BellaCrafts Winchester - Winchester

Nicola B.

Went for pottery painting with kids when our usual place was closed. The selection was extremely limited and the prices are HIGH per item. They don't fire them so pro you can take it straight home, con the paints stain everything and you don't get that nice glazed shiny finish. Can't help but think they are making things difficult by individually giving each person their colour requests rather than let people get their own so there was sometimes a wait for a paint you needed. However the staff were really nice, although obviously very busy. Drinks and cakes were delicious. Looks like they had soft play upstairs which could be great if you had small children too. They do offer a lot of different kinds of crafts, so another might have been better.

Matt R.

Excellent cafe to take young kids to. Can paint pottery, soft play and many other activities.

Tea B.

Came with a friend for her daughter’s birthday, and brought my 11mo baby along, it is currently half term in Winchester.

There is a large selection of crafts, which is “Help Yourself”. The prices are more expensive, but for rent prices in Winchester it must be done to keep the store going. The paint provided is poster paint, which is good for young children as it washes off quickly. I didn’t know about any other crafts, and due to my young baby I didn’t have the time to explore other options.

After going upstairs, that’s where it all went wrong. The soft play area is very unkept, and the majority of ‘blocks’ are quite filthy. It is not organised in a way that allows children to run around safely, as it is very cluttered. In the middle of the soft play area, there is a metal step which is exposed. The fencing surrounding the area is plastic and bending, which again isn’t very safe for small children.

The other toys in the area have also not been cleaned in recent days. There were dress up clothes covering the floor that everyone was walking across in their shoes, and children (quite clearly poorly) were coughing and wiping their snot over everything; this doesn’t reflect the store directly but does if they do not clean the area regularly.

I then took my child to wash their hands in the bathroom - another mistake! The basin is covered in thick brown skank, and the walls look stained. I felt that I had to wash my hands immediately on leaving the bathroom having touched the handle.

We went to go and pay for our products, and the till is situated next to their food preparation area. The smell of stagnant water was very overwhelming, and the walls, floor, and ingredients are covered in miscellaneous muck. The dishwasher was left open and clearly had not been thoroughly cleaned.

There is an element of frustration from my visit here, I so badly wanted to enjoy it freely as it came so recommended by others. I am very for supporting Winchester Independents, having worked in so many myself. But there comes a point where I have to step in and prioritise cleanliness before anything else. I didn’t have an opportunity to bring this up to any staff members, as the cafe was busy being midday. I hope that this can be rectified so I can have a good experience here in time to come.

For 23/02 - In response to your reply.

The condition of the soft play wouldn't have been possible to improve whilst open. I spent time making space available for the children to crawl, and tidying the toys/dress up away for floor access. I would not have 'just' left this for others even if they had left it this way. I said that I tried to notify a staff member, but was unable to any due to how busy it was.
This metal step was not covered by mats otherwise I would not have noticed it.
The materials were in need of deep cleaning and scrubbing, not just a wipe over with cleaning spray. I can see photos in others previous Google Reviews that show a lovely organised and clean soft play area [Dated Four Years ago].

You have called me unkind and incorrect, which is accusatory and unprofessional.

Your till system is next to your food prep area. There is an open doorway that connects the shop and kitchen to the craft area, and the till is placed here. This is an odd thing for me to lie about, and proves inconsistency and unreliability in your response.

Looking into this area, there are unwashed syrup bottles [crystallized sugar coating them] with the wall behind quite stained, and the skirting boards beneath your sink were dirty. I could tell your dishwasher was not cleaned due to the filth build up inside, your comment regarding this shows your ignorance. A stagnant water smell is caused by the uncleanliness of the kitchen space.

Supporting an independent business does not need to be overwhelmingly positive, and I provided insightful feedback as a first time customer. I felt providing this here better than social media. Due to your rude response, I do not think I will retry your establishment, and will suggest others not to either.

Lucy R.

Absolutely loved it here. We did the bunting workshop for my sister's hen do and it was super special. I'll be coming back here to do some more crafts!

Ellen J.

Cute coffee shop and craft centre. Perfect for kids of all ages. Only stopped myself for the coffee shop, and the cakes were good.

Natalie

It was ok - would be good fun for kids. But as an adult doing glass painting I was frustrated at the dried up glass paints and lack of colours available haha! Maybe the pottery painting is better. People next to us were doing jewellery making and that looked good.

Andy B.

Took my daughter and granddaughter there and went up to the play area. We had the area to ourselves which was nice. We had lunch which was quite nice. They have a craft shop downstairs with courses on different crafts which is a good idea. If your after places to take a 2 year then this is a good option to entertain and have a reasonably priced meal.

Eleanor B.

I enjoy taking my 1, 2 &3 year old here for the soft play upstairs. Its really easy parenting in an enclosed safe area with seating. The soft play is good and has a more wholesome feel, my kids also like the dressing up clothes. A bonus is not having to traipse around some massive soft play. The kids food us unpretentious, good value for money and largely healthy. The coffee and cakes are great too. Friendly staff. It's often quiet in the afternoons. The only thing I think they could improve is to have a baby change upstairs, even if it was just a mat and a bigger bin up there. They do have baby change facilities downstairs though