Cowboys and Angels

What’s a creative and quiet way to sit out the rain? Drop-​in Ceramic Painting @ Cowboys and Angels!
Nice toy and photo studio shop in Kerrisdale but the part I’ll be reviewing is the Drop-​in Ceramic Painting section.
You can freely choose from a wide range of white ceramic items starting at a price of $ 17, which includes the painting time, paint, and glazing and oven service. The items you can choose from range from cups to plates to coin banks to figurines of adorable animals to intricate steeping mugs and dragon statues. With an entire wall or ceramics, I’m sure there will be a ceramic that’s just calling for you to paint them.
Once you’ve chosen your ceramic, the employee explained that: you can sit down on the chairs and start painting on a table set with water-​based paints (so no need to dilute the paint with water!). You will generally need 3 – 4 layers of paint to get the colour to show up opaque but don’t over do the layer or else it’ll crack when it gets baked! There is a colour layer chart that will show you the end result of your paint if you need help figuring out the paint colours. Lots of brush sizes to choose from and a pleasant array of colours to let your imagination soar. Don’t be scared if the paint dries to a lighter different colour, once glazed and baked, the colours pop out. *See my before and after picture of my dog mug*
After we were happy with our layers of paint, we set it on a table to dry, paid for our item, and left our contact info and description of our product. About 4 business days later I received an email that my item was ready for pick up. It was wrapped up carefully in crêpe paper and put in a plastic bag with my name. The glazing on my mug was smooth, shiny and even with all the gorgeous colours and details coming alive! I was thoroughly satisfied and so happy with my mug. I can’t wait to sip my tea in my personally painted mug!
Overall, nice service and very pleased with my experience and end-​product. So drop some money on this drop-​in ceramic painting adventure!

If you are in the neighbor and need to buy a present for children, you can probably find something there. Lot of educational toys to choose from. However, it’s on the expensive side. If you live 5 km away, don’t bother.

I walked into the store and the first thing I heard was a little girl saying, «mommy I want that.» Who can blame her? The inner child in me wanted a lot of things in the store and now that I can’t use my nieces as an excuse to buy things for, I had the urge to indulge in my inner childhood, a vacation from the adult chaos.
This store specializes in 3 things without losing focus: It’s a pottery studio to make your own ceramic creations and paint. It’s a toy shop that focuses on kids creativity and is educational. In the back is a children’s photo studio with amazing prints.
The customer service wasn’t there, it wasn’t specifically what they said, however, I didn’t get the impression that they actually liked their job.

What a great little store it is! My daughter loves going in there. The owners are so friendly, polite and helpful. Great selection of toys, outfits and very good pricing too. Let’s all help our local businesses to stay in business.

LOVE LOVE this place! Our daughter had her 4^th birthday party here! It was great everyone had a fab time. I would definitely recommend this place to any artsy kids. We always have a wonderful time, this place never disappoints.
Their pain your own ceramic is great! My daughter looks forward in going all the time. Every time we drive by she asks if we can go in. Lots of neat stuff in this store.

This place is a kid’s paradise!
And since I’m a child at heart myself, I love going to this store. The toys selection is really large and of highest quality. They even have organic toys for babies! Creative games, art supplies, cars, lego, Thomas trains and set, bicycles, costumes, boardgames, puzzles… It’s only hard to choose!
They also have a small selection of clothes for babies and kids, Hatley boots and raincoats but also Toms shoes (a good thing that I have tiny feet)!
Cowboys & Angels is also a ceramics studio, you can just come by, pick a piece on their huge shelves and they set you at a table with everything you need to create a work of art. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ll definitely will!
As for the portrait studio, it’s in the back and looks really comfy, with couches and all… The portraits gallery over there is really nice, so I bet the photograph knows what he’s doing.
I never had any problem with the service, everybody is very nice and the atmosphere is friendly, warm and casual (this is a toy store after all)!

I wish I could give this business ZERO stars. This is an update to a previous review giving it 3 stars. Well, now I’ve had the misfortune of actually trying to deal with these people. My daughter attended a birthday party and at the end of the party the party leader took down all of our phone numbers so that when the ceramic pieces were finished (fired) they would give us a call and we could come and pick them up.
Well, 1 week goes by, 2 weeks, 3 weeks… so finally I call. The woman I spoke to couldn’t find the piece, nor could she find a record of the party. She actually questioned me as to whether there was a party… ummm…really? I definitely didn’t imagine the birthday party! She said sorry she couldn’t find it, but if she ever comes across it she’ll call me. Yeah, I’m not holding my breath. NEVER, EVER will I go near this place again and I’ve told all of my friends to avoid it… grrrr.

