Muse Paintbar, a venue that mixes socializing with painting lessons, is set to open in downtown White Plains next month.
Muse is in the late stages of construction on 84 Mamaroneck Ave., the former site of Cheeburger Cheeburger, said Stan Finch, founder and co-owner. There are several Muse locations throughout New England, including in West Hartford and Norwalk.
Finch said he saw strong interest in White Plains from doing market testing. He said the location is a good fit for the venue.
- Muse Paintbar in West Hartford.
“We like that area, Mamaroneck Avenue, with kind of all the hustle and bustle and bars and restaurants,” he said. “Our customers tend to either go eat or go out to bars before or after they come to one of our sessions ”“ so it just works well in that kind of area.”
Participants at Muse are guided through the painting process in 10 to 15 steps to create a piece, like their own “Starry Night,” to take home. The paint bar offers private events for kids, adults and co-workers as well as family painting days and public sessions in the evening.
Painting sessions last two to two and a half hours with a break included for painters to catch up, eat and drink. Finch said instructors talk about half the time, giving people time to socialize. The paint bar serves tapas-style food that people can eat while painting, like bruschetta, hummus platters and spinach and feta triangles.
Finch and his co-founder Vanessa Leigh, an artist and actress, opened their first location in Manchester, N.H., in 2012. He said he originally saw the concept in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
“We thought a business like this would be really fun to start and to run,” he said. He said the business also matched his retail experience and Leigh”™s artistic background.
A similar business, Paint Nite, is also active in Westchester. The business offers a similar experience to Muse”™s in existing bars, usually on an otherwise slow night.
Finch said a venue solely for painting creates a better experience because it is specifically built for that purpose. The approximately 3,000-square-foot space in White Plains will have a main studio with separate rooms for private events, so multiple events can be held simultaneously. There is a stage for the instructor to lead the class, and an assistant walks around helping painters.
“We like having our own locations so we can really invest and create the artistic vibe and optimize for this exact experience, as opposed to in bars you just kind of throw a few things together,” he said. “You may not be able to see the instructor the right way.”
He said Muse also provides a curated selection of beer and wine. A painting session typically costs $35, which provides a canvas, apron and painting supplies. Events for kids and families typically cost $29 per person, Finch said.
Finch said while people learn to paint in the class, it is not academic. New and experienced painters are welcome to stray from the instructions and use different colors or add their own creative elements, Finch said. People often tell him the experience is therapeutic.
“You can come in and you can get caught up in the painting, and for that two and a half hours you”™re not thinking about anything else other than just kind of perfecting your piece,” Finch said.
