The rain pelts down the sidewalk. Soaked people hurriedly walk past each other, cursing themselves for forgetting their umbrellas. But amidst this bleak scene is a warm light glowing from a window where people are working on projects, chatting and laughing. Through the rain, a neon sign in the window illuminates the words “Crafts Zone.”

Located in Coolidge Corner, Crafts Zone Studio is a place for everyone to explore their creative side. The studio is open everyday of the week and has almost 20 art forms to pick from with studio assistants to guide the crafting. It also hosts events, from children’s birthday parties to team-building outings for businesses. Since its opening in June 2022, Crafts Zone Studio has focused on creating a relaxing and fun environment for its customers.

Ye Tian, the general manager of Crafts Zone, said the idea for the business came out of his frustration with the lack of fun and relaxing date options Boston has in the winter time. He said that he hopes Crafts Zone Studio will provide a meaningful dating experience as couples learn about each other while creating something.

“In the general traditional way [of dating], you can only learn from each other by talking about things. But in the Crafts Zone you can also make something together,” Tian said. “You can work together and you can also have a chance to learn about each other’s personalities—whether they’re organized or have a sense of the art. You can tell all from the crafting process.”

One of these customers who came to Crafts Zone on a date is Minnie Tan, who is now an employee.
“It was pretty full at that time and there were only two staff members in the store. But I still had a great experience because they planned time well, and then and then they gave us instructions, step by step. They’re all nice. And that’s why I decided to come to work there,” Tan said.

Just like Tan, Krista Liu was also a customer before joining Crafts Zone as an employee. Liu said that for their events, the Crafts Zone takes time and careful thought into what crafts will be best for their customers. According to Liu, one of her most meaningful experiences at Crafts Zone was an event for people with disabilities, especially for those whom it is inconvenient to do the details in drawing or painting.

“Ye was very warm-hearted and he paid much more attention and care about their needs and finding their preferences and recommending an easy, but suiting craft. I remember that craft was making a DIY t-shirt,” Liu said. “A DIY t-shirt doesn’t need any drawing skill or painting. Instead, you’re just choosing from a range of stickers, but you are arranging those stickers as you want. So they all made T-shirts, and it was very heartwarming.”

According to Tian, no experience is required to come to Crafts Zone Studios; all people need to bring is their ideas, and they can stay for as much or as little time as they want. Tian said that one of his most memorable customers came to the store to paint a picture of her late cat. Although she was new to painting and sketching, they were able to help her execute her vision during a long, eight- hour session.

“She just wanted to use the time to have a good ending about this relationship with her cat because it’s really painful,” Tian said. “But after this eight-hour span she felt a stress release. And she also has a bag with her cat that can exist forever.”

Liu said that the Crafts Zone provides a unique experience for its wide range of customers.

“I noticed that many customers come to our store and their major or their job is very different from crafting. Sometimes they are an engineer or they work in a lab. So coming into our store provides them with a different way to see the world,” Liu said.

Tian said that they hope to reach a wider market and expand to more locations, but they remain concentrated on providing for their customers.

“We’re really focused on the internal working procedures to make sure all the customers have a good experience here because that’s going to be the most important thing,” Tian said. “The craft is just a pathway, but the final goal we want to provide to our customers is about the special experience and the memories here that you can create.”