appointment. My husband and I traveled 45 mins to our appointment and were a few mins late because the address in Google Maps directs you to a candle shop at 9109 instead of 9019 Center St. Luckily, a helpful worker at the candle shop redirected us to where we needed to go - needless to say we were running a few minutes behind at this point. Upon arrival, there seemed to already be a session taking place. The instructor looked at us and asked if we made an appointment and I said I made an appointment online for 3PM. I apologized for being late and explained that we were given the incorrect address online (that was my mistake that I later discovered) as it was clearly a Google maps issue. The instructor also mentioned that it was a Google maps issue - why didn't the company update the Google maps address if they already knew about the issue is a question my husband and I also asked ourselves. The instructor looked at my husband and I and looked at the other two ladies who were already there and said..."well one of you booked a painting session". I told him that I know for sure that I booked the correct class as I read that we had to book a separate session to paint the pot at a later date. I asked him to please check the system but the instructor said the system was freezing up and the internet went down. He asked if we had traveled far and I said we traveled 45 mins to get there. One of the ladies chimed in that they had traveled further. I asked if he could please check via his phone but he said he could not as his phone cannot access the back end of their company's system. He apologized but said he would have to take the 1st couple that got there first. I said that was fine and that my husband and I could grab a bite to eat and come back later. He said unfortunately, he had appointments booked for the rest of the day. I found this strange as there was only 1 instructor there and that there were plenty of appointments available on the company site in 15 minute increments. Maybe there was a different instructor available for the painting session but we didn't see anyone there. The instructor said we would have to re-book our session for another day. I'm debating on whether to even go back due to the distance and the lack professionalism for the company in general, regardless of the fact that this Groupon was a gift from...

Impressed can hardly describe our experience at Café Pottery. This is not your ordinary pottery painting place! I brought my two kids (9 & 11) to Café Pottery and was initially hesitant that they would be able to make something halfway decent. I usually take them to overrated places where they charge outrages prices to paint a limited selection of pre-made, semi-decent pottery. Sound pretty ridiculous right? Why let your kids paint someone else's pottery, when they can paint their own? And parents, never fear. This will not turn out like that clay creation they brought home from their kindergarten art class that's collecting dust on the shelf--that is, if it isn't broken already.

My kids had a total blast using the pottery wheel--it's an extra-large fidget spinner where you mold slimey, squishy clay...parents should be lining up their kids at Café Pottery's door! The private instruction was simply amazing! Andrew sat both kids down and patiently gave them step-by-step instructions, not only once but so many times that I lost count. But this is where his talent really shows, he continued to do so patiently until....they got it! They created mugs and bowls that are better than any of the overpriced ones they painted years ago! We were fortunate to have them completed in time to give them away as gifts--they were that nice!

This is the perfect idea for any gift...birthdays, teachers, Mother's Day, Father's Days, Grandparent's...you get the idea! But here's an inside TIP: Andrew hosts pottery nights at various restaurants! What an excellent idea for a date night!

We had such an amazing experience that we'll be back...

Edit: changed review to 5 stars due to sincere follow ups from owner and staff. Unprompted, Staff member pulled pics from the video and sent on next day with a very nice and apologetic note. I believe staff and owner really intended a positive outcome, and my review was an immediate reaction. In retrospect based on their response and other reviews, I def could have assumed good intentions and spoken up directly to staff and owner first. While the location is too far for me to return (contributing to some of my emotional first reaction), I wouldn't discourage anyone from trying out this fun activity. The kids really did enjoy themselves inside the splatter room.

Kids had a good time, but I was very disappointed on what we received from the cost. I was told I would get pictures along the way, and a pic of each person with their painting. So I only took a single pic myself before the kids headed in. No pics were taken. Only one video of the kids entering the space and a video of their backs painting. I was told it was because the kids left the space so fast but it looked to me like after a couple kids were done, the rest of the kids were all being rushed out. They only had 30 min inside the paint splatter area ( even thought it's advertised as one hour). No other customers were there. The employees paid much more attention to me as the mom and just strangely dancing around, than paying any attention to what the kids needed. I had to get one guy to stop talking and pay attention to one of the kids asking for another set of gloves. For how expensive this was, I would...