Video by Ricky Kerr
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
From skating to painting, 810 Main, formerly White Chocolate, is now home to Paint the Towne, offering paint parties — and the owners want everyone to know, in the Hays house party tradition, the business is exclusively BYOB.
“We have two locations open in Wichita. This is our first location outside of Wichita,” said Carly Miller, co-owner of Paint the Towne and Hays resident.
The business will be something unique to Hays for both children and adults.
The concept is simple, get people together and paint pictures as a part of any type of celebration.
“You get a group of friends together, you come on in, pick a painting in advance and then our instructor walks you through that painting step by step,” Miller said.
With their guided parties, the venue can be more than just an experience, it can also save time and give a location outside of the home where children and adults can have fun.
“We provide aprons, paper towels, everything needed to complete the painting,” Miller said.
After the hour-long painting session, time is also provided afterward for celebration, such as cake for children’s events or adult beverages for adult events.
“So they have plenty of time for party, leave the mess and then you go home with the painting,” Miller said. “We’ve been looking in Hays for a while now, just waiting to see what was available, see what came up and then this spot opened up, so I felt like we really needed to get on it because this is a really great spot in downtown.”
The business also will cater to singles or couples who want to join others to paint the image of the night or can travel for large groups.
“We do field trips and off-site parties,” said Jessie Sterling, co-owner. “Anything where you have a larger group and it would be easier to come to you.”
Prices for off-site events start at $8 per person, adult parties in-store start at $25 per person with a minimum of 10 participants, and children’s parties start at $15, with a minimum of 6.
Open parties are $20 to $35, depending on the night.
The owners are excited to become a staple of downtown Hays.
“It’s a really neat area downtown here. I really like it,” Sterling said.
The business is set to open next week, with reservations available after Aug. 6 on their website and the first open class being held Tuesday.
More on the business can be found on their Facebook page or website.