Happiness is Hand Painted

When was the last time you sat down and painted?  I mean, like truly sat down with family or friends, and let go of everything weighing on your mind.  When was the last time you spent a couple hours with the people you loved, and created a memory together?

The Painted Peacock, a paint your own pottery and creative studio in Arlington Village, is celebrating 5 amazing and creative years in business. The Painted Peacock is a place for family and friends to gather, spend quality time together, and explore their creative side in a relaxing atmosphere. 

Owner Susan Bucci finds that many people shy away from artistic endeavors because, “they are intimidated by the challenge, think they are not creative, or think, ‘I’m not an artist.’” The friendly staff at The Painted Peacock helps take that fear away by guiding customers to their inner creativity; they walk you through all the steps to create a personalized piece of pottery or a board art creation. 

“Nothing makes me happier than a child, or adult, picking up their finished creation, beaming with pride and saying, ‘I made this!’” says Bucci. “It’s our mission here at The Painted Peacock to help you find your creative side while spending quality time with family and friends.”

The studio is open 7 days a week for guests to walk in and paint their own pottery. With over 300 pottery items to choose from, the hardest part of your experience may be deciding which piece to paint!  A peacock crew member makes the process easy, from the basics of picking colors, demonstrating fun and easy techniques, fixing mistakes (art is a process) and then adding final, custom details to your piece.  Four days later, after the firing process your pottery shiny and food safe and ready for pick up. All of the pottery paints are water soluble and non-toxic. “It doesn’t taste great, just a little gritty, but completely safe!” laughs Bucci.

In addition to pottery, board art appointments are available for those looking for something with a shabby-chic twist. Customers can select from a wide-range of designs, or a staff member can help create a completely unique design. For each board, a custom-cut adhesive stencil is created to ensure that every project comes out looking crisp and clean.  A crew members guides you through the steps of staining your wooden board, applying the stencil, and filling it in with you customized colors.

The Painted Peacock takes pride in their group event offerings, which include birthday parties (adult and child), team building events, scout activities, summer camps, sorority functions and so much more. Manager, Ashlea Tievy, gets excited about birthday parties. “Our parties are perfect for kids of every age.  The little ones love our Story Time Party while tweens adore painting boards with their friends.” Ladies’ night get-togethers and adult parties are always a hit. The Painted Peacock is a BYOB studio for guest age 21 and over—sometimes a glass of wine is all it takes to get the creative juices flowing. 

To celebrate their five-year anniversary, The Painted Peacock is hosting several events during the month of February to show their love and appreciation for Greenville and its residents. “This city is something special.  Greenville has such a strong support for its local businesses and we want to show our gratitude,” Bucci says.

On Friday, February 1st, the studio will offer free studio fees for everyone and 25% off one item if you are a member of their Paint Club.  Online contests for some great prizes will be announced throughout the month on Facebook and Instagram.

Bucci is especially excited about the blood drive they are hosting with The Blood Connection. “This is the perfect opportunity to show our love for the community.  All the blood that is donated through The Blood Connection goes directly to Vidant.  You are literally helping to save the life of 3 neighbors!”  exclaims Bucci. The drive will be held February 9 from 10am-2pm, and anyone who donates will receive a $20 gift certificate to The Painted Peacock, “just in case saving a life wasn’t enough,” jokes Bucci.   

“You can’t buy happiness, but you can paint pottery, and that’s kinda the same thing.”  Stay creative Greenville!