Not Made in China

Wow — there are some negative reviews for Not Made In China. My experience was positive for the most part. My friends and I went for a pottery class on a Saturday early afternoon using a groupon. The entrance into the shop was kinda deceiving. I’m not too sure if the front entrance is used on special occasions or what — but we sat around for about five minutes confused because the front door had a closed sign and was locked. We peered in through the windows and saw all the chairs were stacked on the tables. We were really disappointed because we had been looking forward to this pottery class for awhile. We decided to walk around the side of the building, and were excited to find the instructor along with two of our classmates. We walked in through the side door and got set up for our class. The instructor was really good. He definitely knows his pottery and did a great job teaching. You can tell he takes things very seriously. We had a fun time and learned a lot about pottery. You clean up your own workspace so don’t think you can walk out of there once you’re done with your art. Not Made In China offers memberships which I thought was pretty cool. One downside — it takes three to four weeks until you can pick your piece up. That’s a bit long… but I’m looking forward to picking mine up! I’m really interested in learning more about pottery now. It was therapeutic and I loved seeing a block of clay take shape into something neat. I think Not Made In China has some ways to go when it comes to customer interaction, but if you can get passed that, it’s worth it.

Terrible customer service! I bought a groupon to go here and cancelled the groupon due to the phone call alone. I called to schedule the clay date and the woman on the phone answered stating «yes we will sell groupons — What do you want» I asked if I had the right number and she became more frustrated and said «yes you did — now what’s your question» I told her I will call groupon and cancel my order since this phone call has made me not want to go to this establishment and she hung up the phone. Extremely rude and unprofessional

Went with a groupon. Ridiculously hard to set an appointment, annoyed attitude by woman who answered. The man who greeted us was very nice but the woman turned out to be our instructor, she was critical of people’s pieces (not me but if it was me I would have been outraged). And then went on a rant about conservation of paint but doled way too much out to her self… you don’t teach people by being negative and you won’t convert someone by giving them a lecture… great theory the instruction was good but wasn’t FUN experience.

I really am confused about the rating here. Most of the time, I am weary about a two-​star place, but this exceeded my expectations and shattered any doubt or mental reservation I had.
A friend and I went on a Groupon, and took a 2 hour wheel session. I won’t sugar coat it, it’s not easy. It takes a lot of patience, and for some it might be frustrating if you like to think you’ll be great at it. The instructor was so calm and patient, willing and happy to help when our pieces became lopsided or didn’t look how we wanted.
I walked out feeling very accomplished, and I can’t wait to eat out of my fancy, handmade bowl!
Highly recommend!

I had a Groupon to this place and had to cancel because the owners were so rude to me when calling to schedule an appointment. They were difficult to get an appointment with, their website needs work because it isn’t easily navigated and you can’t schedule an appointment online even though it appears you can. The woman who answered the phone was nice when I called the first time until I said that I was using a Groupon. The woman’s tone of voice changed from nice to inconvenienced. I called to schedule again and told the man I was driving and he was very rude about me calling while driving. (I was on Bluetooth speakers in my car, hand free device. Not that that’s his business). He was extremely rude when I called to make the appointment again and when I decided to cancel due to the rude conduct, he was even worse. He said, «So I made an appointment for you that wasn’t there (didn’t tell me that) and now you want to cancel which will leave a slot open, that’s cool. This is for 5:00 I’m assuming?» I hadn’t even given the man my name when he assumed it was me. Long story short, we didn’t go and had to contact Groupon to get a refund. This place is snooty and treated us like second class because we had a Groupon. Don’t even bother buying it.

The hand sculpting was fun, and our instructor was nice, but the owner was smelly and rude and charged extra for a tiny bit of additional clay we used and checked up on us to ensure our instructor charged us for the extra clay. I also don’t like how they push the tipping aspect on you. My poor husband felt obligated and pressured and ended up leaving the girl a $ 20 tip because he felt bad. She was nice, but that was way too much for a tip, and I was upset when I found out. We would not recommend or be back.

