Alexis Brewer doesn’t prefer to do the math when it comes to how much she has spent on creating customized art signs for her house at Board & Brush Creative Studio in Sylvania.
If anyone figures it out, just don’t tell her husband.
“They have a program where if you buy and make five signs, you get the next sign free. I’ve gotten three free signs; that should tell you how many times I’ve done it,” the Bowling Green resident said, laughing. “They keep adding new stuff, and it reels me back in.”
Ms. Brewer, 39, has created signs with her kids’ names, signs for Halloween, Christmas, and Easter, and as gifts. She is one of thousands of people across the United States who flock to studios or other venues to sip wine, socialize with friends, and put their creativity to the test. The result is – for better or worse depending on who you ask – a piece they can take home and call their own.
The franchise industry has gained steam in the last decade, and doesn’t appear to be floundering now.
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The original paint-and-sip business concept, started in New Orleans by Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney in 2007 as a respite to the rebuilding efforts from Hurricane Katrina, mixed canvas painting with wine or some other type of alcohol to perhaps ease the anxiety behind the canvas, or maybe just heighten the party atmosphere. Or possibly both.
That first dive into the business model by Ms. Deano and Ms. Maloney – Painting With a Twist – has gone from 190 studios in 2015 to more than 300 across the U.S. now, according to figures from Forbes and the company website.
The original idea of mixing canvas painting and booze has morphed over the years to include pop-up parties at bars and other venues, and new ideas for creating with diverse materials and different vehicles for those materials.
The Board & Brush venue in Sylvania that Ms. Brewer frequents is a somewhat newer concept in creative group parties. It was started in 2015 by founder Julie Selby, who cooked up the idea of having a DIY studio after she hosted a neighborhood party making wood signs in her Wisconsin basement.
There are now 273 Board & Brush locations, including the Sylvania studio which is owned by Lindsey Camargo, who opened on West Central Avenue in November 2016.
Her husband cuts all of the wood for the different projects, which include inside and outside signs for year-round use, holidays or special occasions, clocks, trays, benches, backyard games such as giant Jenga, and even cornhole. The company has started diving into other specialty projects such as custom pillows and doormats.
The most popular night in the Sylvania studio is the Pick Your Project workshop, Ms. Camargo said. After choosing what they want to create from more than 400 different choices, guests go through an instructional period before diving in to sanding, staining, stenciling, and painting.
“It’s just such a fun night out,” she said. “We really want people to enjoy the process of making it and love what they’ve made and proudly hang it up. People love looking back and seeing what they’ve made.”
Fred Ayres purchased and opened the local franchise business, Wine & Canvas, in 2013. He and his family had a brick and mortar space in the Toledo area for several years, but have since opted to operate as a pop-up style business that has groups meet up at different venues in the area, said wife Beth Ayres.
“The classes are so popular because they allow people to be creative without having to plan ahead,” she said. “We bring the supplies, the artist, and the venue. All they have to do is ask their family and friends to join.”
The concept caters to girls’ nights out, family get-togethers, special-occasions such as bachelorette parties or holiday gatherings, and business team-building initiatives.
Both studios offer classes for the younger generation as well, including kids’ camps, birthday parties, and designs created especially for youth. Wine & Canvas offers a cookies and canvas option for kids that they are expanding in November to include story time.
“We are choosing a book to read at the beginning of the class, then the painting will be structured around the book and we will have cookies during the kids’ break,” Beth Ayres said.
The coronavirus pandemic and quarantine spurred on virtual Zoom classes, take-home art kits, and smaller classes and safety protocols when the state reopened in May.
Ms. Camargo said she spent hours creating craft boxes for kids and families, including creative movie night boxes, s’more stations, and personalized Easter boxes, and delivering them all over northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. She was relieved when she got to welcome guests back into the studio space, even if it was with masks and extra sanitizing.
“So many people have been talking throughout these months about how you don’t want anybody to be depressed throughout this [pandemic]. You need to socialize, you need to get out and be able to do something. I think it really does put a smile on people’s faces and it gives them something fun to do,” Ms. Camargo said. “I think people feel comfortable coming inside here. I have a lot of people call me and say what can I expect?”
Ms. Brewer will continue to add to her collection as long as she can.
“We keep coming back. You get hooked, you get addicted. It’s fun. I don’t have an artsy bone in my body but I’m very proud of myself when I come home from Board & Brush,” she said.
First Published October 17, 2020, 3:00 p.m.
