Find your inner child at Paint a Pot

The sky was overcast on this particular Tuesday morning, making it a perfect day to spend inside. But the morning’s dull, gray clouds dissipated quickly, which meant beach time was still on. That didn’t stop families from crowding outside the shop doors of Paint a Pot in Beach Haven Gardens, where they waited for owner Amanda Klinger and the rest of her bubbly staff to shuffle them in at the 11 a.m. opening.

“We were here about six years ago,” said Alice Gardener, pointing to her daughter Christy Parmenter. “We came back and decided to make a memory. I still have my old dish at home, but these guys haven’t been here yet,” she added, motioning to the rest of the gang: Christy’s husband, Mike; Alice’s other daughter, Becky Todd, with her husband, Dan, and their children, Lily, 6, and Josiah, 4.

Photo by Kristin Blair

At 11 a.m. sharp, effervescent staff workers Dominique Natelli and Maddy Konyha led the awaiting crowd into the art room, where ceramic pots lined the walls with prices listed underneath them and paintbrushes and water bowls lay on tables, urging participants to get creative.

Prices range from $18 and up and include the time and use of the paint, brushes, stencils, stamps and sponges for one person. If two or more people would like to work on a shared pot, an additional $8 is charged per painter.

Paint a Pot carries more than 600 different pieces. The inventory is rotated throughout the year. The shop also provides nearly 100 colors to paint with.

“Dogs and cats don’t have to be black or brown. They can be pink with blue swirls or orange with purple polka dots!” reminded Konyha.

Once everyone had chosen their canvas, Natelli and Konyha resumed their skit, a demonstration they had to learn when they got the job. As cheerfully as possible, they told their customers what tools to use, including sponges instead of napkins (because they like trees!) for cleaning up mistakes and spills.

“If you have any other questions about mix-ups or mess-ups, feel free to ask. We’ve got tricks up our sleeves!” shouted Natelli.

The girls were thrilling. Their skit mimicked the act put on by the servers at The Show Place Ice Cream Parlor in Beach Haven, only without the singing and dancing – though it seemed if you asked them, they’d probably try belting out their best notes and busting out their finest moves.

“My shop does not hold classes. It’s different from other craft places,” said Klinger. “It’s a walk-in style. It runs like a restaurant, but we serve paint instead of food.”

Besides basic pottery skills, staff members also need to learn basic sign language so they can communicate with their boss. Klinger began to lose her hearing in the late ’90s, and many people wondered how she was going to run a business. Her answer? “Just as well as anyone else.”

Equipped with Fisher Price Magna Doodles for writing down questions and comments and a flashing light that notifies Klinger if the door opens or the phone rings, she’s got it all figured out.

“Having a disability isn’t a disability. It’s just a different way of living,” she explained.

Klinger opened Paint a Pot in 1999, after she walked into a similar craft shop in South Beach, Florida. She thought the idea would go over well on Long Beach Island. Fourteen years later, customers are still coming back to paint at her shop.

Klinger said she gets to watch families grow. Some people come in for a date and come back a few years later, married and with children. Other people come in year after year to stamp their children’s hands and feet on kitchen sets, which the kids can take with them to college.

Photo by Kristin Blair

“The best compliment I ever received was from a mom in North Jersey around the time of 9/11,” remembered Klinger. “She said she was scared and didn’t know where her friends were. So she got in the car and drove to the shop because she knew she could find her happy place here. I still get goose bumps when I think about it,” she said, lightly touching her arm.

“That’s what Paint a Pot is all about. We want you to forget about the crazy world, and just paint a pot. We want everyone to find their inner child, and finger-painting is cheap therapy!” she added with a laugh.

As families came and went, Klinger insisted I stay and paint a mug. She said it wasn’t just for kids; that many older people, for example, have come in and asked her to redraw their tattoos so they can paint them on their chosen ceramic pieces.

Obliging to the mug and choosing a few colors, I reluctantly remembered I wasn’t a very good artist. Allowing my inner child to shine through, I found a polka dot stencil. When Natelli caught me laboriously trying to paint the circles onto the mug, she suggested I trace them onto the mug first. The staff really does have all kinds of tricks up their sleeves!

Once painting awhile, I really got into the zone of things. I listened in on the conversations around me, but it was just background noise. Who knew painting circles could be so soothing!

When I finally finished my mug, holding it away from myself so I could see the entire breadth of its beauty, I waved my hands in the air – the staff’s preferred way of communicating – to let them know I was finished.

Klinger led me back to the firing room, where two giant kilns sat side by side. One was firing away at a scorching 1,800 degrees, while the other was cooling off at only 150 degrees. Opening the top to reveal a number of colorful ceramics carefully glazed by staff members, she told me that it was like waking up on Christmas morning.

“It’s a very cool place to work, and it’s so fun,” said Natelli, while handing me a pick-up sheet, which informed me I could get my mug that Friday after 6 p.m. “I’ve worked here for four years. You meet so many different people,” she added, smiling.

Painted merchandise can be picked up at a later date, after 6 p.m. If you’re leaving town, the finished products can also be mailed to your home for the cost of packaging and shipping.

Photo by Kristin Blair

Paint a Pot also holds many fundraisers. Dietz and Watson and Paint a Pot paired up for a barbeque and craft center for a breast cancer awareness event last month. Part of the proceeds went to Susan G.Komen for the Cure Central and South Jersey.

“Fingerpaint for Boobies” is a breast cancer awareness event held each summer for the past five years. It is dedicated to Klinger's two grandmothers, both of whom suffered from the disease. The event was held this year on Sunday, Aug. 5 from 11 a.m. to midnight.

“Keep Our Foundation Strong,” a fundraiser that benefits the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences in Loveladies, was held on Tuesday, Aug. 14 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fifteen percent of all proceeds went to LBIF, where Klinger works at painting, drawing and sculpturing during the off-season. Some of her work has been featured at the Polynesian Resort at Epcot in Walt Disney World.

If you’re interested in checking out the shop or browsing some of Klinger's personal artwork, feel free to stop in at 2807 Long Beach Boulevard, at 28th Street in Beach Haven Gardens. Make reservations at paintapotlbi@yahoo.com. The shop is open everyday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the summer months. Weekend hours and appointments are available during the fall and winter seasons. For more information, visit paintapotlbi.com.


This article was published in The Beachcomber.