By JACQUELINE DURETT
Correspondent
SOUTH AMBOY — A new business in town is making quite a splash — with a splash of color, that is.
Art studio Masterpiece Mixers opened in July at 104 N. Broadway, and it is already seeing quite a bit of success, according to co-owner Dennis Connors of Woodbridge.
Connors grew up in Sayreville and said his local roots have really paid off in getting support for the business.
“I didn’t think it would catch on this fast,” he said.
At the studio, people can paint on canvas, and soon they’ll be able to express themselves in other ways, such as painting on glass, wood cutouts and T-shirts.
The studio also holds painting parties where an instructor teaches the group a chosen painting. Everyone is set up with paint and canvas and has something to take home that day.
Connors said he hopes the business can help patrons see that “anyone can do anything if they put their minds to it.”
Connors, a recent college graduate and aspiring actor, said his sister, Tina Eckert, owns a franchise of the same business in Florida. He enjoyed attending events there and has also taken art classes. As such, after much deliberation he decided opening a Masterpiece Mixers close to home would be a great fit.
“[There were] a lot of points where we almost didn’t do it,” he said.
His timing paid off, he said, when his landlord-to-be informed him of the city’s imminent plans to launch an art district. Connors now serves on the arts district committee, a role that speaks to something he is focused on with his business — becoming part of the community.
Part of that focus is also helping organizations in need raise funds. Recent events have supported the Dowdell Library in South Amboy and Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in Sayreville. Fundraisers have been so successful, he said, that he unfortunately has had to turn away people at the door. Fifteen more fundraisers are planned before November.
“I’m excited to become entwined with the community,” he said.
Another element that has helped the business take off has been Connors’ promotion of the business on Facebook, which is how a lot of people have found out about them.
“I think that we really played our social media hand really well,” he said.
Connors said his aim is to provide a fun atmosphere that emphasizes “fun art, not fine art,” he said.
“People can bring their own drinks, we put on music, we dance. I get energized from being in front of people. I have so much fun with everyone who comes in the door,” he said.
Connors said the city has been especially helpful in assisting himself and his family — his mother is a co-owner and his brother assists — in taking the business from concept to reality.
City officials attended the grand opening, he said.
Connors said he is dreaming big and that could mean additional franchises in the area if the South Amboy location continues to be as successful as it has been. In the short term, however, he said he is especially enthusiastic about upcoming date nights and a special paint-your-pet event in October.
For more information and a calendar of events, visit www.mmsouthamboy.com or call 609-975-9463.
