Make Meaning

I purchased a gift card during the holidays for my mom to take our daughter to the Thousand Oaks location. Sadly, the Thousand Oaks location closed shortly after I purchased my gift card. I have tried numerous times to get my money back, but this company truly does not believe in customer service. You cannot get a live person on the phone, and when you do there is no follow-​up. I am truly disappointed and out the $ 60.

A great place to go if you’re looking for something to do for a weekend.
My family and I came here for some fun bonding time. We all chose to do something different. Some of us made candles. Others made soap. And others decorated a cake!
Making candles: Such a fun process! Pick a shape, chop up some colored wax, choose a scent, watch your candle get made! I made a beautiful rainbow peach scented candle. It smelled wonderful, even a year after it was made.
Making soap: Got to choose cool letters and glitters go add to it. We got to watch how they make the soap and put it together. It was way cool, and we were all adults. I’m sure the kids to nuts for this!
Cake decorating: Difficult according to my cousins. You need a lot of skill and patience. Lots of fun fondant to play with! And then you get to take the cake home and eat it after 50 or so pictures to post on social media.
Staff members here are such a delight! They were so fun and had a great sense of humor. Amazing customer service! They had a cute little Instagram frame in which you could snap a photo of yourself with.
Finding parking was a nightmare though.

I wanted to do something special with my son since he’s had a rough few weeks. He said he really wanted to come here. Was it expensive? Yes. But it was worth every penny. It was all about the experience and having some family fun time. The girl working was very sweet and accommodating even though we were making a mess! Haha

Very cool crafts like cake decorating, jewelry making, soap making, candle making, plasters, ceramics. Also it is nice that people offer stuff to eat or drink like juice or water, I choose water a lot. The people are kind. The only thing maybe not so good is it is expensive.

I had a good time when I brought my daughter in, but I felt like the prices were a bit more than I was willing spend on a regular basis.
We were given a quick explanation of how everything worked, but it seemed like if one person wanted to paint and another wanted to make soap, it wouldn’t be possible.

Very cool place to experience with your family or even on a date. I took my daughter here and we both loved the experience of making and spending mother daughter time together. They have lots of options if you decide you want to make a candle, soap, cake, ect. Its clean, the staff are very friendly and helpful if you don’t know where to begin. I would come here again to try another activity and make more memories.

Love this place for bringing out creativity in kids & adults alike. You can make all sorts of fun crafts from soaps, candles, glass jewelry, to cakes to decorate. You can also paint ceramics — choose from ceramics to paint & take that day, or items that need to be fired. Kids like the former but adults will prefer the latter. We had a wonderful experience hosting my daughter’s 10^th birthday here. The staff is always super helpful & friendly. You can even order a glass of wine or a beer (or soda or juice) to sip while you get artsy! They now offer take-​with-​you art kits; I think I’ll get a couple of the soap kits for my kids for Christmas. I only wish they had more options for the fired ceramics!

We read reviews that this was over-​priced, but went ahead with a party because the space was nice and they offered some different options than «As You Wish», but primarily because we thought the swanky upgrades to Tammy Koe Cake & Grimaldi’s Pizza would be a welcome change from the typical supermarket cake and Pizza Hut that proliferate children’s parties.
So, wouldn’t you know it, they brought pizza in from somewhere else (even though Grimaldi’s is right next door) and no Tammy Koe cakes. So a bit of bait and switch there?

I have been to other stores that offer similar activities, but none that include so many creative activities. The spatial layout of the store is conducive to a variety of groups, ages, activities, and creative opportunities. The staff were absolutely wonderful. They helped us as much or as little as we wanted, gave a lot of various ideas, and made it an enjoyable experience. I can’t wait to go back and try something else, and to take family and friends with me!

OH HOW FUN! Just had the most pleasant experience at Make Meaning with my class. The employees were absolutely amazing, helpful and enthusiastic. The crafts are a lot of fun and easy enough for anyone to manage. Thanks again to Emily!

I took a tour of Make Meaning a couple months ago, and I finally went earlier this week with my sister! We are both in our 30’s, and it was a great girls’ day out! I decorated 4 cookies and my sister made a glass tile. I expected to pay the studio fee that other Unilocal reviewers mentioned, but they’ve actually done away with that. I also didn’t have to pay extra for all of the different colored fondant and toppings that I put on my cookies. It is all included now. So I thought the price was very reasonable for what we got. I can’t wait to go back and try more activities!

