Hand-painted pottery has a rich legacy of storytelling, from the Grecian urns that document the perils of Orpheus and Eurydice to modern coffee mugs that foretell epic tales of the world's greatest grandpa. Paint your own story with today's Groupon: for $10, you get $20 worth of pottery painting, including painting supplies, at Mimi's Crafts in Satellite Beach.
Mimi's Crafts invites pottery painters of all ages and levels of expertise into its cozy studio, which does not charge studio or firing fees. A staff of earthenware artisans helps guests lend individual flair to more than 1,500 pottery pieces—90% of which are poured and fired in-house—such as mugs ($14–$17) and spoon rests ($18). Choose from more than 100 paint colors and give new stripes to a tiger or a prince's complexion to a frog by scanning an array of figurines spanning the animal kingdom ($10–$18). Gather favorite ephemera to store in a keepsake box in whimsical shapes such as cupcakes, butterflies, and seated mermaids holding seashells ($18–$20). After basking in the preservative radiance of one of six on-site kilns, pieces are ready to follow painters home within one week. Mimi's Crafts also hosts special events such as birthday parties and fundraisers, along with its weekly Adults' Night, a BYOB event featuring music from the 1980s and a dress code from the 1780s.
Origin Story: A Chicken in Every Pot and 400 Clay Urns in Every Garage
After an early retirement from the rental-car industry in 1994, Mimi Orrison devoted herself to a prolific pottery habit that eventually took over her entire garage, much to her husband's chagrin. To keep the peace and further pursue her passion, Mimi converted a former dress shop into Mimi's Crafts, and it’s been full of kids painting with unbridled creativity ever since. When she isn't tearing through science-fiction novels or playing Cafe World, Mimi has pursued such projects as arranging photographs and guest signatures onto a commemorative plate for her daughter’s wedding.
Mimi's Crafts
When Mimi’s Crafts was founded in 1995, two dreams were fulfilled: Mimi turned her hobby of molding clay and painting ceramics into a full-time business, and her husband got his garage back. The walls of Mimi’s studio flaunt more than 1,500 blank ceramics, the vast majority of which were made in store. During pottery-painting sessions, visitors let their artistic instincts run wild as they daub figurines with scintillating paints, before their completed designs are immortalized in a fiery kiln. The studio’s experts stay on hand to offer helpful tips on stenciling, arranging color combinations, and forging Michelangelo’s signature. Aside from pottery-painting sessions, Mimi’s Crafts also hosts classes in the arts of glass fusing, clay molding, and acrylic painting.
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