Business Review: Here, You Will Like Doing the Dishes

Tensions ease at You Do the Dishes, a paint-your-own-pottery studio and coffee house.

The Fairyland forest tree painted on the window of the shop sets the mood. Upon entering and glancing around, one cannot keep from letting the imagination run wild. Unpainted, or “naked,” pottery is everywhere: from tiny dragons and sleeping cats to giant platters in the shape of a starfish.

If it is your first time visiting, it may take you some time to decide which piece you would like to paint. Examples of what can be done with a splash of color and a little creativity are displayed on shelves and stands.

After selecting a piece of unpainted white pottery, choose a table or sit at the counter, where muffins, layer cakes, desert drinks, ice cream, coffee and other treats may be purchased. Next, have fun designing and painting your piece. The opportunity to satisfy a creative outlet coupled with visual and culinary delights enhances the camaraderie with fellow painters.

“This place is an extension of my home,” says You Do the Dishes owner Cynthia Kozlowski, who used to work in customer service for Times Warner but opted for a new direction 14 years ago.

In creating her studio, Kozlowski brought along her people skills.  Over the years as people wandered in to enjoy a little diversion, she says, they became drawn to the experience. Some repeat customers have even decided to seek employment at the studio.

As an example, current employee Herb Pinder came in 13 years ago as a customer. He has a background in art and a degree in teaching. He realized this was a place he wanted to become part of, and was hired as accountant and advertising manager.

"This place is more an atmosphere than a store. People are what make it special,” Pinder says. “We develop relationships with the people that come in. We've been to many of their graduations, showers and weddings."

Love can even blossom at You Do the Dishes, Pinder says. A young man once come in with his girlfriend. While painting together, the girlfriend asked him what he was making. He told her he would show her when it was finished. When he had completed his work, she asked again. He put the piece he had worked on in her hands and when she turned it over, it read, "Will you marry me?” She accepted his proposal.

"People bond here," Pinder says. "It's not like going to a movie where no one talks to each other".

The girls that work here have varying backgrounds, but most of them, like Claire Camp, came here when they were in elementary school as customers.  Clair’s mom, Megan Camp, is another visitor-turned-employee.  She creates many of the display pieces seen around the shop.

Friends come to You Do the Dishes to enjoy a night out or to make time to catch up on each other’s lives. The shop is also a resource for parents who want to keep their children busy for a few hours. You Do the Dishes also hosts private events.

The studio has become a relaxing hang-out spot, a location where one can satisfy their inner Picasso.

When Patch visited, customers sat in a booth, chatting and painting. Emma Sims and Kim Burns, who attend Hillsborough County Community College and the Univesity of South Florida respectively, sat at the counter enjoying the music and a snack as they painted.  Sims was creating a mug with special paint while Burns was creating a painted cat for her mom.

Kim Outwater came in with her daughter, Coral, a creative 7-year-old who attends Tampa Palms Elementary School.  Coral had been disappointed to find out that her piano teacher was moving to Washington DC, so her mom took her in to make a going-away gift.  Coral felt much better after having an ice cream cone and painting a small piano on which she had written, "World's Best Piano Teacher".  

After painters are finished working on their piece at You Do the Dishes, they leave it with employees who will then glaze and fire the artwork in their kilns. Customers pick up the finished product a few days later, taking with them a true memory in their hands!

If You Go

You Do the Dishes is tucked away in a little shopping center, The Shoppes of Amberly, off Amberly Drive. It is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. The first Saturday of each month is “Midnight Madness” during which customers can paint until midnight. For individual and group rates, visit www.youdothedishes.com or call (813) 975-1700.