Clay Café

My family and I started coming here for a couple of reasons… one, we know the owner’s daughter who is a great gal and two, we wanted to give our kids something different to do than typical arcades and movies.
My husband and I took our two kids here today to paint Father’s Day gifts for both of their papas. I called yesterday to make reservations for today and had no problem selecting the time we wanted to come in. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. Both my kids wanted to paint the same piece but only one was available so a worker happily offered to check upstairs for more and sure enough, there was. :) One of the workers asked us if we were familiar with painting, but even though we’ve come several times before, it had been long since our last visit so I embarrassingly said we needed help. She thoroughly explained it to us with the sample to show us what she meant. She asked us if we had any questions and showed us the wall with more painting techniques. She offered to assist us if we wanted to learn any of those as well. Throughout the entire time, customer service was continually great… checking in on us periodically, happily switching our old palates for new ones, and offers to change our water!
Our kids enjoyed painting 3 pieces each! My son is 10 and my daughter is 7. Both were focused and engaged! It was nice as a parent to see them taking pride into selecting their pieces, colors, and painting! My husband who doesn’t enjoy painting even said, «Am I getting old, because even though I don’t enjoy doing this stuff, I loved watching the kids paint!»
Not only did they paint pieces that I’m sure their papas will love, but we as family got to spend great quality time together! Can’t wait to pick them up and give them on Father’s Day!

My wife and I checked out this place on our weekly date night and can’t wait to go back again. There was plenty of room but we must have just arrived at the right time as lots of people showed up during the course of our visit. Definitely recommend making a reservation if you’re bringing a group. We’ve been to several of these on the mainland and the selection of pieces/​paints was on par with other shops. The café option is a nice added touch so you can stay refreshed while letting the inspiration flow. If you have kids or are just looking for a fun way to mix up your couple’s time you won’t be disappointed here.

I love the staff and how willing they are to listen to your ideas and give you feedback, as well as helping you figure out how to do different art styles on your pottery piece! I’ll always come back for more!

I am NO artist though I came from a family of freelancers, graphic designers and art majors. But this place is fun for anyone, of any age and any skill level! We made reservations for a party of 5.
They have many bare clay items to choose from such as mugs, bowls, plates, jewelry boxes and ring holders, which is what I chose. In addition to the main clay item, you may purchase smaller accessories such as small clay hearts and animals to paint and have casted onto your main clay item. My ring holder was $ 19 which included paint. If you have excessive paint leftover you may be charged extra so pour paint as you go!
We were informed by the super-​fast-​speaking store associate on how to paint our items (if you know me, then you know I, too, speak super-​fast!). Basically, you start painting from the lightest color to the darkest color and every color needs 3 coats, using a hairdryer in between each coat. This became a problem for me as my cherry blossom branches started to get thicker and thicker as I re-​coated each layer. Fail. But my sister’s lines remained thin and elegant with every layer. They also have stencils for the less artistically talented, like myself, so I will consider using that next time.
It was a really fun experience, skilled or not! My husband complimented my artwork :) when I went to pick up my ring holder about 10 days after I had painted it. I am not posting it on Unilocal though, THAT would be too embarrassing. Definitely a fun activity that I would consider doing with my mother next time!

First time trying this place out with my daughter and the neighbors kids! They have a great menu selection for coffee, cold snacks like gelato and smoothies! Yum! The kids had smoothies and I had the cookies n cream gelato! Sooo delicious!
The pottery is pretty cool! You choose the figure you want to paint and you go up and pay for it. Then you sit down in your assigned table station and the assistant comes to explain what to do!
The colors for the pottery are on the wall and you have a color palette to place each color on. Tons of different size paint brushes to choose from. Every coat of color on your pottery piece and then you blow dry it and repeat it 3x.
After you are done there are smaller bottles of paint with pointy tips to write your name or draw in the eyes if you do have a pottery character with eyes.
Then they let you wash your hands at the hand washing station and they call you to pick up your pottery piece 7 – 10 days later!
I cant wait to see the end results!

This is a great place to bring your family together, even though it’s small, the tables are spacious and many supplies is provide for your artwork. The clay is a bit overprice but that’s fine with me. However for the price I pay for my child’s small piece, I expect some service; no staff offered help on what to do or provided any directions. While we were painting our piece they sat behind the counter chit chatting away.

