Claytime Ceramics and Gifts

We just celebrated my daughters 5^th birthday party here. It was absolutely wonderful. The owner was super patient with me and all of my concerns and questions. The kids and adults had a wonderful time. I highly recommend coming here.

Went in there and there was no wait time at all. It could have been because we went on a Monday and we went in an hour before they closed but the owner was kind and took her time explaining everything to us. It was our first time there and I definitely plan to return!
Customer service was amazing! Owner of the shop (I’m assuming) was patient, gave us in detail what we needed to know, tips on our painted ceramics to make sure they came out better, and had self serve beverages. She was very informative and well stocked. She had different types of ceramics. I wanted to go home with more than one. She even told me about how she can do foot and hands prints for a baby! I’m pregnant right now so of course I got excited. I can wait to see my bundle of joy.
Location is easy to find and right by the beach!
I love how my mug came out. Don’t be afraid to stop by either! They have stencils and pictures to help get you started in case you can’t get ideas or don’t know how to draw (like me).
Prices are decent and not over priced! They accept debt/​credit cards but I would recommend to bring cash! Definitely give this place a try!

This review if for henna. Caroline is charming and sweet and runs a beautiful little shop — if you are looking for quick NONTRADITIONAL henna it’s a good place to go. I usually get traditional work done as a meditative practice and this experience wasn’t good for that. Don’t get me wrong — she does good work, just not my vibe! If you are looking for a traditional practice go to Anita at Hennasphere but anything else go to Caroline at Claytime!
I will be back to paint some ceramic in the future :)

Just had a beautiful henna tattoo on my hand by a very lovely person. This studio is so welcoming and has such a postive energy. Highly recommend for a creative afternoon, painting, mosaics and paint pottery. In addtion tothe hoghly skilled henna artist.

Set up an appointment for the pottery wheels. Caroline was very nice and helpful. Had a good experience and will definitely be back. Came here based on a reccomwndation and was not disappointed.

As a TV journalist I am always looking to tell a good story. I found such a story in Ocean Beach… at a very special place called Claytime Ceramics. Our six-​year-​old boy had such a great time at the summer camp this past year where he enjoyed arts and crafts and trips to the local tidal pools. The owner, Caroline, is such a loving and compassionate woman who obviously has a great love for children. This place is so special!
John Soderman
KUSI-​TV, San Diego

We brought our Brownie troop of 12 girls to Claytime to learn how to work with clay for their Ceramics badge. Caroline (the owner) and her assistant (Mona) patiently and expertly taught our girls how to roll out a clay plaque, form small shapes, and apply them to the clay plaque. We will return to glaze our creations and the girls are very excited to do so. Claytime is a beautiful space to work in with lots of inspiration.

This place is so great! I wanted to take the kids somewhere last minute and thought of this place. It was so much fun! We had a blast. The owner was so friendly and patient with my kids. She even took my baby to get ice cream down the street so me and my older son could finish up our pieces. I am so impressed! And I can’t wait to pick up our treasures!

Friday night wine and appetizers with my daughter was so much fun together. Wonderful place and the owner is an angel

This place is such a great place to meet friends and family or just go by yourself. It has such an unassuming character and the owner is so sweet. She has always been so helpful with my projects, I love coming here. My experience has always been positive and I would highly recommend this place to anyone, especially if you have the laid-​back sense that this neighborhood is known for!

I painted all my Christmas gifts this year, had a total blast doing so and amazed that I could spend 4 hours totally focused on simply painting and creating. It is one of my favorite pasttimes and everyone there is super friendly, totally helpful and so much fun!

Not sure why my previous review is being filtered, so I’m trying again… maybe because I rambled on too long about why I like it? Ahh, well! Like many of the regulars, I want to see this wonderful place succeed and not maligned by a person who basically insisted on her right to loiter inside the studio, (or an equally odd complaint that you can only use one color – which is just flat out wrong). My husband and I love Claytime, and we keep coming back for the fun artistic atmosphere, and the kind and patient owner, Carolyn… We’ve tried a few of these places, but Claytime is our favorite by a longshot!

Thank goodness for this wonderful business right in OB! My daughters (4 and 7) love to go and paint one of the many cool ceramic pieces — they usually pick animals or make a tile. We’ve made several gifts here (platters, serving bowls, mugs, picture frames) for relatives and teachers — the recipient LOVES getting something original and homemade, and the pieces are very affordable!
I also really like owner. She is so kind and accomodating, and creates a very pleasant, peaceful environment in her shop.
I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a fun activity to do with their kids, by themselves, or with a group of friends. Very cool!

