Paint Happy exists to make people happy

Paint Happy’s colorful blue floors are enough to make someone smile when they step in the door. The artwork on the walls and the atmosphere add to the fun until you get to your table. The array of paints and the promise of taking something cool home makes Paint Happy feel like a place you need to visit often. They opened their new studio in Linwood in February. 

I asked Jamie Piazza, co-owner,  if she went to school for art. Laughing, she explained that she’s a chemical engineer. She found Paint Happy by chance. 

“My sister and I one day were invited to a bachelor party at a place called Paint Happy in Somers Point. We went there and had the best time. The owner was so sweet. We fell in love with the vibe. It was a chill vibe. We became frequent customers,” said Jamie.

Eventually Jamie and her sister, BrieAnna, went to a class with their aunt who knew the owner. They could hear the owner telling the aunt that she was going to sell the business. 

“My sister and I looked at each other and said ‘She’s selling it? Let’s buy it?’”

They bought the Somers Point business before moving to Linwood. 

“We offer everything from toddler up through adult. Right now, they are art classes and cartooning classes. Mainly acrylics and drawing are our main classes right now,” Jamie said.  

There’s also a Lego wall for the kids to play at. Paint Happy is all ages, but they’re focused on kid programs. 

“The membership is core to what we do. With that membership, which is a monthly membership like a dance studio and gym, kids can choose anything from painting to cartooning. On the weekends, we have an open studio for kids. They can paint, they can slime, they can tie dye. Those are free for members. If they’ve done more than their free allotment, they can get a discount,” said Jamie.

Paint Happy is expanding their slime activities. 

“I bought all of these safety goggles for kids and one of our rooms is going to become a slime lab. Parents like to come to us because 1) they can drop their kids off and the kids get crafty and creative and happy and then the parents pick them up and the mess is left with us. They can leave happy and go home,” Jamie said. 

They offer birthday parties too.

“Our birthday parties are a hit. We have DIY cupcake bar and cake options too,” said Jamie. 

They also offer adult classes. 

“We have Mommy’s Night Out where they do a wood sign or paint a wine glass. It’s a place for mom’s to get crafty. We have a craft club which is a membership on a sunday. We’re a mix of actual art classes for all different ages but we have events, public paint programs.” 

If you’re looking to paint something beachy, visit Paint Happy on Fridays. 

“On Fridays, the public comes in and you can bring a friend or table for four. It’s less of an art class and more of a fun event. We’re calling it “Nauti Nights” going forward. We have Wonderland, Ocean City lifeguard stand,Borgata, and Steel Pier,” Jamie said. 

During quarantine,  they offered a lot of to-go kits. 

“They were delivered happy, made with love. We put so much heart and soul into it. For the beach boxes, we tie a seashell on the outside with the taffeta. We try to make it beautiful and elegant and special.,” Jamie said. 

They have the capacity to hold in-person events as well as virtual ones. They’ll even come to your home. 

“We do mostly in person but also have virtual classes. We go on location; we’ll travel up to two hours away. We purchased a sprinter van so that we can go out and about and take our supplies with us. We’re installed into our new studio a live video feed.” 

Paint Happy is all about being happy. 

“It truly is our happy place. When I say our happy place, it’s for anyone who walks through that door. It’s our mission for people to be happy when they walk in and they’re happy until they leave,” said Jamie.