THE CREATIVE souls of Manchester regularly enjoy wonderful, relaxing evenings at Manchester’s Board & Brush Creative Studio learning how to create signs as well as many other things from etched glass to charcuterie. The studio opened in February 2020, and while Board & Brush is a franchise, Pamela Posch and Lisa Ellison have made it their own with fun classes, good drinks, and a homey atmosphere.
What is most impressive is that both co-owners have full time jobs. They opened their shop after attending a similar class, deciding that it was an important addition to the town.
“[We] decided we can do this, and Manchester needs something like this,” Posch said. “Just having some place like that in Manchester for people to go to and do things has been a huge benefit because there’s not anything else like that here.”
Along with the basic and specialty classes, Board & Brush offers a location for private parties, business parties, bachelorette parties, and birthday parties with entertaining activities and very little cleanup. With so many options, the business has been going nonstop – even in the beginning, during COVID-19. The result was a very busy schedule keeping track of each of their three kids on top of two jobs.
“Balancing that family and work and then a full-time job, has probably been the biggest challenge,” Posch said. Both co-owners have worked incredibly hard to make their business available for the Manchester community and doing that involved a lot of cooperation.
“Lisa has her strengths, and I have my strengths,” Posch said. “I’m the dreamer, and she’s kind of what keeps me grounded – but that grounded person also needs somebody to push them out of their comfort zone.
Unfortunately, many in Manchester mistakenly think the studio is a pet groomer – instead of understanding the uniqueness of the business. The closest similar businesses are in Murfreesboro and Chattanooga. Like those studios, creating at Board & Brush involves more than just painting a pre-made project or even simply assembling from a kit. The workshops teach how to distress the raw wood, stain it, paint it, and stencil it as well.
“[We] walk through the whole process,” Posch said. “It’s kind of like… a night out without having to go too far.”
“A night out” often involves food and drinks brought in by the customers, and everyone goes home with a beautiful project. The work and activities that go on in the Board & Brush Studio have been so attractive that several customers have come back – to be employees. Who wouldn’t, when the job is to create and help others create? Posch and Ellison also love being at the studio, often going to work on days when the business is closed. Their love echoes what many of the customers feel after a workshop.
“It’s like a stress relief,” Posch said. “We have so much fun up there [that] it’s hard not to want to be there every day.” GN
