Our bachelorette party of 10 strolled in for some relaxing girl time as our planned beach day was cancelled due to weather. We unloaded our drinks and snacks and the clay dreams team gave us the directions. The team was more than friendly and enthusiastic the help both navigate the store and creatively for the less artistic. Our overcast day was filled with sunshine, laughs and smiles. Thanks clay dreams! read more

A great activity for couples! Only issue is that though there is a sign saying they throw things away after 30days, they don't tell you that and the sign in not even visible. I went to pick up our stuff and this rude 15yo girl tells me "if they are here they are in the basement and would have to call you back" and stares at me like implying Im annoying her. I asked her to check and she comes back saying "we threw it away", points to this sign but at no point does she apologize or even says anything. I say thank you and she doesn't even answer that. That girl alone is the reason you want to avoid this place on a Saturday morning read more

I have been to several "paint your own" pottery stores in the area and have has my best experiences at Clay Dreams. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the variety of items to paint is amazing. I feel that the studio price is the lowest I have seen and the items are always ready on time or before promised. If you are looking for a fun and relaxing activity, this is the place to go. read more

I had my daughters 7th birthday party here a few weeks ago. Good size area for 15 kids. It went smooth and everyone had a good time.

I Went into Clay Dreams with 4 young children and one other adult. The gentleman who helped us went beyond the call of duty. Robert stepped in and helped paint the baby's foot and design his Mother's Day gift. He was hands on and great with the kids. I will definitely return and tell my friends!!!! I found the prices reasonable. read more

I visited Clay Dreams with two of my friends tonight. We made a reservation for 7:30, and the staff were very welcoming of us, even though we were a few minutes late. They were patient in allowing us to eat some take-out Thai food from down the street. They were helpful in choosing pieces, and explaining colors and when we could pick it up. They were also very patient with us, as we ended up there until 9:10, even though they closed at 9:00 - they did not make us feel at all rushed, and we only realized what time it was once we had finished our pieces. We are definitely planning on going back. read more

Staff is snarky and rude. What should have been a very pleasant afternoon with my daughter was stressful- "You HAVE to use whatever paint you take" "Those people over there (pointing to us) messed up the way the paints are organized." If I owned this business, I would get some staff that don't hate customers. read more

I have an original credit slip on Clay Dreams stationary dated 01/14/2010 for $25. This was a deposit for a birthday party we had planned for my daughter, but her grandfather died four days before the party, and we had to cancel. For various reasons, we did not get back there until last month, February 2013. The owner would not honor her own credit slip, rudely dismissing my wife. The owner said "my records don't go back three years." This is also violation of MA law as well, as vendors must honor credit slips from 7 years after the date of issuance. My wife and I have 3 daughters and have had multiple birthday parties and smaller get-togethers for our children at this establishment over the last 15 years. We did not deserve this. The bigger issue is not the $25, it's not being treated with respect. I also filed a complaint with the MA Better Business Bureau. Avoid this establishment. They treat you with contempt. You, your money, and your children deserve better. read more

What a weird turn of events. I went with my child in early August, using a group on I had purchased. The staff were all very helpful and friendly. We went back 10 days later, and the whole vibe had changed. The owner was so nasty and rude, once we sat down (I had both kids with me at this point), she said, "well, you better hurry!" I said "what?" She said "you only have 2 hours". I said that the Group On included the sitting fee, like the previous time we came. She said "well, Group On is different". When I pressed her further (ie, she can't change the terms of the Group On offer), she said, "we have to turn the tables over. And, we are only open to 5:00 anyway". We sat down at 2:30. The owner didn't label our paints, gave us some of the wrong paints and several remaining paint pallets from old patrons. After a large birthday party left at about 2:45, we were the only ones there until about 4:00 when a young woman and her 18 month old daughter came in. The owner was very friendly with the woman, despite the toddler picking up pottery everywhere (including finished pieces, nearly breaking a few pieces). They were obviously friends and knew each other well. I overheard her telling the woman that she had pointed out to me the new sitting fee policy, which I thought was so tactless and unprofessional. I got the feeling that they didn't mind that people had spent money on Group Ons, but they didn't really want the purchasers of the Group On to come in and use them. The reason I bought Clay Dreams Group On over the other Made by Me Pottery in Cambridge was b/c Clay Dreams had a flat sitting fee. At any rate, we went from "oh, we could have a birthday party here. To, 10 days later, we are never going back to the mean lady (my daughter's words)". Also, the glaze was inconsistent. Do not go here, the attitudes of the owner are strange and uneccesarily rude. read more

