JUST walking through the door of “Color Me Mine,” the latest addition to grace Tahlia Street’s Coral Mall, one can easily see why so many kids have been flocking to the US-based franchise in Jeddah.
Open for only the past six months, the paint-your-own-pottery studio has already become the hot, new place for families to spend some quality time. Perhaps one of the best-kept secrets about the new attraction is that one of the primary objectives is to get parents into the fun.
Rola Badkook, master franchiser of Color Me Mine in Saudi Arabia, took Arab News on a tour and told us exactly why she decided on the paint-your-own-pottery studio as the prime choice for her business venture.
“From my point of view everything is special about this franchise concept, especially the fact that it is family-oriented and engages all members of the family in a relaxing and exciting atmosphere,” she said.
Badkook added that the difference between her facility and other entertainment options offered in the Kingdom is that her studio not only gives children a chance to be creative and paint a piece of pottery but also allows for collaboration and a chance to strengthen the child-parent bond. Color Me Mine also provides participants with a keepsake that serves as a reminder of the time shared for years to come.
“I feel that while parents are waiting on the sidelines of amusement parks or other kids attractions, watching children play or dropping them off to do other activities such as shopping, both parents and children are missing out on a time that could be a rewarding experience for them both,” she said.
Muhammad Al-Amri, six, told Arab News, “I painted a mug at Color Me Mine that I use to drink my milk from every morning.” His mother added that Muhammad had such a good time at Color Me Mine that he has asked on numerous occasions to go back and take his cousin along as well.
The newly launched studio offers a wide range of activities, including birthday painting party packages, and offers kids the chance to create their own invitations on the Color Me Mine website. The party package can also be turned into a family affair as a bridal and baby shower, reunion, or housewarming event.
The studio also has days for “Paint Me a Story for Mommy and Me,” which allows both parents and kids to listen to a story and then enjoy painting one of the characters from the tale.
Another fun idea is to host fundraisers like the Great Tile Wall, which can be useful in getting the community involved in a fun project and raise money for a useful cause. Each person willing to contribute purchases a plain white tile, which can be painted and constructed together with other contributor’s tiles to create a beautiful and lasting wall mural.
Color Me Mine has also been active in organizing a number of events such as the International Days for Special Needs, Eid celebrations and some Parties-to-Go for clients, who prefer to spend a holiday at home.
According to Badkook, the franchise is already planning to expand to other cities and regions in the Kingdom. “Hopefully, following the continued success of our branch in Jeddah, over the next couple of years, we will then be open to sub-franchise our business in the Central and Eastern regions,” she said, adding that one of the best aspects of opening the business in Saudi Arabia was the receptiveness of Saudis in accepting new concepts.
She added that because of the receptiveness, educational projects can be an incredible option as a field trip for schools by introducing pupils to the use of their imaginations and creativity to learn an otherwise dry subject.
“This past Haj season, for example, we had Haj Camp where we took art from around the world and learned about 10 countries from five continents and spoke about their history, transportation, culture, and painted an art related piece for each country it was really a popular class, it’s just as Plato said, ‘Not by force shall the youth learn, but through play,’” she added.
For further information visit: www.saudiarabia.colormemine.com or call 02 2847447.
