Pinot and Picasso opening new studio in Targo St Bundaberg CBD

A popular franchise, which will offer Bundy residents a new and exciting experience, is almost open. See what’s moving into Targo Street.

It’s a popular option for birthdays, hens nights, an evening out with the girls or even just a change from the pub.

Studio like Pinot and Picasso have been popping up all around the state and a new local space will soon be canvassed right in the Bundy CBD.

The door will open in Targo St, between the Central Hotel and Stormers Sports Apparel and Giftware, next month.

Chris Haggarty and his wife Louise are bringing the experience to the Rum City and the bookings are already coming in.

The couple already have a studio in Toowoomba which opened in May and, after a visit to the Bundaberg region, they thought it was the perfect place to set up shop.

Chris Haggarty and his wife Louise opened their first Pinot and Picasso studio in Toowoomba in May this year.

“It (painting and sipping) is a really popular thing and it’s something different, there’s nothing wrong with going to the pub on a Friday night or a Saturday night, but it’s just something different for people to do,” Mr Haggarty said.

“Our main demographic is women, but that doesn’t mean the guys don’t come along as well.

“It’s a really wholesome and fun experience, I haven’t seen anyone leave having a bad time.”

The inspiration to open their own studios came after giving the experience of painting while sipping on wine a go themselves earlier this year.

The Pinot and Picasso franchise was started by two men in Penrith a few years ago and their studios have been popping up around the country.

“We went to a Pinot and Picasso session in Ipswich in February and Louise absolutely loved it and thought it was really cool, so we thought let’s find our a bit more about it and a few months later we had a our Toowoomba studio open,” he said.

“Like any new business you’re a bit nervous but it’s been so well received and such a great experience.

Chris and his wife Louise were inspired to open their own Pinot and Picasso studios after attending one themselves earlier this year.

“In most lines of work sometimes you have to deal with some unhappy customers or people who are a bit unhappy, but we literally haven’t had to deal with any of that so we thought ‘yep this is for us’.

“We decided we’d open a second studio, so we looked around and visited Bundaberg and thought ‘wow this is amazing’ and decided to open up there and split our time between Toowoomba and Bundaberg so a bit of time in the country and then a bit of time by the beach.”

Keen attendees get to choose the artwork they want to do on the Pinot and Picasso website, with a different artwork for each session.

Sessions are BYO drinks and also have the option of grazing platters for purchase.

While a large portion of the Pinot and Picasso demographic are women, men are also encouraged to give it a go, with group booking available for events such as birthdays, hens nights and work functions.

Mr Haggart said their Bundaberg studio would have a space for individual bookings and another for private group bookings.

He said the experience was popular for birthday parties, hens nights and even Christmas or work functions.

“Some people even come just to meet new people,” he said.

“It’s BYO drinks, so it doesn’t have to be pinot but we have fridges and the glassware and you can order a grazing box or bring your own, it’s as sophisticated or unsophisticated as you’d like it to be.

“We do a paint your pooch session where people send in a picture of their dog or their cat, we had someone recently bring in a photo of their calf as well, and our artists draw the picture before you arrive to paint it.”

To find out more about Pinot and Picasso Bundaberg visit their website or find them on Facebook.