I first experienced Make Meaning a month ago for a Unilocal event. We had the opportunity to decorate cakes, make soap and paint cups & plates to donate to Ronald McDonald House. I brought my oldest and youngest daughters and they loved it so much that I knew we’d come back again. With all the business of the holidays and my daughter’s birthday 2 days before Christmas I wanted to do something special that I know she’d love and remember. A week ago I brought her and her favorite cousin to paint ceramics and possibly make soap. It took us awhile to decide with so many choices but we didn’t feel rushed, and Tori helped us pick our paint and got us all set up with supplies and aprons, even I painted and really enjoyed feeling like a kid. Tori came back often to check on our brush and paint supply, refilled our trays. We considered making soap but painting by my little Picassos took longer than I thought. Today I came back to pick up our amateur works of art and they are adorable! I’m glad we have keepsakes from our special day and memories to last a lifetime! Hoping to return soon to try our talent at making their fun filled cupcake shaped soaps and more!

I went here last week with my Wifey. I’m a nice guy and damn good hubby, but painting potter «just aint my thang». Poor girl had to beg for months for this one.
Really cool place. Not only can you paint pottery, but make soap, make candles, even decorate a dang cake. We went on a Sunday and it wasn’t as busy as expected.
The staff was great. Very helpful and patient. They were even sweet enough to lie about the monstrosity of a coffee cup I painted and pass out a few compliments.
Seriously guys… take your lady here. Grin and bare the humiliation and wallow in the sheer delight that is making your wife happy.
Oh, and take lots of pictures so you can remind her what a great guy you are.
FYI — you are looking at about $ 10 or $ 15 bucks each for most of the pottery, then there is a $ 13 each price for using the facilities (for all the paint you waste, paint brushes, etc.). The whole thing was about $ 60 bucks. Kinda steep if you think of it as «just two coffee cups», but if you think of it as an experience, I was ok with it. Heads up though… they do offer tons of little things the call «POP», pretty much little decorations that cost extra. If you are letting a little kid run wild in here you may end up with a thousand dollar cake. My wife and I just painted coffee cups so what I thought I was going to pay was exactly what I paid. I like that. If you have kids, set limits… DUH.
Have fun!!!

Of all the places to blow money, MAKE is the worst value for the money. Although a good experience and fun to fiddle with… the cake was inedible. For a 4″ cake, the tab was $ 72…for a four inch cake. The 4″ cake was $ 28.00. To decorate it…$ 36 including three day passes for my wife, daughter, grand daughter.
Interesting concept… but you have to hate money and be desperate for a family outing to bite for this ridiculous, inedible, concoction.
Better hurry, however. The price of the rent at the Quarter… and the limited audience who will can can afford to do this are at odds with a business enterprise.
rots o ruck

The people that work here are super friendly but for the price, felt like I should have received more one on one attention. The girl was so busy, we waited 40 minutes to pay and get our ‘take home right away’ creation. We paid 75 bones for 2 pieces of ceramic! My friend made 2 pieces of soap and paid $ 45. Waaaay overpriced. They should call this place Make Money.
Four days later, we picked up my son’s creation that needed to be fired up, only to find the item we brought home was not his. I’m waiting for a phone call from the manager to see what they are going to do. I would expect better service from a place that charges enough for me to receive better, stellar service.
I don’t plan on returning anytime soon.

I can’t say enough good things about this place. I’ve been here a bunch of times with my kids, girlfriends and I’ve even hosted a corporate event here. This place is awesome. It’s so much fun to make all these great gifts. We’ve done soap, candles, fused glass and cake decorating. Next time we’re trying the pottery painting. The staff are SUPER helpful, the ambiance is totally fun and the variety of activities can’t be beat. The owner, Michelle, is incredibly nice and accommodating and her event coordinator, Cassandra, is also really lovely to deal with. This is a great afternoon with your friends, family or work buddies. It’s also an awesome idea for gift giving since you MAKE everything there! I LOVE this place.

After attending the Unilocal Event, I was so impressed with Make Meaning that I thought I would bring my daughter here to try her hand at soap making.
Yesterday we dragged the neighbors the 40 minute hike up to the Scottsdale Quarter with us to try it out.
My daughter chose to make 4 oval bar soaps. The neighbors chose to make 4 cupcake soaps.
Zully helped us get started, but she was a little hard to track down once she left. At one point we waited just shy of 15 minutes after making eye contact with her before she came over. She was VERY busy, but we just had a simple question and everyone else was helping customers. I think it would be helpful if there were FAQ table tents. That way customers could sort of help themselves instead of waiting clueless for no reason!
One thing I think could also be improved is the way the cookie cutters are organized. It would be helpful if the alphabet cookie cutters had their own 26 compartment box. Also, having duplicates or triplicates of letters could help. We spent several minutes looking for a particular letter only to come up short. When we asked Zully, she said none of the kids ever put things where they are supposed to go and so it is hit or miss whether or not you will find what you seek. That’s really disappointing given what people pay to make these crafts.
Until August 31, Experiences are ½ off before 1 p.m. This does not include the additional cost of POPs, which are priced at $ 1-​$ 5 each. They also waive the session fee of $ 12.
With the discount, the cost of the 4 soaps was $ 10 plus any POPs. My daughter chose $ 5 worth of POPs, making the total pre-​tax cost for four soaps $ 15. Very reasonable.
I have to say that without the discount, the price is very high for this particular activity. My receipt showed we were comped for TWO $ 12 session fees (meaning they would have charged me to sit there and assist my daughter as needed). Without the $ 10 discount on the soaps and the $ 24 discount for the two session fees, the price for making the four soaps would have been $ 49 pre tax! OUCH.
Right now you can buy a family pass which waives the session fees for $ 119. That would be worth it if you lived near enough to go often. The pass also gives you $ 50 off birthday parties, 10 percent off experiences and some other perks.
We will definitely come here again during the Summer to try candle making and jewelry making. However, if the price point remains as high as it does, we will not be returning after the promotion is over — unless a new one starts.
5 STARS for the concept, but the place is so cost prohibitive at regular price that I have to bump it down a star.

