Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanna Harvey.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I graduated from Auburn University with a marketing degree and soon became part of the business work force. But I just wasn’t enjoying working for others in a non-fulfilling job. So I went back to school and got a teaching degree and soon became an elementary school art teacher. It was such a fun, rewarding position! But when my husband and I decided to start our family, I chose to step back from teaching to focus on our children.
To earn extra income, I taught art classes to children out of our basement a few times a week. As classes began to grow, I soon ran out of space and had to rent a small facility to accommodate the demand. Once word got out that we were also offering birthday art parties and open studio, the business just exploded. We switched spaces again and are now located in the prestigious Ashley Park shopping center in Newnan, GA. We see hundreds of customers and teach hundreds of art parties and classes each year. But our real attraction is the open studio warehouse area where customers can come play 7 days a week with our art supplies with no instruction. It’s just a big, messy play area where people can create without the structure of a class. Art is meant to be explored and that’s what our studio does! It has been an amazing journey from marketing to teaching and then back to business. But I now have the best of both worlds and am so excited about the future of this company!
Has it been a smooth road?
I think that most entrepreneurs can agree that the road to success is never smooth. We made a LOT of mistakes in the beginning that we are still paying for. But that’s just the cost of business. One struggle we did not expect was educating our customers on how our studio works. Most art studios provide classes, education, and instruction. Our studio is more of a warehouse area that you pay-by-the-hour. This is a totally new concept and it takes customers a few times to understand that instruction is not provided…they are just there to explore.
Another issue was our studio concept being confused with the local “drink and paint” places. These places are super fun and trendy right now…especially in the Atlanta area…but that’s not what we do. I think our name “Bubbles and Brushes” also adds to this misconception. Therefore, we are planning to solve this issue by changing the name of our future stores.
As we continue to grow and improve, we know that struggles are part of that growth. But that won’t slow us down from providing incredible customer service and an amazing art experience for our guests.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Bubbles and Brushes Art Studio story. Tell us more about the business.
Bubbles and Brushes Art Studio is different from any other art studio in Atlanta. We are open 7 days a week, all day long for customers to walk-in without reservations and explore our arts and craft supplies for one flat fee. Our customers travel from as far north as Kennesaw and as far south as Columbus just to play in our studio. In addition, we provide art classes, art parties and art camps during school breaks.
I am most proud of the staff we have hired over the years. We have a super low turnover rate with some staff that have been with us since the beginning 6 years ago! They all love working at the studio and it shows through their amazing customer service.
We have won over half a dozen awards as well as became a FINALIST for the 2015 Small Business of the Year award with the Newnan Coweta Chamber…the top Chamber in the nation!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The arts entertainment industry has been very trendy over the past few years providing the “Drink and Paint” places and the “Paint Your Own Pottery” places. I hope that more options will become available for families over the next 5-10 years. With the art education programs being cut out of schools, it is more important than ever for local businesses to provide places where people can feel safe exploring the arts. Art Education is such a vital part of our children’s development. It teaches them that there is more than one answer to a problem, that other people’s views can be different yet still beautiful, it builds their self-confidence, and strengthens their emotional wellbeing. In addition, research has shown improvements in test scores by participating in an art program each week. I think parents realize the importance of the arts and are looking for other options for their kids. So I would love to see these trends continue and more options become available for people of all ages to explore the arts. And I think our open studio is one option that meets this demand.
Pricing:
- $7 per hour per person to play in open studio
- $0-$6 per item to paint
- $12.50 per project for the Mommy & Me Class
- $18 per child for a 2 hour children’s party
- $25 per adult for a 2 hour adult party
- $36-$50 per child per camp day
- $15 per 1 hour afterschool art class
- $25 per person for a one month membership ($10 for each additional person)
Contact Info:
- Address: 314B Newnan Crossing Bypass
Newnan, GA 30265 - Website: www.BubblesAndBrushes.com
- Phone: (678) 899-7035
- Email: bubblesandbrushesartstudio@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bubblesandbrushesartstudio
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BandBArtStudio?lang=en
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bubbles-and-brushes-art-studio-newnan
Image Credit:
Toddler shown painting = Claire Swartz.
Boys painting = Blake and Ryan Swartz.
Group shot Top Row starting left to right = Haley Swartz, Caitlyn Frackelton, Allie Dickerson, Anna Dickerson, Leah Barksdale, Blake Swartz, Ryan Swartz, Claire Swartz.
Group Shot Bottom left to right = Maia Frauenberger and Mark Harvey.
Booth Photo = staff members Jordyn Gagel, Joanna Harvey, Kristen Anderson
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
