You Do The Dishes Keeps Kids Busy & Creative All Summer Long

It seems unusual that kids would be excited about doing the dishes. After all, it’s a household chore, and unless there’s an allowance or some TV time involved, who wants to do that? That’s not the case at You Do The Dishes, where kids can take part in creative camps (see below) all summer long, learn new art techniques and even put their own artistic touch on all kinds of pottery.

Located just a few doors down from our previous office in the Shoppes of Amberly shopping plaza on Amberly Dr. in Tampa Palms, You Do The Dishes is a “paint your own pottery” studio owned by Pebble Creek resident Cindy Kozlowski that just celebrated its 18th anniversary. The studio also features a great specialty coffee and tea bar that serves light desserts, as well. 

You Do The Dishes is a great spot for birthday parties for all ages, wedding showers and even business “team building.” 

Cindy says that the studio started as an idea from her daughter Julie, who was visiting Miami with a friend and went to a similar studio on South Beach. The two left discouraged that the studio didn’t ship finished pieces of pottery, since they take a few days to dry.

“On the way back to Tampa, they got to brainstorming about how they’d do it, and how it would be better,” Cindy explains. The idea of shipping for out-of-towners who were visiting and adding a coffee bar were tossed around. 

“It started as a dream and evolved from there,” Cindy says. “We knew we had to do it before someone else did.”

For a flat rate of $8 (which includes materials, although prices are lower during different specials) per hour, patrons get to create their own works of art in an intimate environment.

“You come in and the pottery is white and ready to paint,” Cindy says. “You get to paint it however you’d like. Then we glaze it and fire it. When it comes out of the kiln, it’s just like a regular dish.” 

She continues, “We have all kinds of tools to help you — stamps, stencils, sponges, tape and more. We also have a lot of samples to look at, as well as people who will help you one-on-one with different techniques. You can come in and take your time. The pieces make unique gifts, too, because they can be personalized and then actually used.”

Pieces range from traditional cups, plates and bowls to more versatile offerings that even can be used as different storage containers. Salt & pepper shakers, business card holders, lawn gnomes… if you can name it, you can probably paint it.

“We’re always trying to get new pieces in,” Cindy says, adding that most finished pieces can be picked up within 24-48 hours.

Summer Art Workshops

In addition to regular pottery painting, You Do The Dishes also offers several options for summer camps to give your kids a break from the heat outside — and from the TV or computer screen — as well as a great way for them to flex their creative muscles. 

You Do The Dishes marketing director & art educator Herb Pinder, who says he used to come to the studio as a patron, teaches the summer classes. A Wesley Chapel resident, Herb says that he used to spend a lot of time in South Tampa selling his own artwork, but would stop at the studio to grab a cup of coffee and relax on his way home. He started as the studio’s bookkeeper and then began teaching classes.

“The whole idea behind the summer camps is to expose the kids to different artistic media,” Herb explains. “They all like pottery painting, but we try to show them watercolors, drawing, soft pastels and clay sculptures, too, so that they can get exposed to all of those media.”

Herb says that he has been an artist all of his life, but decided not to pursue a degree in it because he didn’t want anyone else’s influence or style to shape his own artistic style, even going so far as to turn down an art scholarship. But, he says that he later went back to school and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and then at the University of South Florida, where he discovered his love of printmaking.

Herb says that many of the kids who were first introduced to art during You Do The Dishes summer camps also have gone on to study art in college.

“They’ll come in after graduating from an art school and you’ll just barely recognize them because it’s been so long,” Herb explains. “But then, they start telling you their stories about being in school in Brooklyn. That’s my whole purpose. Each year, I try to make (the workshops) more intriguing. You can see the kids’ artistic appetites grow.”

Herb adds that during camp, he’ll explain each artistic medium, demonstrate it and then let the kids apply it. 

Summer Art Workshops cost $245 per week (includes all materials), are offered for children ages 7-13 and run June 15-19 & 22-26, July 6-10 & 20-24 and August 3-7. Workshops fill up fast, so get your child registered today at YouDoTheDishes.com.

Special Days, Special Rates

In addition to Summer Workshops for kids, the studio also offers special rates for holidays and on different nights each week. For example, Monday is “Ladies Night,” with a $6 per hour flat rate from 7 p.m.-10 p.m.; Tuesdays only cost $6 between 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. On Wednesdays, seniors 55 or older pay just $6. Thursday is “College Night” with $6 flat rates for students with valid IDs between 7 p.m.–10 p.m. On Fridays, kids ages 13 and under paint for $4 per hour after 5 p.m. If you bring a friend on Saturday after 5 p.m., you both paint for just $4 per hour. Plus, the first Saturday of each month is “Midnight Madness,” when  the studio is open an extra two hours. You Do The Dishes also always offers a Military discount (with ID) of a $6 flat rate.

“The best part is the people,” Cindy says. “For me, this is an extension of my house. I want people to feel comfortable. I keep it clean and friendly. It’s my home away from home. What’s special about the business is that you can take your kids to a movie and you sit there and stare at a screen. Here you can actually interact. That’s hard these days with all of this technology. You can come here and put it to the side.”

That’s just what Mia and her mother Dee did for Mother’s Day, even though they were celebrating a day after the “official”  holiday.

“It’s my first time and I’m having a blast,” Dee says, while painting a ceramic butterfly. “It’s so relaxing. We actually get to spend some one-on-one time together.”

You Do The Dishes is located at 15357 Amberly Dr. and is open Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m., and 1 p.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, see the ad on page 54, call 975-1700, visit YouDoTheDishes.com or check the studio out on Facebook.com.