My eight-year-old didn't want to leave...and nor did I. In the city's longest alley is Studio Kusi,…read morea pottery studio in a restored garage. Ariana, the owner, grew up in Mount Pleasant and decided to open a pottery studio once she lost her federal job in 2025. My eight-year-old daughter and I took a class just the two of us on a Saturday afternoon. Here's our experience. 1) Experience: It was truly wonderful! Ariana starts the class to the level and experience of pottery you have. She let my daughter lead what she wanted to learn. Providing the clay and supplies, she taught us how to mold clay, add decorations to it, paint clay, and more. Ariana has two pottery wheels to if that's more your style, but my daughter opted for molding it with her hands. She made a jar with a lid and I made a dumpling-shaped ring holder. Ariana has a kiln and fires the pottery. Once it's done, you return to pick up your work. Ariana gives 20% of her profit to organizations doing good work. 2) Space: It's in a small garage, but it is SO COOL! It doesn't feel to stuffy at all. Ariana decorates it with plants, lots of natural light, and there are shelves with pottery waiting to be fired and a little store where Ariana sells her pottery, ceramics, and jewelry. She's so talented! Since it's in a garage, there isn't a restroom so plan accordingly. 3) Neighborhood: It's in the heart of Mount Pleasant close to public art, restaurants, and more. On I usually find street parking along Irving Street NW (where I used to live) or the Columbia Heights Metro is a few blocks away.

I was delighted to visit Ariana's pottery studio and learn for the first time ever how to make my…read moreown pottery from clay dough. Let asside the joy I felt making something that looks beautiful just with my bare hand and seeing how the end product would like along the process... The thing I would like to write this review most, is the grounding sensation that I have felt while going through this process. I kept hearing and reading about folks talking about how working with clay refines their energy and balances it, until I had the experience by myself. There is definitely something about staying mindful and focussed while aligning your body movement and mental focus during working with clay to make pottery. It felt really theraputical and grounding. It is really a whole body experience. I am grateful to Ariana and to great instructor that gave me the class and I would absolutely go for it again and again and again. And I recommend you all to try it; especially at such a special space that Ariana has put together for her studio.

Nicole created all of the printed materials for my daughter's wedding. Save the Dates,…read moreInvitations, signage, programs, labels for the welcome boxes...everything. She is so professional and has a lovely, re-assuring personality. She made recommendations that we followed completely because I was aware that her work is impeccable. She ensured that every touchpoint supported the formal wedding we were throwing. She did all of the work. She had the envelopes addressed with the highest quality calligraphy and she hand-stamped and mailed everything for us. I had no worries at all with this aspect of the wedding. It was such a pleasure to do business with her. She is exceptional at what she does. We were more than thrilled with the outcomes.

I can't believe it's been 10 years since our wedding but I was cleaning out some boxes and found…read moreour invitations and response cards. I would still be proud to send them out today. So helpful, sweet patient, knowledgeable and amazing. I love this place. Would recommend to anyone. A great small business and Nicole is a joy to work with.

In the summer of 2013 I moved from the UK to Washington DC. In an effort to make friends and get…read moreout the house when I knew I would not be working for a while I decided to look for classes on groupon. For the insanely cheap price of $130 dollars or so i got to have two official knitting lessons and as much sit and knit as I could possibly want. I started in September when classes started again after the summer and pretty much went to every sit and knit I was entitled too go to every sat and sun from then untill I left DC to move to Cali in June 2014. I miss sit and knit and the expertise and friendships I made at this class. I not only got my monies worth but gained even more in friendship and life long skills. I made fingerless gloves, scarves (5 in total) a bear and am now working on a bedside mat. I believe some people have had some issues below which quite frankly leave me perplexed - How can something be a scam if you get your money back from groupon? This is a one woman show, which pretty much means if something comes up then things might not happen. Thats just the way it is when you run a small business by yourself. The number of times I witnessed people coming to class not reading what they needed to bring or where they needed to meet were so numerous and somehow this was never their fault. Take responsibility for yourselves please people. You are an adult!

I was given a Groupon ad a gift for 101,102 & 201 by a friend who knew that I wanted to make a…read moresweater, but was very intimidated by the idea. I'm a self-taught knitter using books and the Internet. When I went to class explain what I want to do to Terri, and she helped me and I have been making much more complicated patterns since then. I go every Sunday when I can and I always have a great time & I met a great group of women in the process. I can't wait for the next project. Terri was very patient with my questions, sometimes the same one multiple times. If you forget your stitch markers, don't worry someone will have them.

I signed up for a class in March but requested to cancel or reschedule before the course date. I…read morecalled with no response and followed up with an email. Eventually, I received a text from someone at the shop. Unfortunately, it became clear that customer service is not a priority here. The person who texted me told me to just reschedule, but there was no follow-up or flexibility offered. Later, I was automatically enrolled in a class without being consulted, and the date didn't work for me as I was out of town. I'm now moving back to my home state and can't attend any future sessions, but they refused to offer any refund--even a partial one. While I understand this is a small business, the lack of communication and unwillingness to work with customers is disappointing. I'm now out $195 with nothing to show for it.

This place is a JOKE!!! I had 1 session and needed to reschedule for the second because I had hand…read moresurgery and DONNA claimed she never received any of my calls or emails notifying her of my surgery. I had my daughter go up to her place of business in Mt Rainier just to tell her I called and sent email. she claimed her mother had cancer and she was not having any more classes at that tim. She claimed she will reach out to me but she never did and she took my money!! Don't trust her or anything she says because she is a liar! THIS BUSINESS IS A JOKE.

