Interview with Lisa Garbett, owner
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: I was an art teacher for a few years, and with school districts cutting the arts from their programs, it became difficult to keep a fulltime position. I had been to some of these paint-and-sip places with friends and they always said, “You should open a place like this!” So, around November of last year, I really began to give it some serious thought. Brighton really didn’t have much as far as entertainment went and everyone would leave Brighton for fun. I thought that was wrong. We have such a great town with such great history to it, why not create a place for people to come and have fun here? But my biggest question to myself was, how would I make my place different from all of the rest?
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: Having my art certification, it gave me such a wide range of media ability. I can teach so many different things. I can do the painting classes along with ceramic classes, where I can actually teach you how to build something out of clay, fire it for you and then have you come back and glaze it. I also plan on doing jewelry classes and some mixed-media classes. With this variety, I hope that I can keep you interested in coming back again and again.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: I love meeting new people. I also love hearing from people how they are not artistic at all, but after taking a class, they truly walk away feeling proud of what they have made. That is so rewarding to me.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: I don’t know if it is because I am so “right brained,” but it’s all of the business stuff that makes me anxious. But I am learning and I have some great people in my life who have been helping me and teaching me along the way. I know that in a year or so I’ll look back on this and laugh at how I fretted over that stuff, because by then it will be second nature.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: I have my beer and wine license, as well as a fabulous espresso machine. I am really trying to focus on offering Colorado beers and wines along with using a Colorado roaster for my espresso. I am also looking for vendors who have a rustic or industrial product that they are wanting to put out there for sale, but don’t have a space of their own to do so. I really love Colorado and want to represent it well. Plus, my building is in the historic downtown part of Brighton and we have the most beautiful building ever. You have to come in just to see it.
Profile
Business: Creative U
Address: 43 N. Main St, Brighton
Hours: 9 a.m.-5p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday
Founded: 2014
Contact: 303-654-0373,
Employees: 4
