When Lisa Riley walked into Pinot’s Palette in Houston, she never thought she’d walk out wanting to open her own studio.
Riley now a proud and successful Pinot’s Palette franchisee preparing to open her second location, visited a local Houston studio for a customer appreciation night with her company and fell in love with the Paint and Sip concept.
At Pinot’s Palette, customers sign up for two- or three-hour painting classes while enjoying wine, snacks and other drinks with friends. They depart at the end of the evening with their own 16-inch by 20-inch acrylic painting on stretched canvas, having laughed and sipped their way through a real, live (and very fun) art class — or as some call it, “painting party.”
“I absolutely LOVED it! It was so much fun and different from the normal night out,” she explained. “I then started taking my girlfriends to classes and the rest they say is history!”
Riley is the owner of the first Pinot’s Palette franchise in her hometown of Tulsa, Okla., which opened in March 2012 in the Cherry Street District - an ideal location for a business whose slogan is “Paint. Drink. Have Fun.”
“I have always dreamed of owning my own business and the fact that it is coming true seems surreal,” Riley said following the opening of her first store. “I feel that Tulsa is really embracing the arts right now and people are ready for a new way to engage.”
Riley said the business concept she chose had to be the right one.
“I talked about opening up a Pinot’s Palette for a long time before I actually decided to do it,” she explained. “I wanted to open a business that when people walk out the door they leave happier than when they came in. Owning a business that has that attribute doesn’t get better than that!”
Initially, the Cherry Street studio offered classes several days a week, ultimately expanding to host open classes or private parties every day of the week.
Pinot’s Palette is staffed by local artists who teach the lively painting classes, which typically attract “Girls’ Night Out” groups, “Date Night” couples, families and anyone looking for a fun filled evening out. The classes also cater to painters of all levels ranging from beginners to the more experienced.
Not surprisingly, the feedback she’s received to date is incredibly positive and she expects even more happy customers when her second studio opens in Tulsa.
“People are EXCITED to attend our classes and extend their imaginations while having a good time with family and friends. I look forward to the opening of my second studio in the upcoming months so we can introduce even more guests in the Tulsa community to the Pinot’s Palette brand,” she said.
Charles Willis, president of Houston-based Pinot’s Palette, agrees that, “with Cherry Street being near downtown and with so many great restaurants, boutiques, art galleries, and antique shops, it sets the perfect stage for Pinot’s Palette” in Tulsa.