This was my first time going to the Clay Café and I loved my experience! I actually never knew this place existed because usually when I’m at Ward Warehouse, my journey ends at the pet store right before the Clay Café to look at all the puppies in the window haha. My boyfriend and I got to the Clay Café around 7:30 and there was a family and a few people glazing their pieces. It feels like you’re back in school in art class! I had so much fun browsing all the things I could paint. It ranged from Christmas ornaments to plates, bowls, boxes, figurines, and more!
We ended up choosing a heart ornament and a cupcake box. Then we got to browse the glaze wall which takes forever because there’s so many colors to choose from! This is where you get to be creative and choose what colors and how to paint your piece.
You should definitely leave yourself enough time to glaze because you need to put three coats of glaze on whatever you paint, so don’t go right before they close or else you might not finish! I was scoping out the wall for more things for me to paint next time I go back and I can’t wait to pick up my items in a week when they’re finished!

It’s Date night!
My mom is an advid pottery painter in Florida, and tells us all the time how much fun she has. We have walked by this place several times, and finally decided to stop and go in. There wasn’t much of a crowd tonight, which is always nice. We looked around a bit and were a little shocked by the prices, so we decided to do a piece together? It’s romantic date night right!!!
We selected a square shaped salt and pepper shaker set, that sits on a little plate. I did the pepper shaker and plate, and hubby did the salt shaker. We had a really great time getting in touch with our creative side. It took us about two hours to get all three pieces done.
The staff here is super nice. They were showing some customers at another table how to do different painting techniques. Can’t wait to try some on our next visit.
Overall a great experience, other than hubbys lack of creativity. Only 4 stars though because of the price. The clay pieces are VERY expensive. Our little salt and pepper shaker set cost almost $ 40!

I have passed by many times and I finally got to play at the clay café yesterday. I had a great time! They had many different shades of paint to choose from. It was empty when I went so I pretty much had the place to myself which was very relaxing. The workers were very helpful and friendly. I was there for 4 hours working on my 2 pieces so a worker let me know that i could wrap up my pieces and come back another time to finish if I chose to. They also sell lots of delicious drinks for you to enjoy while painting.
Overall I had a very good experience and I can’t wait to go back!

Came in with my niece the other day. Took a couple tries on the phone but finally got a hold of someone and made a reservation. It was a Monday, not nearly as crazy as weekends as other reviews say so but called just in case.
The girls were very friendly, you pick your piece, paint then wait 7 – 10 days! I definitely will be back because I have to agree with other Unilocalers it can be quite therapeutic. My niece will soon be five and the 3 coat process got a little tedious but she still had fun. Only one blow dryer too which surprised me, we were at a pretty far table from it but hopefully they’ll add another. Space can be tight if you sit by the products, when others look they’re kind of standing on top of you. My sister said it’s overpriced but it didn’t seem too bad to me. Will have to go back to make Xmas gifts!

So this review isn’t really for their pottery but for their staff! I’ve been coming here to buy coffee off and on for the past 2 years and normally wait on the side for a few minutes. I work with kids 3 times a week and these ladies here handle kids like pros. They’re friendly and are always rushing around trying to make sure all the customers are happy.
The atmosphere is so child and family friendly I’d love to have parties here! (If I was a kid)
It’s normally always full on saturdays so I’d call ahead.

I have a new bad habit. No it’s not crack cocaine or heroine, it’s clay painting…
Why all the mixed reviews on Unilocal?I think it’s all the negative nancy signage. Don’t do this, don’t do that, if you break this, if you do that… I get it, if people break things or waste paint then the business loses money. But people also come to Clay Café because they’re trying to get away from rules and people them telling them to live their life in a square box. Being told «no» at every turn is very counterproductive to getting back to your childhood roots of zero responsibility! It’s okay, I’m a Mom, I totally get it. Someone around here has to wear the responsibility pants!!!
My daughter had one more day left before the start of prison, errr I mean 4^th grade, so I decided to treat her to a morning of crafting at Clay Café! She is an artist at heart and I thought this would be the perfect way to spend some quality time together before she becomes a teenager and doesn’t want to be seen with me in public. I feel like I’m holding onto the very last threads of childhood with a death grip. Today I’m her hero and all she wants are my hugs and kisses. Tomorrow puberty hits, she’s got a training bra and only wants me to contact her via text. I dread the day…
But that is tomorrow and for now we shall live in the moment painting coffee cups and little figurines. She picked out a cat figurine and a two little kittens while I decided on a discounted coffee cup. It had a tiny chip in it and was 40% off. Score! Be forewarned that if you’re on a budget Clay Café can be a bit spendy, but I think it’s worth it. You pick out the item you want to paint and the price of the item includes your paints, the space to color your piece and the glaze and firing of your item in a kiln. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a ceramics kiln at home so this seems like a pretty good deal to me!
What I didn’t factor into the equation was how long our little arts excursion would take! We spent a good two hours painting and I had to take my coffee cup home because it took me so long to paint it. They were nice enough to wrap up my item so I could come back later on to finish painting it. My daughter was able to finish her kitties and happily turned them in to go into the kiln. We picked them up a week later and she loooooves them! Those little glazed kittens are a great memory of something fun we made together and I’d definitely go back again to make more pieces with her. Childhood is fading, but painting clay together will hopefully help it to last a little longer…