We had a great party at the Kerrisdale location. HOWEVER, I have a very very sour taste in my mouth. I will NEVER book a party, NEVER GIVE BUSINESS and/​or NEVER PROMOTE this store again.
The owner is very rude and does not want to listen to his customers. He only states his made up on the spot ‘policies’ and does not want to listen or work with you to come up with a solution.
Long story short, I booked a birthday party for August 7^th, 2011. I was told of the «$ 165 rate for up to 10 kids» which is also listed on their website. There was no mention of that being the flat rate and booking fee for the private room. Two weeks before the party, I called to clarify as we only had 7 kids confirmed. The girl who took the phone said it shouldn’t be a problem to bill $ 16.50 per child as they used to do it before. She took my number and said she’ll leave a message with the owner to confirm. Never received a call back, so 4 days before the party, I called and spoke to Jesse, the manager, to clarify the charges, and he said it would be no problem and see you on Sunday. There was no indication or mention that the $ 165 was a flat rate which included the private room.
To my surprise, I was billed $ 165 for the party… not per child as previously discussed. I was told by Katie our party host that $ 165 is a flat rate for the party. Katie even gave us an 8^th ceramic item to paint to commemorate the party. I paid the bill in good faith and was told to talk to Jesse for clarification.
When I picked up my pieces, Jesse was not in so, I spoke to Philip, the owner. Philip was very clear that is the owner and his decisions are final. The store policy that parties are $ 165 flat rate. He didn’t want to listen to my story or give me the time of day. In his anger, he told me, «I don’t like people like you who are trying to take advantage of my business!»
HELLO…aren’t you scamming the customer for not being upfront in the beginning and providing only 8 pieces but charging for 10? And why are you pre-​judging me without listening to all the facts!!! All I wanted was to come back to paint two $ 15 pieces to cover the difference I lost. I was NOT asking or wanting my money back.
Philip was clearly upset and walked away from me towards his upstairs studio. I followed him as now the issue became a matter of principle.
So, Philip called Jesse for clarification, who told me that it would be okay to allow me to come in and paint 2 pieces to make up the difference, but that the final decision would be Philip’s.
Philip then showed me his website to show me it is says «$ 165 for up to 10 kids». And when I mentioned, «it doesn’t say flat rate of $ 165 for up to 10 kids», he looked at me and said, «Doesn’t that mean the same thing»…insinuating that I’m stupid.
So, I told him, «That’s why I called to clarify and you never called me back and Jesse told me something different. That is why we are at this point. If I was told from the start, that it’s a flat rate and not given the impression that the price would be $ 16.50 per child, I would not be discussing this issue with him.»
So, Philip responded, walking away again from me, not making eye-​contact, «I can’t be bothered to argue with you for $ 15…so just go downstairs and paint your pieces.» Looking away, he pointed towards the door and said it again… shoo-​ing me away. He clearly did not want to deal with me and was more interested in his photos than to speak to me and my concerns.
For someone who owns and runs a business… where a recession is imminent, great customer service and resolution is important. He surely doesn’t know the stat… friends may tell 1 – 2 friends of a good experience BUT will be happy to tell 10 – 15 (or all) their friends bad experience. And people remember bad stories and also love to help spread the word.
All Philip had to say was, «I’m so sorry for the misunderstanding. The party rate is $ 165 which also includes the room rental. I will speak to my staff to make sure this doesn’t happen again.» If he just said that in the beginning, I would not be sitting here, taking time to write about my encounter.
I’m someone who always supports local and smaller businesses. I definitely will NOT be supporting this store anymore after this encounter. (And no, I did not go back to paint the other 2 pieces.)

Such a great store! A toy shop, portrait studio AND a ceramics studio?!
I felt like a kid just being in the store. Independently owned, they carry a vast selection of pretty cool toys. Dress up costumes, art supplies, train sets… I could go on and on.
There’s a paint your own ceramics area, in which one fee includes all the materials. Such a great concept.
A fun and nifty shop for those unique toys and gifts for children.
Love it.