Paint and wine studios are growing from a niche industry to a sweeping trend across the country.Arizona has seen more than half a dozen paint and wine studios open around the state in the last two years, including a couple in Tucson.
“The combination of drinking and painting is absolutely brilliant. By the time the brush hits canvas, the energy is high and everyone is excited for what they’ll each create,” said Rachel Childers, an artist at one of Tucson’s fledgling wine and paint studios Brush N Bottle. “It brings together things that people like to do to unwind. People can just let loose and not have to worry about the 9-5’s.”
Paint and wine bars, including Brush N Bottle, provide customers with a blank canvas, paint, brushes, an apron and step-by-step guided instructions by working artists to create paintings. Brush N Bottle is BYOB, but other paint and wine stores in the state, including Tucson’s Creative Juice Art Bar or Scottsdale’s The Brush Bar, serve wine and other cocktails.
Like any business, it takes enthusiasm, dedication and the willingness to put the studio before anything else for a paint and wine bar to be successful, said Olivia Ramirez, who co-owns Brush N Bottle. She said this philosophy has propelled the industry exponential growth over the past few years since the first paint and wine store, Painting with a Twist, opened in 2007 in Louisiana. That company now has more than 81 franchise locations nationwide, including a location in Tempe.
Pinot’s Palette, another majorly successful paint and wine bar that joined the franchising industry, has a location in Phoenix.
According to the Small Business Administration website, at the beginning of 2014, there were around 200 paint and wine companies in the United States and Canada, a majority of which are small and individually owned.
Interest in Arizona’s paint and wine studios is an offshoot of the state’s growing wine industry. Kelly Redding of Phoenix has attended paint and wine nights in Scottsdale and Tucson after a friend introduced her to the hobby. She says paint and wine bars have turned into a great escape.
“It’s fun, it’s relaxing, and it’s a really great way to turn your brain off,” Redding says, “I think it brings something special and different to the community.”
Classes at paint and wine bars differ from one to the other, but the average price for a class falls between $35 and $45. Brush N Bottle has seen almost 3,000 customers in its first year and brings in a significant amount of business through private parties. The store has 13 private events booked in October and four for November.
Brush N Bottle is located at 1785 E. Prince Road in Tucson. For more information or to schedule group events or private parties, call (520) 881-0655. To access the calendar of classes visit BrushAndBottle.com or visit their Facebook page.
Contact reporter at sjfrance@email.arizona.edu