Sounds like we had a similar experience as others. We walked in at 4:15 and got a rude reception with "no, you can't paint anything since we close at 5pm." It was hard as my 4 year old started crying and I reassured him that we would finish painting within 10 minutes (like all crafts for little kids), but he was really rude and we left and tried to recover reading books at Foxx library. Rude owner, but cool concept. Won't be going back, but wish that the guy working there was a bit better at customer service. read more

I went here with my two kids and the overall experience was very disappointing. The service and support is slap dash, minimalist at best, and at the end the man who seems to run the place (and seems to be much loved by other reviewers too) made it a point that we would be leaving right then, even though my daughter was not yet finished her piece and it was 4.49pm, a full 11 mins before closing time. At 4.55pm he cleared up our table and took the paints away without asking whether we had finished. If he is the owner he is doing a good job of running his business into the ground. If he is an employee, he should be searching for another job. It is totally inexplicable how he can behave like that. Either way, as a customer it was an experience we won't be repeating. Try Art Beat across the road - no clay, but lots of other crafts. read more

I went here with a friend to try a new place for pottery painting and I definitely will not be going back. They do have a large selection of pieces to choose from and their prices are some of the lowest around but you get what you pay for. When you sit down to paint your piece you have to pick out 4 colors (they let us choose 1 more, for a total of 5 colors). I have never painted at a place where they limit the amount of colors you can use! Also you have to ask for more paint when you run out which gets kind of annoying if you are painting a large or even medium size piece and have to ask for refills over and over. I understand limiting the amount of colors for a kids party, but for for adults or artistic children with a supervising parent it's a little ridiculous. The staff's attitude of "its supposed to look handmade" and the limiting of colors was not very conducive to creativity. When we went to pick up the pieces my piece had been ruined. The clear glaze they paint on was very uneven and was so thick in spots it was milky and covered up some of what I had painted! Worse, there was one spot that looked like it got stuck to someone else's piece - it was a huge clear lump with what looked like a little bit of clay stuck in it and some chipped glaze around it. They didn't even say anything about it... so I guess they thought I wouldn't notice? I was really, really disappointed and won't be back again. read more

Average at best. Paints are weak, the rates are unnecessary expensive, they exploit the fact, there are not too many pottery painting places in the area. Their glaze was not clean, few particles got stuck on my pieces during glazing and they said there is nothing they can do about it..Hello, I paid for the item, how about keeping your glaze clean? read more

wow this place has really bad reviews but we went there few weeks back for my daughter's birthday and we had a really good time. we didnt have any complaint when we left. we were given proper instructions on colors and everything. the girl who was working there that day was very helpful and polite and nice. we will be going back soon. read more

Went here today with my 2 boys and their friends. This is my second time here. Last time I went they didn't open on time and again today they didn't open on time. They open at 10:15 and the owner strolled around the corner about 10:30. She said "oh no school today? Usually people don't come till 11:00." Then you should open at 11. My kids had a hard time picking something out to paint because they didn't like what they had. My six-year-old picked out a Darth Vader piggy bank and on the bottom it said $10. The owner got them paint the painted I filled out the form. They had me write down how much a cost. This is their first mistake. They should be having people pay before they paint and they should be writing down the price to make sure people are getting charged the correct amount. I went to pay and she said to me with a little bit of an attitude "this is not $10 it's 25." I said to her "it said $10. Aren't you going to stand by that?" she said no. I asked her if she was the owner and she said she was with her mother. I told her I am never going back there again. I wouldn't of minded paying it if she wasn't so rude about it not even apologetic. She did end up giving it to me doe $20. If you have a little kids I would recommend Plaster Fun Time. It's more kid friendly, and they can have more than four colors of paint. read more

The service was incredible. The graduating kids from school made a platter for the teachers. The guy that helped us was great with the kids. I needed the platter for a party on Monday. I didn't realize the store was not open on Monday and I contacted the owner, Rose Mary, after the store closed on Sunday evening. She came back to store within an hour to give me my order. And the platter is beautiful. I would come here back again and again. read more