Wow, i really have to say this is the most amazing and fun time i have had in quite a time! At first it was a bit hard to find, but wow there it is right at the back of the shopping center on the corner.
There is so very much to do! you cannot say you came here and you were bored.
Children would absolutely love it~ Because, we as Adults thought it was the most fun, to say the least, the very least!
There are quite a few different stations to choose from. I choose the cake decorating. Everything that you put on your cake is edible! Yes just like The Cake Boss. (Buddy would be proud).
There were a lot of us there making cakes, so i made the rounds to see what everyone was doing.
Amazing creative Guinness at work.
It really was so much fun, i even got a sparkle tattoo of a mermaid. Which will last at least 3 to 4 days!!!
One of my friends made soap, and you can also make candles (which were also amazing). As well as Pottery and Jewelry.
Incredible fun, fun, fun. You wish you had young children to take, but it is also very great for the big kids (US)!
You can even buy novelty items that are sweet and fun. Not like Spenser’s (gift shop) that are risqué. If they are even still around.
Anyway this place is amazing, fun, and i can’t wait to go back. Until the end of August they are running a special on memberships as well.
Lots of parking all around including a free garage to keep your car out of the sun.
Watch the video and check this place out!

What a great idea!
I recently got to check this place out and bring out my inner creative side at a Unilocal Event. It was so much fun. I had such a great time here. The staff is friendly, outgoing, and helpful.
I think this is a great place for the whole family and to make something with «meaning» behind it. When I arrived, I received a tour by one of the great make meaning staff on the stations they have available. There is jewelry making, pottery painting, soap making, candle making, glass painting, and cake decorating. They even have a fun station for glitter tattoos. I ended up making a birthday cake scented candle. Oh, they have several scents to choose from and you can make the scent as strong as you want. When I brought it home, it just filled the whole house. :)
I will be back to make more candles and my husband is looking forward to making a cake.

Make Meaning is truly a welcomed gem to the Valley. When I was a kid, there was a store called Sparkles in my area. This store was a little girl’s paradise because not only did they sell novelty trinkets like fun pencils, erasers etc, but they also offered crafting opportunities where you could decorate your own pencil cases, bags, boxes, etc. When I walk into Make Meaning, it’s like I’m taken back several decades to my days at Sparkles.
Make Meaning is a crafter’s paradise. During your visit, you can decorate pottery, create glass jewelery, create soap (both fun and high-​end), create candles, create glassware and decorate a gourmet cake (yes a real one)! It’s the perfect time to bond with friends, your kids, co-​workers and more!
I recently visited with a group of 12 friends. I called ahead and made a reservation. When I arrived an area was set-​up for us to work at. Once the entire group arrived, the staff took us on a tour and explained each craft. Most of us decided on pottery, including myself. I decided to go with measuring cups. I figured that it couldn’t be too hard to paint measuring cups (I’m not so artsy when it comes to painting). Once our group was situated with paint, brushes and our craft, we were off! It ended up taking us several hours to complete our projects and I think it might have something to do with our age and the fact that we are now adults who feel the need to perfect our work so that we wouldn’t be judged! During the afternoon, the staff offered us several snacks (to purchase) including rice krispie treats, snack packs and more. I also learned that they plan on getting a liquor license soon so that groups (who are 21 and older) can drink while they work!
Pricing wise, it costs $ 12 for a day pass or around $ 35 for a year-​long membership. After that, you pay for what you make. My measuring cups costs about $ 20. If you see yourself coming here a lot, then it’s definitely worth getting the year-​long membership. It’s the perfect activity for kids in this heat and once you’re done, you can hang out at the Quarter’s fountains and grab a frozen yogurt or some candy form the candy shop!
On a side note, in my group of 12, one of the girls had a toddler with her. It made me realize that it would be really cool if there was an area for little baby brothers and sisters who weren’t old enough to create a craft to play in, while the Moms helped their older children with their crafts (or did one themselves). I’ve seen this at other stores and it’s so convenient for the Moms!