I came upon the owner, David Wheeler, at his pottery stand at the farmer's market in Pacific…read morePalisades last Sunday http://www.yelp.com/biz/pacific-palisades-farmers-market-pacific-palisades#hrid:phzzRmmg3-J3VLb2RFAl9A and was immediately struck by the clean simplicity yet obvious quality of his designs. As I was looking over his variety of wares, (plates, pots, bowls, cups and vases) I chatted with him and asked him questions as to his technique. One of the things I learned is because his pottery is a bit thicker and he heats the objects to 2400 Fahrenheit, 300 degrees more than commercial kilns do, his creations are thus stronger and less breakable than what you would buy in stores. Looking at his choices in shapes, glazing and colors, I recognized influence and inspiration from Japanese raku to American crafstman styles, with an unmistakable personal originality. Situated in the back of his stand I saw the words "Utility is the first principle of Beauty" by Yanagi Soetsu. David explained to me that this person founded the Mingei craft movement in Japan in the 1920's in recognition of the havocs that industrialization was wreaking on the production of local artisans. David also does commissions and seems to exemplify the philosophy expressed by Soetsu. He only shows once a week Sunday at this farmer's market, otherwise he can be reached at his studio. His prices are reasonable compared with local artisan rates and his wares are top quality. He takes cash, check or trust! Should you be out of the first two, he gives you an addressed, stamped envelope and you mail him a check later! Who does that? I will enjoy my soup bowl purchase for a long time to come. And probably more items as well.

David is a wonderful artist. My husband and I first met him at the market in Calabasas, where we…read morepurchased a round "bubble" box for our landlords. We simply fell in love with his work! Months later we purchased a large statement bowl for ourselves, including a wave of the bubbles we love. It is simply stunning! So nice to think of David every time we look at our bowl. Thank you. :)

So pleased with my experience here. This is basically just a cuter, family owned, color me mine…read more They're building a coffee shop too which is going to be so amazing. Let's get into customer service - Lulu was absolutely amazing to my friend and I who are not experts or artists in the slightest. I really wanted to do zebra print and Lulu walked me through how to do it and made me feel super confident. I ended up running out of time having to leave, but queen lulu offered to finish it for me! I could have come back as well but of course preferred her to do it lol. Picking it up was a total breeze as well. I love my new cup which I'm using as a toothbrush holder. I absolutely will be coming back and showing more friends!!

Absolutely love this place! Made a reserv for a day out with my niece and we had so much fun! Many…read moreceramic pieces to choose from and a large range of glaze colors and tools to choose from. Best to have an idea of that you want to paint in advance. We had screen shots of photos we found on the Internet. Now we are looking forward to seeing our finished product. Can't wait to return to create more memories and another piece.

Went to Lumee today for the first time with a 9 year old girl I babysit for! Originally saw this…read moreplace on Tik Tok. We made a reservation for a Monday @ 2pm and the place was pretty full so I'm glad we planned ahead! The experience started with getting seated and deciding what you'd like to decorate by scrolling through an iPad. Then she picked her charms and frosting. George was helpful and very personable. He made the experience fun for her by bringing more charms and ideas to make her creation come to life. Thank you for a great day!

Lumee was such an amazing experience and the service was so attentive and kind!…read more The charm selection here is super vast and there is a lot of options of things to make! They also have a lot of different glue icing options in glitter, shimmer, and pastel! It was so much fun to make a frame and hair clips, but they have a lot of different options!They explained how to do everything so easily and I love how everything turned out!

First time at the paper source from a coworker recommendation, and certainly not the last. This…read morelocation was especially amazing thanks to Bella. She's a true gem. I walked in frantically needed a gift wrapped. She did everything and was kind, helpful, delicate. Truly the best! Because of her, I am now a customer for life!

The woman working was so nice and kind especially to my toddler which is always appreciated. We…read morewere offered the opportunity to do a craft but sadly we were running out of time so we were unable to do. Also I felt we could actually browse and I wasn't worried about feeling rushed in the store. It was a nice experience.

Born to do art, forced to write emails...I know I've been saying this a lot (especially w/all the…read moregreat businesses I've found lately), but seriously I'm so happy this place exists. ARTime BARRO is part pottery studio, part community space, and is a relaxing, chill place where you can unleash the creativity you thought was dead, where your artistic spirit gets to come out to play, if only for just a little bit of time in this crazy world. On a recent weekend, I had the opportunity to take the One-Time Class, which is a one-hour course designed for complete beginners. You get to make two pieces, one by hand at the table and one on the pottery wheel. The class size was small (just 5 people) and we got great 1:1 instruction and guidance from our knowledgeable instructor Max. I've always wanted to try the wheel and was surprised how hard it was to use it but it was such a great experience that I think everyone should try at least once. After you sculpt your pieces, you are invited to come back to hand paint (glaze) your work at no additional cost. You can also have them do a one-color glaze for you, but after I saw all the multi-colored pieces of other folks previous to me, it was no contest to decide that I wanted to color my pieces myself. You have up to 3 months to come back to glaze so it's very doable in anyone's busy LA (corporate) lifestyle. Pricing was very reasonable for such a cool bespoke experience. There are a lot of pottery painting studios (e.g. Color Me Mine) but this is awesome bc you get to make the pottery AND color it later! I've already recommended this place to countless people!

This place is amazing for pottery on the West side of LA!!! I can't recommend this place enough. I…read morebought a Groupon for 2 people and my best friend and I loved it! We even bought 4 wheel thrown classes to come back. The best part about these classes is they are smaller, 5 people go a group. You get to make 2 pieces per person - 1 hand shaped and 1 on the wheel. Definitely wear comfortable clothing! There is a parking lot in the back which is also really nice.

We met Ally at the pier and she was the best vibe ever! We had so much fun at the pier she brought…read moreall vibes and encouraged us to let out creativity flow. Shes the best! So happy we ran into her today!!!

We did a date night paint night here and connected in a way we haven't in years. It was a really…read morelovely night. I'm on their website to but another night for my guys birthday.

What a great shop. Lots of different yarns and threads to choose from and samples of works…read more They even have same patterns and very helpful staff. A little off the beaten path for tourists and that adds to the charm. Come and check it out. You will be impressed!

Local yarn stores have a reputation for being snobby and unhelpful and this one lives up to that…read morereputation! If you are a new knitter you will be disappointed at Wildfibers. I have gone in four times obviously looking for a project. No one greets you, and the owners sit in the back and talk and knit. All four times I have felt like I was a bother. I am new to Santa Monica and was excited to find a local store but I guess I will drive to Ventura for my knitting needs and actually have fun doing it!

Mario and Chris are simply....professional framers who do very good detailed work with care. I…read morerecently presented to them a rare silkscreen work and they placed the suitable UV protective Museum glass over it along with the wood frame and it looks terrific. Their prices are very fair for what they do. They are also very pleasant guys who deserve the business that comes their way. Highly recommend!

Had a great experience with Noel helping my wife and I select the framing and matting for 3 pieces…read moreof art we brought back from Mexico. Very personal experience with expert recommendations. Turn around time was about 1.5 weeks. Great to support local business, too.

Haven't seen a stationary store like this in quite some time…read more Came here to get a batch of holiday and thank you cards. They are cute, simple, and stylish. It's nice to find something unique and give a thoughtful message to someone. It's that human hand written touch that gets lost sometimes in this technology age. The only thing is that is somewhat pricey for a card maybe around $5-8 from what I remember. Service - attentive and helpful Parking - there is a lot

Amazing quality and customer service! We had a small issue and they sent out a replacement…read moreimmediately! Great company!