New Restaurant, Art Studio Concept Coming to West End

A unique new business is coming to St. Louis Park's West End, combining a restaurant with the atmosphere of an art studio to create what owners refer to as "a paint a sip concept."

Owner David Forbes appeared before the St. Louis Park City Council last week for an on-sale wine and liquor license for the business, set to be known as Brush Studio. It will be located at 1651 Park Place Boulevard, in a 2,200-square-foot space inside the Shops at West End.

Forbes said the idea is for customers to come in an enjoy a meal from "a simple dinner menu of sandwiches," then spend the rest of the evening following step-by-step instructions from an artist to create an identical version of that night's work of art.

"It's not like the guy on PBS who talked in those really slow tones, it's fairly upbeat with lots of music," Forbes said. "The painting we do, an artist steps you through it, step-by-step."

Forbes estimates the entire painting process takes about 2.5 hours, with each customer then able to take home an identical acrylic on canvas painting at the end of the night.

"It's a lot of fun," he said. "Nobody leaves unhappy." 

Brush Studio will be housed in the annex of the Shops at West End, across from Phresh Spa Salon, near Hot Mama and Toby Keith's.

Forbes said he's worked with business associates to launch similar concepts in other markets, saying the first time he encountered something like this was at Canvas and Cocktails in Denver.

"I hadn't held a paintbrush since third grade," he joked. "But it walked out of it with a painting of the Golden Gate Bridge and hung it up on the wall."

Brush Studio also plans to hold daytime classes for kids on Saturday mornings, in addition to Sunday afternoon classes geared toward families. Corporate team-building versions will likely fill most weekdays, Forbes said.

The business will have seating capacity for 49 customers inside, with another 12 on an outdoor patio, according to a city staff report. Hours of operation are planned to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays—it will be closed on Mondays. 

Similar businesses in the Twin Cities metro include Cheers Pablo in Woodbury and the Paint Pub in Maple Grove.

Council members inquired about the business' ability to meet the city—and state's—60:40 liquor-to-food ratio, as the cost of painting would not be factored into that calculation.

"It's not an open bar where people are standing there," Forbes said. "It's usually one or two drinks while they're there for the 2.5 hours. The price of food far outweighs the price of drinks."

The council unanimously approved the restaurant's liquor license, with council members expressing excitement at the unique new business coming to town.

"I love the concept," Council member Anne Mavity said. "Having something new and interesting is just great for St. Louis Park."

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