Update: it has been about 2 weeks and we still didn’t get our plates! We called and they said one of our plates didn’t even get baked yet!!! I hope we get some kind of refund

Awesome place to come and de-​stress! You can easily spend about 2 hours here! Great to come with kids or with friends! There’s something very therapeutic about painting! You pick your piece and each ceramic piece has their prices listed on the bottom of the piece. They supply all the materials yo need such as cups for water to rinse your paint brushes, paint brushes and paint. After you paint your piece they will glaze it for you and then you come to pick it up in a week.

I think this is a pretty cool place. My advice is to call in advance to reserve a space. If you’re a tourist keep
In mind that your masterpiece will take 7 – 10 days to get glazed and fired.
The first time we did this kind of thing was in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Maddy made a mosaic in a wooden LOVE sign. Darcie and I left her there for an hour or so as we visited the Torpedo Factory on the waterfront.
I don’t like the prices of the clay objects. I guess I’m a cheapo looking for a great deal. Regardless it’s fun for the family and kids. They have refreshments you can order.
Good think we had a gift card. For 6 of us it was $ 70

A chill paint your own ceramics place with tons of selection — AND coffee, tea, and gelato! If you don’t finish (my girl didn’t the last time she went) you can take the piece home and bring it back and finish. Once you’re done you leave it to be fired and they call you in 7 – 10 days to pick up. Tons of free parking and places to eat when you’re done! Helpful, friendly staff.

Super cute place to come & let your creativity flow.
I came here on a Friday night for the first time to make something with my son and little cousins. It wasn’t too busy which was nice because it looks like it can get a little pack in here.
The process is simple.
1) Pick a blank clay piece that you like.
2) Pay for your piece /​Prices are located on the item
3) & then the fun part begins — design & paint away!
They have lots of ideas on display if you don’t know what to do. But I recommend coming in with a vision so you can execute quickly, since painting itself will take a while. You will have to do 2 – 3 coats on your piece as well as dry in between coats. They have an entire wall full of colors & I love that they have actual swatches on the wall for you to see. They provide paint brushes in different sizes, sponges, stencils and can also assist you in printing out an image you want to trace on carbon copy. I did a Hawaiian Mickey Mouse for my son.
If this is your first time, make sure you have atleast 2 – 3 hours to spare. It took me about 2 hours to complete my piece but I definitely could’ve stayed an extra hour or so for more detailing work. I love painting, its super relaxing and Clay Café is perfect for being in the artsy zone and unwind after a long day. Coffee on stand by if needed ;)
It will take approximately 7 – 10 business days for you to get your piece back. So plan accordingly if you’re making a gift for someone (Mother’s day, Valentine’s day, etc) I can’t wait to see how ours turned out! Will be back again for more!

This place is so cute!
I am not AT ALL an art person — I was the kid in lower school where the Art teacher never chose my piece to be displayed or shared. BUT this place really made me like art for the first time lol.
They have a great selection of pieces to choose from to paint but it is a bit pricey. However, I feel like if you choose something you are actually going to use (like a mug, etc.) you are getting your money’s worth for the item and the experience. They have such cute animals, cups, plates, etc. to choose from.
I only deduct one star due to the price — wish it was cheaper but it is a great time! Also, expect to be there longer than an hour because painting is harder than you think! And going around in the different shapes and forms of the item. It looks easy but when you start painting your like «crap, there’s all these different things I gotta paint with different colors» lol (I had the cupcake one).
Happy painting!

