A different type of fun has come to Powell with the opening of Pinot’s Palette, a “paint and sip” studio located in the recently completed shopping center at 170 W. Olentangy St.
Owners Eric and Shannon Hubbs cut the ribbon on the studio during a ceremony held Jan. 16, and the couple and held its first class the following day.
Pinot’s Palette is a Texas-based franchise that provides an inviting atmosphere for groups to explore artistic talents of all levels while also enjoying a beverage. The Powell location offers a full bar, different from most other locations.
A rotation of 10 artists will lead painters through various paint sessions centered around one of the business’ wide-ranging sets of themes, and there are even some sessions that offer freestyle opportunities.
Among the various themes, Pinot’s Palette offers a “paint your pet” session, which will be held in March. Shannon Hubbs said the event is among their most popular and it always sells out. For the event, painters send in a photo of their pet ahead of the session, which is then sent to a company to be transferred to a canvas.
Regardless of what the event may be, the Hubbs’ stress that the emphasis will be on having fun along the way, not on the finished product.
“People coming in feel kind of uptight and nervous at first, but they don’t at the end,” Shannon Hubbs said. “Some people want everything to be right (with their paintings), but really, it’s all about having fun.”
“One of the things our artists are trained to do is help people realize this is not fine art, it’s fun art,” Eric Hubbs added. “It might be a classroom setting where we’re giving instruction on how to do a particular painting, but when is the last time you saw a bar in a classroom? We want it to be relaxing and enjoyable … We want you to create memories with friends because, hopefully, you come with a group of people.”
Eric Hubbs said the artists do a fantastic job of leading customers in a step-by-step process to completing their paintings, which eliminates much of the anxiety of overthinking the project. “(The artists) are here to help,” Eric said. “Nobody is here to judge anyone.”
Throughout the event, music will be playing, and Shannon Hubbs said there are even events where comedians will present a routine to bring an element of humor during the breaks between painting, with improv shows to follow afterward.
An Army veteran and former nurse, Shannon Hubbs said a back injury would have relegated her to computer work had she decided to go back to her nursing profession. Instead, she opted to find a new passion in a vastly different field.
“I wanted to do something fun. I like to entertain,” Shannon Hubbs said. “I didn’t want to sit behind a desk with a phone, so this seemed perfect to me.”
Shannon Hubbs said she had participated in a paint-and-sip in Columbus once and really enjoyed the experience, and with her husband having a friend in Las Vegas who owns three Pinot’s Palette locations, they were able to learn more about potentially owning their own studio.
After many thoughts and prayers — as well as self-reassurance that she would be able to handle it physically — Shannon Hubbs said they signed on the Powell franchise last January but had to overcome several delays with the completion of the building itself before finally reaching their grand opening last week.
The Powell location is one of two in central Ohio; a studio in the Short North in Columbus will be opening soon. To learn more about or register for upcoming events, visit www.pinotspalette.com/powell.
