Color Me Mine store to open at River Park Square

A franchise of an international paint-your-own-ceramics chain is about to open in River Park Square in downtown Spokane.

Color Me Mine has established about 100 locations in nine countries since it started in 1992. The stores offer about 500 different ceramic pieces, including dinnerware, figurines and tiles, that customers can hand-paint then have fired in the store’s kilns. A design computer also offers thousands of images for customers to choose from.

The 1,200-square-foot shop should open in mid-November on the mall’s second level, across from the Children’s Museum’s Creativity Clubhouse. The Clubhouse will close next month to make way for a temporary holiday-season retailer, said mall manager Bob Smith.

Color Me Mine owner Teresa Kato, who is originally from Coeur d’Alene, said she was looking for something new to do. After a career as a social worker in public schools, she had visited a paint-your-own pottery studio in Phoenix and become entranced with it. Researching the topic online, she found Color Me Mine and was sold.

“The Color Me Mine concept is a little different in that there’s a big educational aspect to it,” Kato said, explaining that art classes are offered as part of the business. “I’m not very artistic but I liked the idea that I could go in and feel creative.”

Kato went through two weeks of training at the California company’s corporate headquarters and landed the franchise rights for Spokane and Kootenai counties. She said the store will employ eight to 10 people, including her daughter, Kristen, as manager.

Ceramic items available to customers start at $5 and go beyond $30. Painting time costs $10 per day or $6 for those under age 12. Kato said she also will offer including ladies night, team night and date night specials.

The store will also have a “party room” available for bachelorette parties, children’s parties or other themes. Kato said she’ll also offer “to-go” parties, in which Color Me Mine will bring all the supplies to a school or back yard or church for a painting party.