Budapest's paint-it-yourself pottery store opens

Ágnes Erdős sweeps a fan-shaped paintbrush along the rim of a creamy unglazed plate as it spins on a turnstile: "it looks easy, but takes some time," she says. "In the end, you create something of your own, and it gives you confidence, it's a fun process." On the table nearby are colorfully glazed plates, tiles, and pots amidst a large workshop of tables and shelves filled with unfinished cups, bowls, vases, and tiles, waiting to be painted. Slowly but surely, the creative process of painting a plate isn't that different from starting a business, says Erdős, who recently opened Made By You, Budapest's first do-it-yourself pottery store with her sister and friend.

Courtesy of Made By You

Step by step, how to create your own artistic creation at Made By You.

The central concept of the store is that customers purchase their own unpainted ceramic form from Ft 350-Ft 5,000 (€1.30 - €20) for a tile and large bowl, respectively, and then paint it themselves at the store. In this way, Made By You is both a showroom and workshop, with mix-matched colorful chairs and couches interspersed around the ground floor studio on Királyi Pál utca.

Erdős opened the store this January with her sister Judit and friend Linda Feldesz after visiting Made By You in Vienna two years ago. Made By You is an Austrian franchise with outposts in Germany and Poland. The memory of the fun she had painting there and taking home her creation spurred her to open one in Budapest, where she thought such handicrafts and gift shops were lacking.

Opening a franchise made the entrepreneurial process a bit easier since the Viennese owner was helpful, supportive and became "our business mother," says Erdős. "She was incredibly helpful with things like what to buy, how to organize and what to do to be successful."

In the end, though, Erdős says the idea will likely sell its self since there are not that many places to dabble in the arts for so cheaply, make a mess in the meantime, and take home a unique and useful creation.

"I think there are lots of people who enjoy their creativity like me and will love a store like this," she says.

Like other Made By You stores, the Budapest chapter of the brand uses only non-toxic washable paints in a variety of colors that are suitable for children, and they also also offers a variety of glazes. Once it is painted, it takes approximately three days for the form to be fired and ready for pickup, afterwards it can be used just like a regular plate - put in the dishwasher and in the microwave.

The workshop at Budapest's Made By You seats 30. The co-owners have plenty of ideas of their own on how to make it useful to the local population. They plan to offer weekly courses in English and Hungarian on painting in different genres and styles, starting in March. They also are pursuing partnerships with local businesses and schools to offer team building and art classes.

The bright, colorful room is an alternative to meeting friends for coffee, Erdős says. She made sure the room was a comfortable place to sit down for a few hours. Additionally Made By You serves tea, water and soda, and snacks for artists who need something to sip or munch on as they go through the creative process.

"It is an activity that is great for women and men, children and adults. Painting makes you feel good and when you are finished, you can take your art home and use it, or give it as a gift," says Erdős. "For me, this is a dream, for a long time it was only a dream, but now it came true. I hope others can enjoy it as much as I do."

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