BETHLEHEM, Pa. — If you’ve gotten used to seeing brightly painted mugs, plates and fairy princesses in the big glass window of Color Me Mine at 25 E. Third St. over the past decade, seeing that big window and the shop's interior now empty is a bit of a shock.
But don’t go crying in your bowl of muddy water. The painting party isn’t over for the popular paint-your-own-pottery franchise. It’s just changing locations.
Owner Tara Nagabhyru is taking the fun a few miles away, to Suite 603 at Promenade Saucon Valley.
“Moving a store is kind of like moving a home. Timing doesn’t always match up perfectly..."Tara Nagabhyru, Color Me Mine franchise owner
“Our lease expired, and also, we were not using the space very efficiently,” said Nagabhyru, who commutes from Clinton, New Jersey.
“It was too big for us. We were not doing justice to the kind of space that we had. We needed only about 1,500-1,600 square feet. It was 5,000 feet. We definitely didn't need that.”
Utilities were too high, too, she said.
She said she hopes to reopen the new studio at the lifestyle center, where renovations are well underway, in early April, though is hesitant to commit to a date.
“Moving a store is kind of like moving a home," she said. "Timing doesn’t always match up perfectly. We need to do some buildout and take care of permits, et cetera."
Parties, parties, parties
The smaller, more efficient space sits right between the Great Greek Mediterranean Grill and Batch Microcreamery, across from the AMC movie theater.
It still will have plenty of room for 35-40 patrons, at minimum.
And birthday parties.
“We will still do parties in the new spot,” Nagabhyru said. “We love doing parties. We’ll absolutely continue to do them.”
The studio is a hot spot for kid parties as well as adult sip ‘n paints. Santa has even been known to stop in for a story or two at the holidays.
Color Me Mine also does events outside of the studio and can bring all the supplies needed for a team build, sorority gathering — even fundraisers for charity.
Nagabhyru first opened the paint party franchise at the Promenade in 2009. Six years and thousands of paint brushes later, she moved everything to South Bethlehem when Home & Planet closed.
'A fresh new look'
Now it’s time to change things up again.
As much inventory as possible was sold, she said, discounted toward the end of the lease, and the rest was “very carefully packed and moved” by staff, including seven part-time associates.
“We’ve done it before,” Nagabhyru said. “And we ordered new pottery and will order every couple of weeks, as well.”
Also new will be the look of the studio. The interior of the Bethlehem studio was the old branding of color decided upon by Color Me Mine’s corporate team in Los Angeles.
Although business is on hold, youth classes are still taking place, being held in Lincoln Leadership Academy Charter School in Allentown, and a few other places, until opening date is secured.Tara Nagabhyru
Things have changed.
“It will be a fresh new look,” she said.
Customers on the studio’s email list began getting notification of the closing in December. Updates continue to be emailed and social media posts aplenty about the new location, to keep patrons in the know.
Hours will be the same as the rest of the shops.
Although business is on hold, youth classes still are taking place, held in Lincoln Leadership Academy Charter School in Allentown, and a few other places, until opening date is secured.
It’s something Nagabhyru said she is anticipating.
“We’re so excited to be going back there,” she said. “I love what I do. I love this business. It’s given me everything of the best in 15 years.”
