HOW often have you invested in the materials needed to paint yourself a set of wine glasses, fashion co-ordinated cushions for the living room or create personalised, handmade cards - and have no use for all that expensive stuff after the goal is accomplished? Arden Williams is one such hands-on person who looked at her enormous personal pile of custom-ordered craft equipment - and saw a business opportunity.
She figured, and rightly, that there's a market for adults seeking to unwind while doing something creative, just have fun as a group with craft-based activities, or explore their personal artistic potential.
And so Creative Escape was born in January this year. Situated on the second floor of a 2,000 sq ft River Valley Road shophouse, it is designed as a row of interconnected rooms, each dedicated to a particular craft. Painted with cheerful apple-green and periwinkle-blue walls, it is filled with the stuff that your creative D-I-Y dreams are made of. Industrious scrapbookers can keep alert with coffee, mellow pottery painters can order from a reasonably priced wine list from Italy and New Zealand - and with a certain amount of notice, finger foods or more elaborate snacks can be catered.
Creative Escape was set up by Ms Williams and her partner Ryan Marsden, an oil trader, with an investment of just over $100,000. Ms Williams is in charge of the creative inputs and day-to-day running. If you'd prefer to potter about doing pottery painting on your own, that is fine; however, Ms Williams does give instructions for most crafts like glass jewellery making, and calls in instructors for others like sewing. There's even a kiln at the back to bake things to perfection.
Ms Williams explains that 'our customers can craft at their own pace, all abilities are welcome - from complete beginners to the more advanced crafter.'
There are several packages ranging from $25 to $75 per person. A fun evening out at Creative Escape could be Escape Plan B ($75) that allows three hours and all the materials needed within a craft of your choice.
Wandering through the rooms, you tend to linger in the largest, dedicated to paper crafts. It's quite a draw, the row upon row of shelves stacked with papers of every colour and design; zany machines with names like cricut and xyron that cut out letters, make magnets or stickers, and everything you could possibly want in terms of embellishments, tools and books for inspiration.
In fact, this room houses the largest client base, those passionate about scrapbooking. 'The art of creating your own scrapbooks became popular in the States in the late 90s and is now a multi-million dollar business,' says Ms Williams. 'Even in Singapore, it's growing in popularity with blogs, online stores and digital scrapbooks, which we can print out. Customers here are very sophisticated and knowledgeable about the latest scrapbook trends.'
The response so far has been good, with bookings ranging from individual to corporate; Creative Escape has hosted everything from 'a group of girls starting their night out with us; a corporate booking from Baker & McKenzie.Wong & Leow; even a catered baby shower with each guest creating one panel of a baby quilt, with 200 helium balloons in attendance.'
Ms Williams is looking to expand the studio's programme in other ways; for example, she is exploring the idea of corporate team-building exercises, or day versions of 'cropping' getaways, the term for large conventions of scrapbookers.
Crafts are an expensive hobby, but fun to do, and almost a therapeutic necessity in today's virtual world. Creative Escape offers good options for craft-y commitment-phobes: those seeking a creative getaway without committing to the expense of just one particular craft.
Creative Escape, 306 River Valley Road,2nd floor; for details call 6732 4262, or visit www.creative-escape.com.sg
