Our friendly team offer tips and tricks on how to do it best, and then let them settle in for a good few hours to interact with their family and friends and switch off from the world. We think it’s a pretty wholesome, interactive experience.
What inspired you to buy the business?
So the business is 28 years old this year, and my wife and I are the fourth owners in that time. We’ve been in charge for the last three and a half years in Rosedale. The original owners started it in Takapuna back in 1998, and they had it for quite a long time.
Recently, especially post-Covid, there’s been a bit of a resurgence where people are looking for crafts and experiences rather than being online and doing things digitally.
My wife was looking for a hobby, and she saw the business had gone up for sale. We engaged with the previous owner, did our due diligence, and took a leap of faith.
Paint The Earth has a wide range of paintable ceramics, including dinnerware, novelty items and animals.
How has the business evolved since you took over?
At the time when we took it over, it was very kid-oriented, but we saw an opportunity to expand. Our vision when we took it over was to make it more grown-up. We still do the kids’ offering with parties and things, but we cater for a wider group now.
The studio itself is also far more professional. We’ve got a lot of stock and different ranges, as well as upgrades to our booking systems and the types of events we run. We’ve really leaned into adult birthday parties, private bookings, coporate events, ladies’ nights, all sorts of stuff.
As for the ceramics, we’ve always had a dinnerware range, including different types of plates and bowls, etc. We have expanded into a few more dish types, like platters and bigger feature bowls. We’ve also leaned more into ornaments and animals to give some variety to those coming in.
What has been the biggest challenge in taking on the business?
I think the biggest challenge up to now has been the growth we’ve experienced. There wasn’t a lot of investment from the previous owners, and then we changed a few things and it got quite busy.
We had to change our sales system and our booking system. There was originally a paper booking system, and that very quickly needed to change to allow more flexibility. The sales system has allowed for online bookings and payments, as well as gift vouchers, which we never had before, so that has made things much easier.
Finding the right staff that meets our needs as well has been a bit tough, so those sorts of growing pains that any small business has when they step up have been the biggest challenge.
Co-owner Blair Kelly said the studio was now catering to a wider clientele, including group events for businesses and adults.
Are there any pieces customers have made that stand out?
One of the specialties we do is baby hands and footprints. I think that is such a significant time in a family’s life, and that they can do a permanent memento is great. It’s a really economical option compared to some of the other baby-oriented mementos that are out there.
We’ve had other ones where we might have a grandparent’s hand print on first, then we’ll put a parent’s hand print, with the grandchild’s on top. It creates a really cool layering on the ceramic, and it’s something that can last a lifetime.
What would be your advice to a budding entrepreneur wanting to start/buy a business?
I think it would just be to commit and back yourself. Believe in what the product is and what you could offer in the market.
Also, just giving honest, reliable service with a quality product, that’s something from our experience we’ve really improved, and it’s paid off.
Do you have a small-business story you want to share? Send your pitches to tom.raynel@nzme.co.nz.
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.
Stay ahead with the latest market moves, corporate updates, and economic insights by subscribing to our Business newsletter – your essential weekly round-up of all the business news you need.