Dancing Brush Studio — Local services in Poulsbo

We took our visiting family to Poulsbo for a Sunday outing, and they were really excited to visit the Dancing Brush, which used to be one of our favorite spots. Unfortunately, after today, I’m so frustrated that I’m having trouble even putting it into words.

We arrived around 1:30 pm and asked about putting our names on the waitlist. The staff told us we were first on the list, that they’d call us when a table was ready, and that the wait would be about an hour. It seemed like a couple of parties were already going on, so we were fine with waiting (especially since we didn’t call ahead).

We spent time browsing a few shops and waited outside the Dancing Brush in the cold for a table to open up. Eventually, my fiancé went inside to ask about possibly making a reservation for another day (at this point we were well past an hour), but we decided to keep the wait. This is where things really went downhill. We were literally waiting right outside the store—you could see us, and I kept checking my phone to make sure we hadn’t missed a call. There weren’t many other shops we could visit, so we were stuck waiting. The associates NEVER asked my fiance if he wanted to cancel his reservation nor did they cross out our names on the list in front of him or anything that would indicate to us that we were no longer in line for a table.

After several hours of waiting (and now dealing with cold, tired, family members), I went back in to check how much longer the wait would be. The five of us were freezing and we had no other options for things to do. The response was "Oh, you were removed from the list." And then a blank stare. I was shocked and completely frustrated and at this point, just wanted to cry, but I held my composure. The one associate eventually apologized, but said it was the fault of the other girl who was working Saturday. I ended up walking out of the store because I didn’t want to cause a scene, but the entire situation was unprofessional and disrespectful. Customers don't care whose fault it is, we just want the situation amended (especially if it was something outside of our control). Instead of prioritizing fixing the mistake they made, she passed blame. I eventually replied "I understand it's not your fault, but I need to leave because I'm very upset" and I let my fiance finish talking to her because I just couldn't believe that my favorite place in poulsbo would treat us that way.

For reference, we made the reservation at 1:30, and we were only told about the issue at 4:00—two and a half hours of waiting for absolutely nothing. If we hadn't gone in to verify what the heck was going on, we would've continued waiting for that imaginary phone call we were promised. They also had a table available right then, so it felt like our business just didn’t matter. They could have tried seating some of our party (we had five, but only four actually wanted to paint - we would've worked with the employees, I would have been willing not to paint to at least get my family in, but no effort was made on their part to do anything except say it was the other employee's fault and a half-hearted "Sorry").

It completely ruined our Sunday, and (as of right now) we won't be returning. This was our one weekend for me to connect with my in-laws before my fiance and I get married, and it was awful. If you plan to visit, I highly recommend making a reservation ahead of time (and confirming/reconfirming regularly until your appointment) or don’t bother going at all, because they clearly don’t prioritize their waitlist or follow through on their promises. NO ONE ever confirmed with me or my fiance about removing us from the list. Idk how you even come to that conclusion without reaching out to the customer first.

I will be trying to contact management on Monday and updating my reviews to reflect how the situation is handled. I feel awful writing "bad reviews", but this whole situation was absolutely unacceptable and I really don't want it happening to...

I couldn’t find an email to contact, or I definitely would have messaged this privately.

My family has been coming to the Dancing Brush since I was a kid, so there is a lot of nostalgia/happy memories here. So when we visited Poulsbo a couple days ago (Saturday April 8th), we decided to paint some pottery. Everything was great until we were checking out with the only male employee. I am not sure what his name was, but I did read a couple other reviews complaining about a man that works here - something should really be done about him/his behavior. From the start, he was noticeably irritated. Before checking us out, I said that I would be paying separately - he was very obviously annoyed at me for that. Once he finished checking out my family, I simply offered that he could use the same account for mine if it made it easier for him. He glared at me, and snapped at me that he had already closed it out. When writing down my info, he angry scribbled all over the paper and table. He got increasingly more agitated, snapping at me/my family, cursing under his breath, complaining about his coworkers, etc, even chucking his pen behind him very angrily (right at a shelf full of finished pottery). I wanted to call him out for his horrible behavior, but was a little concerned that he would throw something at us! Honestly, check your cameras for around 4:00, because I know this doesn’t even do what happened justice.

The other employees were very nice, helpful. - they...

My husband and I recently went there for our first pottery painting experience and absolutely loved it. Relaxed atmosphere, welcoming and knowledgeable staff, and there's a military discount! Make sure to tell them that you're military, it will get you 5 dollars off the painting fee. I love the high number of functional pottery they sell, such as platters, all shapes and sizes of mugs, plates, pitchers, and so on. There's also a variety of decorative items to paint as well.

While another review exists on this page complaining of flawed finished pottery, I will remind that there is a recourse if your pottery comes out cracked or broken. It's printed clearly on your receipt that if your pottery is cracked or broken they will either fix it or give you a new piece of pottery of equal value to paint. For artistic flaws such as bubbles, however, the mistake lies with the artist. Bubbles form when paint is applied too thickly or not shaken throughly enough, and can burst in the kiln and endanger other pieces. There are painting tips and instructions posted all over the store, and the staff are happy to answer questions and demo techniques.

All in all, I love this little Shop, and there is great food, coffee, and snacks within walking distance of the store. I intend to go...