Bryan Rowe
Alexandria resident Diane Greenbaum is planning to open an art studio for children called Kidcreate Studio.
Kidcreate Studio has art studios in nine states nationwide -- Virginia will be the 10th, and Alexandria will be the first location in Virginia. Greenbaum is still in the process of securing a lease for the Alexandria Kidcreate Studio.
When it opens, the company will offer camps, classes (group and private), workshops, birthday parties and special workshops for homeschooled children.
Several Kidcreate Studios across the country also offer art-to-go, where a studio brings art workshops to a community organization, school or park.
Greenbaum recently answered a few questions from Alexandria Living Magazine about the art studio. Kidcreate Studio Founder Lara Olson and President Brent Dowling also chimed in.
ALM: What inspired you to open a Kidcreate Studio in Alexandria?
Greenbaum: Kidcreate Studio offered an opportunity for me to connect more with my community and balance that family time I was missing while pursuing a corporate career. Over time I began to realize the ambitions I started my career with were no longer interesting to me and that jump-started the process of figuring out what was next. I come from a family of entrepreneurs so it may have just been a matter of time until I found the right business. But I also wanted something in the children's activities space because I found it so enriching with my 3-year-old son. It's a hot market in the DC metro because we parents are heavily invested in our children's success and willing to pay for those developmental activities that will help them excel. I'm excited to join the space.
ALM: Can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself, your work experience and where you grew up?
Greenbaum: I grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta. I went to UNC-Greensboro for undergrad, where I majored in performing arts and met my husband. Then a global MBA from UNC-Chapel Hill followed by a change management certification from Georgetown University. I started in sales and business development for a training provider in Cary, North Carolina. I was exposed to government contracting in that role, which is why I eventually moved to Northern Virginia in 2007 and continued my career in market research and business intelligence.
ALM: Where will the studio be located? Why did you choose the location?
Greenbaum: The studio will be in Alexandria and I am currently in lease negotiations to make that a reality. I chose it because it's my community. It's where I live, where I know people and businesses, and where I want to raise my son. There are like-minded parents here that want the same type of enriching growth opportunities for their children. So I know I'm in the right spot. And having a short commute doesn't hurt.
ALM: When will it open?
Greenbaum: Once we have a lease it will only few a few months until our grand opening. You can get updates by subscribing to the website www.kidcreatestudio.com/alexandria.
ALM: Do you have art instructors hired already? How do you find them and what are their backgrounds?
Greenbaum: Hiring will begin once the lease is signed and construction of the space is underway. I'm looking for people who love art and love kids. When I'm out and about I sometimes see someone that would be great and talk to them about it. Everyone is excited about the kids' art studio and is waiting for hiring to start. The KidCreate Studio brand offers great training so the team will be up and running quickly.
ALM: What will the hours be?
Greenbaum: Monday-Sunday during class times, by appointment or by chance. Birthday parties are popular for both Saturday and Sunday.
ALM: Can parents join their children in the classes?
Greenbaum: Yes. We have classes where the grownups join the kiddos ages 18 months to 3 years old. Older kids typically are dropped off but grownups are welcome to wait in the retail shop while their kids are having fun.
ALM: What is the cost?
Greenbaum: I'm currently putting together my pricing but you can expect it to be on par with other quality kids' activities in the area.
ALM: Will classes be drop-in or a set number?
Greenbaum: Both. Most families like to have a weekly class schedule and the studio offers a drop-in messy time where we have projects set up they can choose from, too. There will also be summer camps, no school day camps, and the occasional workshop. It makes for a great option when parents have to work through a school holiday. Some groups like to set up their own regular classes such as homeschool groups or scouts.
ALM: Is each class different every time or is it a set number of classes in one category?
Greenbaum: Generally, there is a theme for a set of classes. For example, if you wanted to sign up for the Storybook Art Weekly Class you would have 5 weeks of varying art materials and storybook characters that your little one would create. For older kiddos, an example might be the Masters in Clay Weekly Class inspired by art created by Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Edward Munch, and Claes Oldenburg. Kids will recreate famous works of art like Monet’s Water Lilies, Munch’s The Scream, Oldenburg’s Spoonbridge and Cherry and many others, all in clay over a session of classes. Workshops, summer camps, and no school day camps work in a similar way just more condensed having multiple projects in a day given there's more time to let them create their art.
From Lara Olson:
ALM: Has the concept of Kidcreate Studio changed at all since it began?
Olson: The general concept hasn't changed much over the years but we have worked very hard perfecting it. In particular, we've put in a lot of effort to developing curriculum that excited both the parents and the kids. We have also streamlined a lot of our processes and we are defiantly utilizing technology more so now than ever before when it comes to automating a lot of the marketing we do and a lot of the day to day tasks.
ALM: What are you finding to be some of the most popular art projects across the board?
Olson: Slime and unicorns!! The kids can't seem to get enough of either of those two themes. And to combine those two ideas together, even better! Unicorn Slime is our top birthday party project right now!! We've been making slime with the kids ever since we opened our first location 12 years ago. Apparently, we were ahead of the times on that one :)
ALM: Is there a certain age group that seems to gravitate to Kidcreate more than others?
Olson: We offer classes for 4-9-year-olds that is very popular age range for us. We refer to that age range as "Sibling Age Range" because parents love to be able to drop off all of their kids at one activity at the same time.
ALM: Are parents generally encouraged to drop off their children or stick around?
Olson: Once the kids are 3 years of age and potty trained we encourage the parents to drop the kids off. We really like to give parents the option of having some "me time".
ALM: Do the instructors come up with activities or are they given some direction from the company/franchise owner?
Olson: All of our curriculum is developed by our Director of Curriculum and supplied to our teachers and franchisees. Over the years we have developed a huge curriculum library that covers many different age ranges, themes, art techniques, and materials. I believe we have over 1000 lesson plans developed now!
ALM: Are all of the Kidcreate Studios the same?
Olson: Yes, for the most part, they are all alike. Each location my have a slightly different floor plan, but regardless of that, the studios all have the same design and overall feel to them.
ALM: Are all of the studios franchise-owned?
Olson: All but two of our studios are franchise-owned. We do have two corporately owned studios in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN market.
From Brent Dowling:
ALM: Do you see more possibilities for other Kidcreate Studios opening in Northern Virginia/the DC metro area?
Dowling: Absolutely. Virginia’s population has grown 6% since 2010, with a lot of younger families moving to the state. So the demand for concepts like Kidcreate Studio is strong. We are currently in the process of making a decision on awarding 5 more territories to a great family who want to bring the Kidcreate Magic to new cities across the state.
ALM: What does it take to start a franchise?
Dowling: With Kidcreate Studio, to be awarded a franchise you must first and foremost show that you love kids. You should want to be actively involved in your community by bringing kids new access to creative enrichment and enjoyment. Finally, you should have strong sales and networking skills. Financially, you should be comfortable in investing around $150K for your first studio/on-the-go business.
ALM: What kind of support do the franchise owners receive?
Dowling: Lara has put together an amazing support infrastructure to help Franchise Owners with all aspects of their business, from real-estate selection, construction management, initial training, marketing and ongoing operational assistance. We are a young franchise system and are trying to get better everyday in this realm. Our goal is to make sure our Franchise Owners feel well supported at every step and stage in running their business.