I had high hopes for this place, despite the reviews I’ve read. Unfortunately, I should have stuck with the all-​knowing advice of the internet. Not Made in China is a so/​so experience.
We came here after finding a Groupon for four to make «Man mugs». I have never done much pottery before, so I was looking forward to trying something new. It would not have taken much to impress me. However, the class was so cookie cutter and the instructor kept wanting to do everything for us, that I lost interest. First, your options are limited. And if we tried anything out of the box, the instructor frowned. I found this unusual for an art place where creativity is supposed to flourish. Second, I didn’t like when the instructor high-​jacked my work. I realize my mug was not going to win any awards. But the whole reason we went to class was so we could make something ourselves (for better or worse). If I wanted the best mug known to man, I probably would have went to a pottery store and scrounged around there. Now there is a difference from instructing, helping me make a better product, and simply taking over and doing it yourself. The teaching at Not Made in China fell in the latter category.

Terrible experience. Bought off groupon. I wish groupon would take this place off their list. We didn’t even get to touch the clay before leaving after being treated so incredibly awful by the owner (a young woman). I had to call groupon to get our money back since we didn’t even get to do anything. More of a hassle than anything. I don’t know how this place is still in business. Really disappointed.

My girlfriend bought us the groupon for the clay date for two. We had signed up for the wheel class but, through a scheduling mixup by the facility, we had to do the handbuilt class. As a personal background, I’ve been working in ceramics for about 12 years, studied at UNM and previously in Pasadena, CA. I went to this studio with an open mind because my girlfriend really wanted to do it. Basically, when you arrive you fill out waivers, etc. You are then shown a large shelf where various ceramic pieces are on display, pieces made by previous classes. The instructor, a young woman, told us we could make anything we see on the shelf… after hearing that I rolled my eyes at my girlfriend.
People in my class wanted to make unique and original things but were eventually brought down to a subdued reality where those dreams were crushed. We were allowed to make 2 pieces, only one of which we are allowed to keep. My first piece was basically chosen for me by the teacher. I was allowed to choose any plastic dollar store container or plate and use it as a sort of template for my ceramic piece. By this point, I’d pretty much given up on this being any sort of a creative experience. Nevertheless I moved forward and made a basic rectangle piece with some stamp designs on it… the whole process took much longer than it needed to. They had everyone hand roll their slabs even though there was a perfectly good slab roller on the other side of the room.
The second piece I decided I wanted to try to be original, I refused to clue the teacher in to what I wanted to make and gave vague answers like «it’s a vase». After the teacher saw me cutting my unique shapes, preparing for assembly, I was shut down and told I had to build my piece around a plastic cup. Well, that about ruined it for me.
Clay Date for Two essentially translates into «boring assembly line».
I would not recommend the Groupon to anyone else. It’s pricey already and then you have to pay an additional fee if you want to glaze it yourself. On top of those fees you have a super long turn around time to even get your work back to you… I think we’re moving on 4 weeks at this point. Just down the street from this place is the UNM Arts and Crafts Lab, on the bottom floor of the sub. You pay $ 40 per semester for unlimited use… might be a better value.
Hope this helps future visitors.