Got to explore my artistic side yesterday! A couple of my girlfriends and I decided to come here and make some memories (and awesome custom designed pottery). Luckily they were able to accomodate us even though they had many tables already reserved Note to self: if you know for SURE that you want to do this at a certain time, call ahead and make reservations. The place itself is on the tiny side, maybe accommodating like 30 people, so it’s always good to plan ahead!
When you go in, expect to pick your piece (many types available — less functional statues, to more functional piggy banks, cups, plates, vases, etc), pay (price varies but expect $ 25 and up), then be shown to a table and given instructions on what to do — where the stencils, blowdryer, paints etc are, how many coats to paint on, etc. After that you are free to let your internal artist fly! FYI, if you paint something today, don’t expect to go home with it today. They have to fire it up, so you will get a call back within 10 days to come pick it up and then it will be all shiney and finished.
This was soooo fun! BUT tiring. Painting takes foreverrr. Expect to take at least 2 hours (or in our case, 3+ hours haha). Also, remember that you want to put a few coats of paint to get the color you want, so you paint, waddle up to the blow dryer and blow dry, then you paint, waddle, paint, waddle. Throw in the fact that you are dodging small children and chairs that get pulled out but not pushed back in, and you’ve got yourself a workout haha.
Then you have the paints… the little palette they give you is so tiny, you have to walk up there quite a few times to refill your paint. Mind you, all this painting and waddling is done in a small cramped space with everyone getting in everyone’s business. I’m surprised there wasn’t accidents. With everything going on, everyone was able to keep their pieces from breaking or spilling paints. I was impressed! LOL.
Overall, it was a great experience and a definite fun time. A HUGE plus here is that they serve drinks! Coffees, waters, and juices. That’s fabulous and such a good idea! I can’t wait to bring my husband here.

I had this brilliant idea that my almost two year old son would sit nicely and paint a hand picked piece of art by himself. What the hell was I thinking? Imagine trying to corral a kid in a place full of things to touch (break it, you buy it) and most of it is within his little arms reach.
When we got there, they were nice enough to let us change our reservation — since Logan was asleep. After that, the niceness just stopped. They really need to work on their instructions. It was this quick — «pick your item, pay for it, pick your paint» and then I can’t remember because it was so quick and jumbled together. It takes quite a lot of paint layers to get the color right and they give you this itty bitty paint pallet to use. It took multiple trips to the paint wall to finally finish my figurine. After you’re done, you go home and a few days later you get a call to pick it up.
My final product was pretty cute but Cams was missing paint in a few places. Either way it was a fun time but not necessarily worth the $ 75.00 for a mug and two small figurines lol.

This place is so cute! What a great idea. When my boyfriend’s family came out here this past Christmas, I was scrambling for ideas on things we could do, since the weather was kinda junky.
We went first thing in the morning so it was nice and empty. The girls there were super friendly and helpful. The experience itself was very unique and fun. Like being in Kindergarten all over again, only this time, not bringing home a lumpy ugly horse or ash tray. The ceramics are all pre-​made, all we have to do is paint them!
The selection is pretty good, couldn’t really find pet food/​water dishes though. The paint selection is adequate, but they need to make time to do a quality check on all the bottles, because we did have a little trouble with a few things. I actually had one leak all over something I was working on :(
My only real complaint is that I find it to be a little pricey. Spent about $ 110 for three mugs and a small cup. I’ve never been to a place like this before, so I’m probably not taking a lot of things into account, but I think this is a novel idea and they could find a way to cut costs on their end a little to be able to charge customers a little less. I’m sure just rent alone in Ward warehouse is a big factor. Maybe finding a cheaper location, getting a better wholesaler and some good P.R. could really help! I would have spent more to get more, that’s for sure.
I’ll still be sure to come here again as there’s nothing like this (as far as I know) on the island, and it’s a fun thing to do with family and friends.