Claytime Ceramics is one of my most favorite places in Ocean Beach to patronize. The owner is so sweet and helpful with any and all questions that I have. She goes out of her way to accommodate any of my request. I love the family atmosphere here. You feel right at home in this ceramic studio. I have never been disappointed in the service that I have received and it gives me so much pleasure to come and paint ceramics and visit with all of the other people. Friday nights are my favorite especially after a long week at work. I would definitely say this is my ZEN. I can sip on some wine (that I bring) and enjoy delicious appetizers that are provided by the lovely owner Caroline! I even had my birthday party there with my family and friends and it was a blast! Everyone enjoyed themselves and were all so happy with the end results of their pieces they painted. It wasn’t just an event it was a memory…
This is a great place for the whole family, friends, co-​workers, or just to go alone. You will for sure be welcomed! This place is great and I love it!

I love Claytime Ceramics and the owner Caroline is Awesome! I have been there several times and always have a great experience. I love the relaxed atmosphere, which is perfect for the OB neighborhood. I find the prices to be very reasonable and selection is great. Besides choosing pre-​made items to paint, I have also crafted custom pieces by hand and used the Potters Wheel. I Love It!

Do NOT support this business.
The management here is EXTREMELY rude and VERY unprofessional. There is a new ceramics place that opened a few miles away in Liberty Station that I would recommend going to instead.
I recently went to paint something nice for a family member and my friend came to sit and join me because it took me an entire 3 hours. There was absolutely noone in the place and the owner came up to her and insisted she paint something or pay her ten dollars. I had been coming for years and always had an issue with the woman, however this put me over the edge. NOWHERE in the place was this posted, and we were not disrupting anyone at all whatsoever. So after much dispute and being told she was not welcome in the shop any longer, my friend payed her the ten dollars for BREATHING THE WOMAN’S AIR!!!
I STRONGLY recommend choosing another place to paint ceramics to save yourself the frustration and lack of good customer service.

I used to love going here, but after my last experience, they are losing my business. A few days ago a friend and I went so she could make something for her mom. I did not paint anything; I sat next to her and helped her choose colors she was going to use and gave her my opinion on her project. There was hardly anyone else in the studio and there were more chairs open than were taken, so no one was waiting or needed my chair. The owner informed me of the «studio fee» of $ 10 if you are not doing your own project. I tried to talk to her about it, which resulted in her being EXTREMELY rude to me and saying she did not want me in her studio. I have heard some other negative stories involving the owner, and this was the last straw. I am very disappointed in the customer service and will find another place to go from now on.
Added note: To reply to the owner’s comment, we were not displaying ANY behavior that merited her treating us the way she did. It was a nice summer afternoon, and absolutely no foul language, drugs, or alcohol was involved.
Added note 2: This originally happened in July, and all I wanted to do was post a review of my experience so others would know about this, but the owner seems to want to continue to bring up the issue. Yes i did ask to see the written policy, but I was not rude about it at all; seeing the policy in writing is well within my rights as a customer. I would never shove my money in anyone’s face, especially someone who I did not believe I should give it to. I actually put it on the counter on top of the bill she gave me. I don’t believe the fee should apply to anyone who is helping a friend when NO ONE ELSE was sitting in the row of chairs that we were and there were 4 other people in the entire store. I understand a studio fee when you have people waiting to sit, of course that is fair. However, with the owner’s attitude and her nerve to talk to a customer the way she talked to me, I can’t imagine she would have a full studio too often. I was nice to the owner the entire time I was there and I tried to talk to her about why I didn’t agree with her policy, at which time she told me that I didn’t have to come back and she didn’t want someone like me there. I said okay and left, after paying her with the money I had saved for gas for my car. It is amazing to me how someone who does not even know me can insult my lack of character. I am clearly not lying, because multiple people have had bad experiences with the owner. I am sorry for her thinking that I was rude, but accusing me of lying and attacking my character crosses the line.

Expensive pieces. A bit run down. The owner is very helpful. However, my piece was supposed to be done on a certain day and when I went to pick it up, it was not ready. The owner said she called but I never received any calls. I will not go back here.

Came here for a birthday party. What a fun day! I’ve been to three other ceramic places and this is great regarding fun, convenience and affordability. I would definitely recommend!

There are places like this sprouting up in mini-​malls and suburban neighborhoods. And there’s a lot to like about the concept. Come in, paint some ceramics, and in a few days it’ll be glazed and yours to keep. What’s nice about this place, especially if you’re on a date, is you’ll have a unique memento to remember the occasion.
They also have a huge variety of things you can paint. Sure there are coffee mugs galore here, but there are also bowls, vases, figurines, a lot of unique ideas. If you’re tired of the whole movie date, this is a wonderful option.