I have very mixed feelings about this place.
I started out with calling a week in advance (since they require you to make reservations 48 hours in advance) and was greeted with an answering machine. Unfortunately after I left a message, I was not contacted. So I called again, this time I was greeted with a somewhat friendly voice. We made an appointment for the next day at 5.
I had a groupon for a «Clay Date for 2». I decided to take my friend and off we went.
The place I guess has moved recently, and is now on the corner of Yale and Avenida Cesar Chavez. The parking lot is on the other side of the building, you almost think the place is closed as you walk around trying to find the door, around a homeless person, and next to a metal shop? We found the door after being confused only temporarily. We walked in through the little red door into a messy, but obviously ceramic, work/​storage area.
We were then greeted by the familiar voice from the phone. A middle aged man in too big suspenders and saggy pants walks in and takes us into the official waiting area, where he has us fill out waivers (In case we slip and fall on a needle tool or something) and leaves us to our own devices.
We got there about half an hour early just in case we couldn’t find it, and he allowed us to hang out. He seemed a little all over the place as he showed us around the facilities in parts. One area, leaves us, another area, leaves us, greets more people, answers questions from across the building, that sort of thing.
When the other couple came in he gave them the same treatment and we all got down to business.
We opted for the wheel class and I’m not disappointed. The guy knew what he was doing and has obviously been teaching long enough. He often would try to throw out some of his political and philosophical views, I just tuned him out.
I had taken a wheel class in high school and let me just say, the techniques were totally different. It was very precise and it felt a little unnatural, but it got the job done.
He taught us each separately. And often would get distracted and would skip over a person or spend more time with one person than the rest (he obviously stated that the person who was a return customer would get more benefits than the rest of us). All the while throwing out political views or philosophy teachings. At some point he made a joking bet with the other couple about a song that was playing for a dollar, which he lost, then said «oh don’t worry I’ll get it back in tips. I mean, if you want». He pushed the tips a few times which I felt was a little unprofessional. He also smelled like cigarettes which was pretty unpleasant. When we finally got to make our final pieces, it felt a little rushed and at the end he almost ended up making my little cup for me for the sake of time. My friend also reported after we were done that she felt nervous because she felt like he would get mad if she messed up. I got that vibe too but any time someone did, he ended up helping patiently. I got a little bit of the feeling that he didn’t really want to be there, but hey what do I know?
Overall I felt like it was worth the 20 bucks I spent on it. It was definitely an experience, if not a little funny at times. I ended up with a cute little bowl and cup set. They say they will get us our pieces back in 3 – 5 weeks. You have the option to glaze the pieces yourself but you have to come back for a specific class and another 20 dollars. We decided against it.
I don’t know if I would come back. Some of the other return students seemed to really like it there, but I feel like maybe they get a little more time to themselves. It was definitely fun, it was definitely interesting, but I think I would have like a little bit more of a relaxed atmosphere. More of a «have fun, get dirty» sort of thing, rather than a «This is EXACTLY how you have to do everything».
There is also a hand building class with another instructor. So that might be a different experience.
⁶⁄₁₀ may or may not do it again.

I’m really surprised by all the previous reviews, my experience at this place was actually quite pleasant. I called to schedule our class and the man on the phone was nice and patient. I actually had to call back with my groupon numbers but even the second time I talked to them they were nice. We did the hand crafting class since it seemed easier. The instructor was nice and helpful. Her hygiene could have been better but nothing offensive. My friends and I made some pretty cool mugs and enjoyed our class.

Parking at this place was a bit strange and I would have liked for them to tell me where to park when I made the reservation. When I walked in I was greeted by a man who smelled horribly. (Like 10 day old BO it was so offensive). They also have a cat which I just don’t think is appropriate in a business. I was praying that the smelly guy was not going to be our instructor but he was. He was actually a great teacher but the awful hygiene out weighs the value of what I was being taught. If the guy took a good bath and used some sort of deodorant I would come back.

Great teachers! That’s why I give not made in China two stars. But the groupon was a joke. I had to jump through a bunch of loops to get into the class, called everyday for a month to get in. Finally someone answered and proceeded to call us back for the next two weeks although we had already scheduled. They also ask you to tip them at the end bc they don’t pay the only good part of the business: the teachers

My friend and I signed up for this class because of a deal they had on Groupon… though I was happy to get some clay experience the business is really in need of some better management. My friend tried to set up our class and had major issues getting in touch with someone. When we finally got a class booked, we took the hand sculpting class and were making 4 pieces but they mixed us up with a couple that was only making 2 pieces so that poor couple had to constantly wait for us because they were only doing half of the pieces, I honestly felt really bad for them. Thirdly, the instructor kept forgetting to tell us to do some pretty major steps, ie to use «slip» to properly adhere our handles to the mugs, so apparently now my mug could fall apart because she forgot to tell us to do that. Lastly, we were told to pick up our pieces May 18^th… I waited until June and sent the store an email asking if our pieces were done and they weren’t. Then, some time around June 10^th I was told our pieces were ready and that I could pick them up any time in the afternoon since they open at noon. I got there at noon on the dot hoping to just get my stuff before they had any classes going on… well no one showed up until 12:45! Then they apparently neglected to glaze one of my friend’s pieces even though they told me all of our stuff was done… so now my friend has to pick up her plate when she gets back from vacation. I personally didn’t mind the cats, but there was a woman allergic to cats taking the class so they should probably disclose that on their site and Groupon for those people. So long story short-​I definitely won’t be going back but it was a cheap deal-​though I’d rather spend more and get better teaching and service.