My relatives came from overseas and were very excited to revisit Clay dreams after 8 years. The staff that were in store were not at all welcoming, it was almost as if we were a burden. My relatives were actually intimidated by the lady on staff. The selection was quite minimal, we were discouraged from using anything more than basic with regards stencils and speckled paints. She was most unhelpful and we were nervous to ask questions to try and understand the process as it was very unclear. We will never be returning here again. It was a huge disappointment especially for my niece who had been looking forward to it for years. Although the lady's manner did improve slightly overall her rude remarks, rushing us out the door and pressurising us to finish as she did not want to be there too long left a lot to be desired. read more

I went there today with a few people and it was GREAT the person working there was very nice and treated us amazing

The customer service here is absolutely horrendous. I have tried this place a few times and each and every time I am treated horribly. First of all, they have no manners and are incredibly rude from the moment you walk in , don't expect a nice greeting or even an acknowledgement that your an actual customer. Secondly, they are nasty about how much paint you use. They will constantly scold you about it and discourage you from using too many paint colors. I can't tell you how many times I was reminded that the paint is expensive. Despite the fact that I took a dime sized amount and they need to relax and stop being cheap , I paid for that paint so I frankly could care less how worried they are about it. Lastly, forget asking any question about supplies, pieces, paint colors etc. You will just get a nasty look and a quick snippy answer. The most unfortunate part is I had brought a child here and they were incredibly cold to them as well. This place is over priced and unprofessional. The pieces are okay and theres paint there. If you aren't concerned with customer service then they have the supplies you need but at a relatively high price. At least its local and has relatively reasonable hours.However, I would recommend searching for other places if you are brining children. I will say based off other reviews it seems as though they might be making an effort to change so perhaps give it some time. read more

I have never been treated so rudely by the balding older man. We walked in at 4:30, because we checked online and they closed at 5. The door was open and the open sign illuminated. The man does not greet us as we walk in, because he is on the phone. Instead, he tells the person on the phone loudly so we can hear that he is leaving now, that the last customers just left. Um.. i thought we were customers, i guess not! Does not acknowledge us until he finally gets off the phone. We tell him we just want to paint something really small and quick because today is our daughters first birthday to remember it. He quickly says no. We pleaded and asked nicely, and told him we would be very fast, and he replies very shortly with another no. Apparently, they stop letting people in at 4:15, or so he says. He was so unbelievably rude. I left in tears. He is a bitter old man who should not be working in a place for children. Do not go here! I will never go here again after being treated so terribly. If they close at 4:15, then that is what should be advertised. I've never experienced anything like this before. read more

I went here today with the little boy I nanny for because he loves painting. We walked into the shop and there was no one else in there painting which was nice. The woman who worked there came out of the back room and told us to pick something. I wouldn't say she was rude but she definitely wasn't very pleasant. I figured ok, whatever and we looked around for something to paint. The little boy was trying to choose and she asked if we were ready yet, like she was annoyed. Again, whatever I thought nothing of it. So we find a piece and sit , like she had told us to and she is on the phone and gestures to me " one minute." So we waited, and waited some more and while she is still on the phone another phone rings and she hangs one up and answers the other. I wouldn't mind if these calls were business related but they were clearly personal calls. In total we waited at least 10 minutes. I finally got annoyed and we just walked out, which I'm sure she didn't notice because she didn't even look up from her phone call. Never going back here again. read more

I just now signed up to yelp for the sole purpose of writing this review. I had called Clay Dreams before driving all the way there and getting 2 toddlers out of the car and into their store to make sure it was what I was looking for... I was promised they had plenty of options... I went all the way there and looked around for the 15 minutes I was left waiting before the man decided to come from the back and help us and then I was told that the only thing I had found that fit what I was looking for was not for sale and he ripped it out of my hand.... the other reviewers are correct-- he is a rude and miserable person and has no business working with children or anyone else for that matter... the woman ( I'm assuming his wife) is no better... so rude that I drove all the way to Tewkesbury to give another business a chance. Good luck to you if you decide to give them a chance but as far as I'm concerned people like that don't deserve your business. read more