New cafe with a difference has opened in Gainsborough

As well as enjoying a nice cup of tea and a piece of cake at Picasso Pottery Cafe, on Trinity Street, you can also paint your own piece of pottery to take home with you.

The café is a family business, run by Laney Rubin, who had been operating a mobile pottery painting business in Nottingham.

The family recently moved to Walkeringham and Laney decided to have a permanent base, choosing Gainsborough because “there is nothing like this in the area”.

Laney used to work as a social worker and teacher but decided she wanted to continue working with children, families and adults of all ages in a less stressful environment.

Picasso Pottery Cafe officially opened on Saturday, February 23.

Laney said: “The opening event went well. Families came in to paint and we were on hand to offer support.

“I used my grandchildren to cut the ribbon as our mini celebrities. We also had JJ, my youngest son, who is a model for Adidas, at the event.

“As we are a pottery painting café, families can paint an item, we then fire it in our kilns on site and families come along to collect their creations four to five days later.”

The cafe will also be hosting children’s parties, ladies nights, mother and baby mornings and community group bookings, in addition to baby hand and foot prints on plates, build a bear party, decoupage activities - the list of activities is endless.

They also provide food on the premises, so families are able to enjoy cakes, traditional and toasted sandwiches, teas and coffees, while the children enjoy an hour of therapeutic activity.

Laney said: “The adults are often more relaxed than the children.

“The minimum age for pottery painting is five-years-old, however we have asked that younger children are supervised by an adult, because the paints are expensive and they have little sense of understanding when asked to start with a little at a time.

“However we have had some very bright four-year-olds who have been able to sit for an hour meticulously painting away.

“We therefore do not want to restrict families coming out for an activity which takes them away from the electronics, and enables them to talk and enjoy an activity together.”

Prices start from £8 to paint an item and goes up to £18 for an adult item.

Laney said: “It is preferable to book, particularly on Saturdays, which are proving quite busy at the moment.

“We open two late nights, on Thursday and Friday, to enable children to come after school. And we will be holding two late nights on March 15 and 22, specifically for families to paint an item in time for Mother’s Day.”

Laney is already receiving positive feedbacks from her customers. One customer said: “The environment is so relaxing, we will definitely be back.”