Brooklyn Clay Industries — Local services in New York

Review as of 01/22/22. TOTAL SCORE: (22/25)

(4/5) - 1: LOCATION (4/5) - 2: AVAILABILITY (5/5) - 3: ACCESSIBILITY (4/5) - 4: CUSTOMER RELATIONS (5/5) - 5: THE EXPERIENCE

OVERVIEW: What I paid for the first class: $65 Studio time after first class: $15 If you keep your piece, price varies on its size.

Before writing this I went through several of the other reviews to see how my experience compared and here is my opinion. I hope it helps!!!

1: LOCATION Yes, the class is hidden away. It can be tough to find if it’s your first time but they do have signs. Put away 15min extra for searching. That said, the classroom is really close to get to from the entrance of the building. 3rd floor, where ~30ft away from the stairwell. SCORE: 4/5

2: AVAILABILITY Get your tickets at least a week in advanced. Availability is limited by the number of pottery wheels they have, 8, so there isn’t much wiggle room for when a class fills up. Middle of the week is more open than Friday-Sunday. SCORE: (4/5)

3: ACCESSIBILITY Parking is very easy, I parked 20ft from the entrance but subway is a bit farther. The bus makes up that distance but if you can drive, go the car route. SCORE: (5/5)

4: CUSTOMER RELATIONS As for refunds, they’re a small business so when I had to follow up 2 times for my refund I attribute that to just the low staff numbers aka 2. I wouldn’t hold this against them because they really do work with you to get your money back they’re just busy do pottery not accounting. But keep this in mind for your own situation. SCORE: (4/5)

THE EXPERIENCE It’s just a great time. The people who sign up are usually chill. Rubin the instructor is a funny guy who really works with everyone. Even though he gives you directions to start near the end he encourages you to be creative. Do you want a bowl, a plate, ashtray? How do you want your piece to be shaped. Note: it important to learn the basic steps before the creative part!! 😊 plus I made a few friends from the class!!! SCORE: (5/5)

Overall it just a fun pottery class that gives you a break from the hustle of NYC life. Getting to make your own pottery make me feel like I’m adding to my life. Hope your experience is as great as...

This was the worst customer service experience I have had. I would like to give this place 0 stars. Last night, we went to the address provided in our email that was labeled “event location”. The location we went to was incorrect and we called the business. The woman on the phone gave us the correct address, however it was 45 minutes away and we would not be able to make the class on time. She apologized and had us send her the email. We asked if we could reschedule our class for the next day before we flew home or if we could have a refund. She stated the classes the next day were full and gave us the office number to call for a refund. We called with no answer and left a message. We called back the previous woman and she gave us a number to also text the office. After hearing nothing the next day, we called again. This time someone answered at the office and she told us she would be issuing a refund. The manager overheard her tell us we were getting a refund to answer abruptly and tell us they never do refunds. We then explained the situation and the texts we sent the night before to the office number. After blatantly telling us we were lying about the texts we sent and had no idea what we were talking about, he then suddenly found them and said he must have missed them. No apology was given. He then continued to tell us that we used the wrong address and should have known to use the address on the ticket that was listed as the “contact address” instead of the one we used which was clearly labeled as “event location”. He then continued to talk over me, tell me that I was wrong and he would not issue any kind of refund. This business lacks professionalism and customer service. Not to mention we are now out $160 simply because the wrong address was listed on the tickets and the manager refused to take any accountability for...

I've scoured the internet looking for a one-off pottery class, and Brooklyn Clay Industries is the best I could find!

Some highlights:

The people running the place make or break an experience. Reuben and Elsa at BCI are incredibly kind and loveable people. They went out of their way to accommodate us on our special day. They also let me check the place out before booking a class. Reuben was very patient with us, explaining the process while also keeping it interesting with some history/trivia/conversation.

The place has a beautiful view of the Navy Yard basin and the Williamsburg Bridge. If you can get there for a session around sunset, that'd be perfect. Contrary to the reviews online, the place is extremely easy to find. Google Maps Pin is accurate. Just navigate. Use any of the two metal doors and get to the 3rd floor. And if you dig the 'back to the past' industrial look like I do, this place is for you!

Probably the only place that offers one-time classes midweek/most weekdays!

From what I checked, BCI has the best price point for a 2 hour class in Brooklyn/Manhattan. They had good equipment and materials. From a beginners perspective, the clay/wheel were easy to work with.

They also have ceramics for sale. Proceeds go towards sponsored school programs.

Interesting places to check nearby. I have no idea what Newlabs is, but it's beautiful! They also have a café inside. Transmitter brewery is worth checking out.

Would...