Feeling Crafty? You Can ‘Go Craft Yourself’ Pretty Much Anytime You Want

When she wasn’t working as a software salesperson, or in real estate or defense manufacturing, Samantha Harrison says she was working on crafts.

Many of her projects — other than adding an artistic touch to her young daughters’ rooms and their home — were gifts for friends that always seemed to be a hit. Combined with a Pinterest account burgeoning with projects she was hoping to get around to one day, the road to a crafting career was already in the works.

“You know, you should do this for a living,’’ her friends would tell her, and one day, Samantha agreed.

In February, in the Cory Lake Isles Professional Center off Cross Creek Blvd., Samantha and her husband Brian opened Go Craft Yourself, a concept that combines crafting with affordability and availability.

While Go Craft Yourself does hold crafting events and themed outings, its scheduling flexibility is one of the things that make it stand out from its few competitors in the Tampa Bay area.

It’s this simple: Do you want to craft? Then come on in.

“You can walk in the door anytime,” Samantha says. “You pick a project and do it, and take it home with you that day. You don’t have to make an appointment; you don’t have to come to a scheduled workshop. We’re open every day but Mondays, so we’re pretty much always here.”

Go Craft Yourself is located right across the way from the popular Children’s Dentistry office of Dr. Greg Stepanski, and shares the plaza with a number of other kid-friendly businesses where parents are often stopping by so their children can see doctors and dentists and take their music and martial arts lessons.

“It seems like everybody’s kids go to the dentist right across the way,’’ Samantha says, laughing.

That’s how New Tampa’s Lindsay Rewald discovered Go Craft Yourself. Her young daughters, Madison, 12, and Hayley, 9, were visiting their doctor’s office when they noticed the crafting center.

The three of them walked right in, found a project they liked, and started crafting.

“It’s a great concept,’’ says Rewald, who was stenciling the family name over the letter R onto a rectangular piece of wood she planned to hang in the family room of their home. It is Go Craft Yourself’s most popular project, Samantha says.

Madison and Hayley were working on a similar project, painting their first names to hang in their bedrooms.

“It’s fun,’’ Hayley said.

“And, we will definitely be back,’’ her mom added.

One of the things Rewald says she liked about Go Craft Yourself is the workspace. The shop is more than 3,000 sq. ft., with a half dozen or so large, square wooden tables set up to handle large groups.

While the Harrisons looked around for the right studio, more expensive locations right on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. didn’t fit their needs. For a better price, they chose a far more spacious locale.

“The space is one thing that definitely makes us different,’’ Brian says.

The Harrisons made the distinct, dark wood tables in the studio themselves, as well as the front counter and the wood-slatted wall behind it.

There is a children’s area in one corner, with chalkboard walls, and in another corner is a work area. On Father’s Day, children were able to fill a squirt gun with different colored paints and then fire away at a stencil, creating a unique gift for their dads.

Most of the crafts offered are wood-oriented, like signs, custom serving trays, planter boxes and wall decorations, although the studio also has painting for kids and various other crafts. Pricing is per project and varies depending upon the project.

Though you can walk right in and start crafting, Go Craft Yourself also offers workshops for serious crafters ages 18 and older, and is available for private events.

Go Craft Yourself is currently running “Christmas in July,” where crafters can come in and make gifts for the upcoming holiday, or festive decorations for the home and tree.  With Halloween and Thanksgiving quickly approaching as well, crafting season is about to kick into full gear and the art shop plans to offer a number of season-themed activities.

“We are versatile,’’ Brian said. “We had a whole bridal shower come in one time, and they wanted something that we typically don’t offer. But, we showed them something else, and they ended up making really nice custom-designed pieces for the wedding.”

Samantha said that as the business grows, it will offer kid camps, with room to handle 70 budding artists at a time. She also is hoping to work with nearby schools on projects. She is already working with Benito Middle School, where currently, students can come in and decorate pavers for $10, which will then be used for a pathway at the school.

Samantha was born and raised in Melbourne, FL, and studied business and religion in college at Stetson and Liberty universities. However, the jobs that followed, she says, lacked a connection for her.

“They weren’t very creatively-driven jobs,” she says.

Two years ago, the Harrisons moved to West Meadows for Samantha’s new sales job. However, since college, she says she has always imagined herself as a CEO or owner of a company, leading to Go Craft Yourself.

“I just never knew what that looked like, until we figured this out,’’ she says. “This fulfills that desire.”

Samantha says that while there are similar crafting studios in Tampa Bay, there aren’t any this area. And, there also aren’t any where you can walk in, sit down and begin crafting something special at a moment’s notice.

Go Craft Yourself definitely has an artistic feel to it, and even includes a sitting area with coffee and Wi-Fi for those taking a more leisurely approach to their project.

“People love the atmosphere,’’ Samantha says. “There’s no time limit, no pressure, you can sit here all day if you want. We try to provide a calm, relaxing environment.”

There also is the convenience factor, she adds. Instead of buying crafting supplies that you will use a few times and then store away until you end up with bottles of dried paint and crusty brushes, it’s more pragmatic to use what you need. No storage, no clean up.

And, it’s cheaper.

“We make it easy,’’ she says.

Go Craft Yourself is ideal for a girls night out, birthday parties and team-building events, Samantha says, adding that her customer base has expanded every month.

“We’ve grown significantly since we opened in February,’’ Samantha says. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know new people. We get a lot of repeat customers, and I see a lot of them with the same passion for crafting I have.”

Go Craft Yourself is located at 10311 Cross Creek Blvd., Suite A, in the Cory Lake Isles Professional Center, and is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., and 2 p.m.-7 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call (813) 345-8498, visit GoCraftYourselfFL.com or see the ad on pg. 32 of this issue.