Super great concept — let adults play with clay and make some cool ceramics! I was really excited to go to the hand building class. I teach art history and, while thought it would just be fun anyway, knew that this would give me a better understanding of clay handling techniques, which, in turn, would make it easier for me to explain to my students. The class did reinforce what I already knew about clay and because of the class, I can better explain hand building to my students.
On the downside, we had to wait for our instructor to eat, which cut into our class time and then we were rushed at the end. Having grown up in the school of «there are no mistakes in art,» I didn’t appreciate the instructor critiquing the class with phrases such as they «just didn’t get it,» or «that sucks.» I understand ceramics, and I have read what the owners response to other Unilocal reviews. I really wanted to have had a different experience that others. I really wanted to like this place. I really wanted to be excited about returning to retrieve my pieces. I really hoped that they had taken some of the reviews to heart and approached the classes with supportive instruction filled with the instructor’s love of the art.
I hoped for all of that, but that was not what I received.

Since my last review of this place, my sister and i have been back again to glaze the pieces we made the first visit. Again, it was awesome. Our instructor, Lisa, was cheerful, friendly and helpful. She also took all the time we needed to take care of the couple of dozen small pieces I had made. Because of our consistently good time here, we’ve even signed up for another class to learn wheel pottery. Here’s my advice: if you haven’t been here in awhile, give it another try. Something here has changed, ’cause I have nothing at all bad to say about this place, and I’m not the most forgiving of sorts, If you don’t believe me, read some of my restaurant reviews!
Oh, and to the reviewer that thought it odd they had cats, you need to visit more art studios. They ALL have cats. Cats are the friends of the lonely artist toiling away in their studio.

Wow, I have never experienced such rude people — I am shocked they are still in business.
I am a huge supporter of the arts and would much rather write about the positive then the negative (I think in all the 50 reviews I have done I have rarely given a 1 star). But, our fellow Unilocalers are 100% correct and the people who run (own) this business should go back to doing their art behind closed doors and hire someone else to greet people at the front desk.

When I called, the lady was very cold. When I walked in, the place was filled to the ceiling with pottery and had a hoarder like feel. However, the way the people treated me was terrible. I was shocked.
Never going back and would advise that you save your money.

When a friend told me she had a Groupon for us to try our hand on a Pottery Wheel I was super stoked and who wouldn’t think about that scene in Ghost where they’re sitting together, creating stuff —it all sounded so good. Truth is, it’s way more difficult than it looks. I spent quite a while with a very patient man to whom I was repeatedly apologizing to for obviously not been born equipped with the skill to execute his clear instructions. He kept telling me «Don’t be sorry, be happy!». I’ll admit, at first it was annoying to hear that phrase but by the end of the class, I was all excited about my super small bowl and half sized cup that the dude had helped me salvage so I could actually make a piece of pottery. After reading the reviews, I’ll admit, the woman at the store is not there to be your friend and did make us three gals feel like silly teenagers that continually hushed each other when she shot us the evil eye. However, she did bring us a cup of tea. That being said, it’s a cool experience, but don’t expect smiles and rainbows because it’s hard work making pottery, trust me.

Great idea — 2 artists owning a studio and offering classes to support themselves. However the lady who owns the shop is not friendly. As a teacher has no patience, doesn’t offer helpful guidance and rushes students through making pieces. It seemed as if she doesn’t want to waste her time teaching and would rather novices leave her alone. Finally she was especially rude to anyone in our group who had played or worked with clay before.
I would not recommend this place to anyone

Well, in our experience the reviews are correct, both positive and negative. We too had a ‘Living Social’ coupon. Phone calls were not mean, but curt and bothered. Seemed an odd first impression for a business that wanted you to try their service and become a regular customer. Almost didn’t attend class because of it.
Once we arrived the lady took care of us right away, was organized and professional. Had to sign a 2-​page waiver (which I found strange), but she put us in a comfortable area and served hot tea. The instructor was fantastic. We took baby steps, working our clay/​skills into something usable in a very short time. He was patient and helpful, fully attentive to the class (4 people max).
So, overall, I would say it was a positive experience. We had a fun couple of hours, and will have something to show for it. We even looked into becoming ‘Members’, but decided to wait and make it a possible winter hobby.