Went in to paint some presents for Valentines Day! Wish they had more flower vases, would’ve been perfect! But the customer service was 10/​10, walked us through the process step by step and rules were simple to follow! I definitely recommend taking your children ages 8 – 12 here, because while I was there, two boys maybe aged 5 and 7, were just acting wild! One of them almost dropped a mug on the wall, and the other spilled paint all over the table!
Other than that, this place is perfect for couples as well :)

If you’re stumped on a gift idea or where to host a fun party, Clay Café has got the answers! There are TONS of pieces you can choose from: mugs, plates, bowls, coin holders, figurines, outlet fixtures, animals, etc. The staff is extremely helpful and ask you if it is your first time when you enter the store. If it is, they will guide you through the process of selecting your piece, choosing paints and how to paint and dry each layer.
There is every single color of the rainbow of paints to choose from. There are all different sizes of brushes to use. There are drinks you can purchase while painting your pieces. I would spend an entire day in here if I could. If you decide to host a party, you can reserve tables and bring food to eat. This is the perfect place for children’s birthday parties or even work functions, because I’m sure everyone has a little kid inside them just bursting with creativity.
When you’ve finished painting, you give your piece to the staff and they will have it glazed and fired within 7 – 10 days. If you haven’t finished painting your piece, you can wrap it up to take home and bring it back to continue painting whenever you want. If you come with a bring group, be sure to call ahead and reserve a table because it can get busy at times, especially on the weekends. Also, bring a jacket because it can get chilly sitting so still for several hours painting away.
The staff is so considerate here as well. When I spent several sessions painting an intricate piece, they always asked me if I wanted to move to a different table by myself away from the paints and brushes, so I would not get bumped into. I absolutely LOVE Clay Café and have been painting pieces since they were located in Aina Haina Shopping Center. Now that they’ve relocated to Ward Warehouse, I can’t help but come here even more often since it is so convenient and parking is always so easy to find.

My daughter was invited to a Bday party at Clay Cafè. Before the party, I explained to my daughter how fun painting clay would be. I exclaimed, «Oh Natalie, it’s even funner than playdoh!!!» She reacted with a squeal, excited to try clay painting. Well, I, Natalie’s mommy is a big fat liar. Let me explain.
Our party of 9 walked in and were not greeted what so ever– just a glazed over stare. High from the paint? Sheeze. We knew where to sit due to the signage on the table. However there were four workers behind the café bar who did not move out of that location. I had to approach the bar to ask what to do. No smile, no hello. Just a directive, «Find a piece to paint». My daughter finds an owl to paint so I approach the bar again to ask what to do next. I smile. Get no smile back. The counter lady tells me when everyone finds their piece someone will come to explain. Minutes pass… A lot of the guests have not found a piece yet. My daughter, an eager and very energetic 3 year old sits as long as she could. I see her getting antsy. I look at the counter people. They look grouchy.
I didn’t want to ruin the Bday girls party. I don’t say anything but my mind was full of obscenities. Clay pieces are expensive. Does the $ 20 or more a piece of clay come with some service? Geeze.
Anyway, no one leaves the dungeon behind the counter. A robot washes the dishes as the sink gets full. Another robot rings up customers as they pay for their pieces. Two other robots are programmed to be in the back standing with a grouchy face and fixing drinks when an order came in. But that’s about it.
I look at other customers in the shop to see what they are doing and kind of figure it out on my own. Then I explain the painting procedure I made up to my daughter. The rest of the party kids of figure it out too.
I will NEVER be back. Maybe it’s my fault that I had expectations of a some service. You will only get service here if you order a drink.

Clay Café Hawaii, located in Ward Warehouse near the stage, is a place where you can tap into your artistic side and paint your own pottery. They have a wide selection of unpainted ceramic pieces and have many styles and paints to choose from so you can create your own unique piece.
First, you choose from the many unpainted ceramic pieces. Then you select your paints to create your own paint palette. Clay Café also provides brushes, stencils, and stamps. Then, you paint. Once you are done, you turn it in to the staff and in about 7 to 10 days, your piece will be ready to be picked up.
This place is packed. On the weekends, it’s pretty much back to back birthday parties so try to call ahead and make a reservation.
I have only brought my daughter here and watched her paint as painting is not my thing. So what I really like is that they serve coffee, espresso, teas, bubble drinks and gelato! It’s very relaxing to sip on a vanilla latte while watching my daughter paint.
Clay Café not only does children’s birthday parties (recommended for ages 4 and up) but they also offer a take out party where they will pack up the ceramic pieces and the supplies you will need to do it at home. They even offer a mobile studio party for 50 or more people where they will bring to your event the ceramic pieces and the painting supplies.
Clay Café is great for both kids and adults and a great activity for the whole family.