I have been a Devaris customer for a decade, and have always been amazed at the craftmanship. No…read morematter the shape or size of the needlework piece, the two Devaris seamstresses have turned my stitched canvases into cherished heirlooms. When I have given friends personalized baby pillows for their children as gifts, I tell them I might have spent many hours stitching, but can take no credit for the expert sewing/finishing. Former owner Mr. Devaris and current owner Mrs. Campagna have an eye for color and fabric. Sometimes I have had firm ideas about color choices, only to be persuaded to try a different colorway altogether -- with amazing results. Whenever I have mailed pieces to be finished -- which is convenient since I work regular business hours -- Mrs. Campagna has always called me to discuss color and fabric choices. Earlier this year, I was dropping off a small needlepoint sampler piece in which I incorporated the parents' favorite colors (sky blue and lime green). While looking at velvet fabrics with the seamstresses, Mr. and Mrs. Devaris stopped by to say hello. The seamstresses and I asked for them for their opinion on what color would work best, and they remembered a blue-green microsuede fabric used for an upholstery job a while back. A small piece of the fabric was found, just big enough for my project. The pillow turned out perfect. Because my experience with Devaris has been so positive throughout the time I have taken my pieces to this local small business, I felt I had to write this positive review.

I live thousands of miles away from this place, but a local needlecraft store recommended DeVaris…read moreto me as the place to go for repairing old needlepoint pillows. So I shipped out three pillows for cleaning and new backings and crossed my fingers. I was so impressed with the quality of the work they did--the pillows look so great now! I'm so pleased.

I cannot say enough to recommend Nubia at Convention Floral. The arrangements are spectacular,…read moreincredibly fresh and long lasting, and reasonably priced. In addition to providing excellent flowers and arrangements, she is an honest, kind, respectful business-woman and a delight to work with.

We found Nubia via the Internet, visited her home operation, and instantly developed a liking and…read morerespect for her personally. She is a real professional -- coordinated with the hotel for our wedding in downtown DC, maintained excellent communication, and the flowers, table settings, and chuppa for our ceremony were wonderful, helping to make the event one that we and guests will always remember. We were happy to be able to have a small family business handle our affair. Thanks for your quality service Nubia....

I've worked with Monica for the past year, and she has completely changed the way I approach my…read morewardrobe and personal style. I'm a man in my mid-30s in a people-facing leadership role, which means I'm regularly in front of a wide variety of stakeholders. When I started working with Monica, I felt like I had fallen into a uniform: slacks, a shirt, and a blazer for work, and jeans and a button-down for a date night. Everything was perfectly fine, but getting dressed felt more utilitarian than personal, and I wanted to expand my style without feeling like I was wearing someone else's clothes. What I've appreciated most about working with Monica is that she didn't simply tell me what to buy. Through quarterly closet audits, we've gone through what I already own, put together specific outfits I wouldn't have thought of myself, and identified the actual gaps in my wardrobe. Over time, that process has helped me develop a much clearer sense of my own style and given me the confidence to move outside of my usual comfort zone. A year later, I have far more variety in what I wear for both work and my personal life, but more importantly, my clothes feel much more like a reflection of my personality. Getting dressed has become something I actually enjoy rather than just another part of my morning routine. I'd especially recommend Monica to someone who feels uninspired by getting dressed every day or has a closet full of perfectly good clothes but still finds themselves reaching for the same few combinations. Her service is about much more than shopping, it's about figuring out how you want to present yourself and then building a wardrobe that actually reflects that. For someone in a visible, people-facing role, that has been incredibly valuable.

I hired Monica because I was facing major transitions in my professional and personal life, and my…read morestyle didn't align with the path I was on. Monica certainly helped align both so that new opportunities became available to me, and I appeared confident in every room I showed up in.  With Monica's guidance, I learned to be more intentional about my outfit choices, to create a strategic framework for my purchases, and to find balance between the clothes that I wear professionally and socially. Prior to working with her, I had too many clothing options and nothing ever seemed quite right. She helped me realize that by making purchases based on (many) singular events, I wasn't giving myself the mental or physical space (in my closet) to see what I actually had and how I could use it in multiple ways. She fundamentally changed how I shop for clothes!  Lastly, the "emergency styling service" was an absolute lifesaver when I was tasked to interview a well-known author on a massive stage. We had less than 3 days to find something, and Monica worked her magic by going to the store, finding the perfect pieces, and having the established relationships to get the suit fully tailored in less than 24 hours. I appeared at Capitol One Hall in Tysons looking like I was already in my next career, and I will forever be so grateful for that moment and the spark she helped me to find.

I have worked with Jamie on several occasions... - repair…read morework... on time & reasonable pricing - gold buying... this was the best experience. I had been told by another jeweler that my estate pieces weren't worth alot... well, i should say they gave me prices that were "ok"... Jamie looked at my collection & the stuff that I wanted to sell - she gave me top dollar for it!!! JG Jewelry & Estates cares about their customers & is fair in their pricing... she's knowledgeable & patient. I refer her to everyone I know.

Jamie is amazing. She created the perfect custom engagement ring for me. I had not tried on rings…read morebefore and I was unsure of what I was looking for. My fiancé and I met with Jamie. She explained all elements of diamond selection, band styles, and budget. I was also interested in incorporating family rings into my new ring. The result is amazing. I could not be happier with my experience and will be returning to Jamie for my wedding bands and all future jewelry needs.