Fired Up

I called this establishment to see what their hours were. The woman I spoke with said 9pm and she seemed hesitant but finally added in that they wanted to leave early. It was 5:30pm when I called –plenty of time to do a class. She made me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. I told her don’t worry about it and then she hung up on my face. Seems like I’m better off going somewhere else and I will! Glad I didn’t waste my time or money.

We went in there the Saturday before Thanksgiving and my daughter worked on a ceramic turkey and I was concerned it would not be ready before Thanksgiving.
I could not pick up my daughter’s Thanksgiving ceramic turkey despite promises and assurances that we would have it the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. This is the second time it happened in three years and I actually told the two women working there about the prior problem. i gave them my phone number and they assured me it would not happen again.
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving it was raining and going to possibly snow later on. I call them at 8:30 in the morning and left a message and again at 12 then I went to the shop at there and they never opened
So I had an eight-​year-​old girl crying for a half hour because they simply did not have the courtesy to call me on Tuesday or even Wednesday despite having my cell phone to make arrangements for me to pick up the turkey.

Went for the first time last night with 3 friends. Every third Friday they are open until midnight… essentially it is a ladies night where you can go with some friends, bring some food and drinks and have a blast. Reservations are required!
It is pretty small inside and every seat was taken upon our arrival at 8pm. There’s room for about 20 people in the main room, plus a private room in the back for larger groups. It was a little crowded trying to navigate around the room, but once settled in our seats, it was okay. There were like 3 – 4 staff there to answer questions and help out as needed. All were pleasant and available when we needed them. We stayed until after 11pm, it was so nice to go at our own pace and not be rushed.
We had a lovely time and even talked about going back in a few months. They offer a rewards program where you get a free studio fee ($ 8) after going there 7 or 8 times. Pieces take a week to be fired before they are ready to be picked up.

I’m here almost on a weekly basis. I have a mother with dementia and this is an activity we can do together that we both enjoy. Over time the staff has become like family and we love coming here. They have something for everyone and having been to many pottery painting shops, they’re prices are actually extremely affordable. Everyone is super friendly to us and we always have a great time.

I have been to Fired Up a good 4 times or so in the past year and each time I visit, I am more and more disappointed by their business. At this point, I will never go there or recommend their business EVER. The pottery is overpriced, the staff (especially the Jamaican woman) is rude to customers, they do not glaze the pottery so it is safe for use, and they refuse to honor the Living Social vouchers that promote their business to customers. In general, Fired Up is focused upon making money, rather than ensuring the satisfaction of their customers.
The first time I went to Fired Up, I enjoyed my experience immensely. The staff member I asked for help from was helpful, my platter was glazed properly for the most part, (there were a few heavy drops of glaze in parts), but overall it was a good experience. Since I’d enjoyed my first trip there, my boyfriend & I went to celebrate my birthday there. The employee working that day was extremely rude and literally rolled her eyes when we asked for help. We both said maybe she was having a bad day, but we were disappointed when we went back to discover that the mug that my boyfriend made was not glazed properly (which make it toxic to use). When we drove the 45 minutes back to the shop to have it re-​glazed, they still didn’t fix it correctly so he isn’t able to use it! While Fired Up claimed that it is not toxic to use, two other pottery studios said that Fired Up is wrong & that they are misinforming customers.
Unfortunately, by the time this all happened, I had already purchased Living Social vouchers to use for a girl’s night out, wherein you were able to purchase $ 50 of services for the cost of $ 25. Since Fired Up advertises private parties, I thought it would be the perfect occasion to use the voucher with friends, so I also encouraged them and my mother to buy vouchers. When I originally tried to set up a girl’s night with friends this summer to use these vouchers, I was told that vouchers could not be used for private parties. I was told that they could not accommodate our party that weekend, and that they would not provide an employee to stay open late during the week, because they would be losing money that way. Though I was surprised at first that Fired Up could not accommodate the reservation, I accepted their decision & called my girlfriends to set another date.
When I called back to make an appointment on a Saturday that was convenient for all to attend, I was told again could not accommodate the reservation, because they would be losing valuable customers. The associate explained that their business ends up losing money from the use of these vouchers and that they must keep open tables for walk-​ins in order to accrue money for their business. While I sympathize if that truly is the case, it is completely unprofessional and inappropriate for Fired Up to say that they are ‘booked solid’ when they are actually leaving space for walk-​in customers or anyone paying with a form other than the Living Social vouchers. Clearly, Fired Up decided to use Living Social to promote their business, yet later determined that the vouchers would not behoove their income. Any respectable company would still honor the vouchers and take this conclusion into consideration for future promotions. I have since tried on 2 other occasions to set a date in which we could use the vouchers. I was told again by both the owner and her assistant that their business was losing money when we tried to make appointments if we were to redeem the vouchers and that they did not have enough space to accommodate our party of four. In a studio that has two separate rooms and provides at least 6 tables for painting pottery, I find this very difficult to believe.
When calling again this evening to set up an appointment for this Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, I was told once again that they could not take the vouchers or take our reservation. I demanded to speak to the owner of the business, with the assumption that she was not aware that customers were being turned away when trying to use their Living Social vouchers. Yet, instead, she repeated that they lose business with the use of the vouchers.
As an alternative, she suggested two options that would enable me to use the vouchers, but to do so at an extra expense. The owner first suggested that our group go to the shop and each person could pick out a piece of pottery that we could take back to my house to paint. However, we would then be required to purchase both paint and paintbrushes, as well as travel 45 min to return to have the piece fired, & again to pick it up once it was fired.
The other alternative the owner offered was to use the vouchers to purchase pieces and return at a later date to paint the pieces and to have them fired. We would be charged the studio fee per person + tax & gratuity again (totaling $ 40 more). At this point, my friends and I are out of $ 125. What a waste! I would never ever recommend this business!

I went here on a Friday night and learned they were only open until 9 (bummer since it’s BYOB). We came in around 7:45 and went up to the counter. The lady working was very rude & annoyed that we got there so late. She did not help my group of 4 WHATSOEVER! We kept asking ideas, suggestions, etc. and she barely spoke. She yelled at us for asking too many questions & wouldn’t get up from her seat. The pottery itself was nice and we loved actually painting it; however, it’s a shame that such a terrible salesperson was working. I would love to go back, but only if this woman isn’t there!

I have been twice to Fired Up. Both times turned into really fun nights as I went with groups of friends. It was really neat to be able to BYOB and snacks. However… The pottery is very expensive and both times I went my pieces got messed up! Most recently when I went I painted a mug and a magnet. My mug came back with chipped paint (it must have been touching another piece in the kiln), a huge bump on the bottom that wasn’t there when I was painting, and when it was picked up they didn’t give me the magnet that I had paid extra for! Overall, fun night but don’t expect much from the pottery or staff.

I went here to make a bowl. The people are really friendly and laid back. They’re very willing to help you with ideas. There is a generally relaxed vibe in the place, which is nice for sitting there and painting quietly. I went during the week and it was calm and quiet. It might be a bit crazy when they’re having parties for the kids. There is a good selection of pieces to choose from, particularly if you’re looking for something simple to serve as more of a «blank canvas».
It takes about a week to get your ceramics back, which seemed reasonable to me. If you ask, they have some really cool «special» glazes you can use that are not out in the normal area.
Like practically every business on Main St. in Branford (it seems), the owner works there and spends a lot of time on the phone. But she at least paid attention when we needed something, so it was ok. Only reason it gets 4 stars is that the prices are a bit steep. It’s worth going if you’re interested in doing this. It can be fun.