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Joann Snay's art studio, the Purple Paintbrush, opened for business on River Street in Manistee on Saturday.

The Purple Paintbrush, in Manistee, offers canvas painting parties, pottery painting, kids classes, crafts and more.

Alexis Kitchen tries her hand painting a Santa Claus figurine inside the Purple Paintbrush in Manistee on Saturday.

The Purple Paintbrush, in Manistee, offers canvas painting parties, pottery painting, kids classes, crafts and more.

The Purple Paintbrush, in Manistee, offers canvas painting parties, pottery painting, kids classes, crafts and more.

The Purple Paintbrush, in Manistee, offers canvas painting parties, pottery painting, kids classes, crafts and more.

The Purple Paintbrush, in Manistee, offers canvas painting parties, pottery painting, kids classes, crafts and more.

The Purple Paintbrush, in Manistee, offers canvas painting parties, pottery painting, kids classes, crafts and more.

Patrons of the Purple Paintbrush can purchase gift boxes with an ornament, paint and a brush.

MANISTEE — When Joann Snay won the Spark Manistee contest in 2020, she looked forward to opening up her do-it-yourself art studio.

Then the coronavirus pandemic started.

"COVID put a big kibosh on things," she said. "It definitely delayed me."

Her studio was delayed, but not halted, and on Saturday Snay finally opened the doors to her new studio: Purple Paintbrush.

"(The opening went) really well. I've had some painters come in," she said. "I've got a gift certificate special that I've been doing with a drawing, so they could win one of those vintage light-up trees, which is something that people really like. It's been going really well. I'm glad I was able to open on Small Business Saturday. There's a lot of foot traffic downtown."

Spark Manistee is a competition meant to encourage local entrepreneurs to open or expand their business. It’s a collaboration between the Manistee Downtown Development Authority, West Shore Bank and Little River Casino Resort. The winner of this “Shark Tank”-style competition receives $5,000 in cash, the chance to apply for a $5,000 DDA low-interest business loan, professional business services and additional support from the Michigan Small Business Development Center.

Born and raised in Manistee, Snay studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and slowly started working her way back to her home town.

"I lived in Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Muskegon. I worked in Muskegon for a while," she said. "I actually worked at the News Advocate for about nine months when I first moved back from college. I worked there and I worked at the Muskegon Chronicle in advertising design."

Eventually, Snay landed a gig as the general manager of a studio similar to the Purple Paintbrush, and she decided she wanted to bring that concept to Manistee.

"When I moved, I figured once I came up here I could maybe have a couple of classes here and there, and it just really took off," she said. "I was really, really busy."

For over four years, Snay ran Artful Creations, a traveling painting party business.

"I was a 100% traveling business. I did a lot with the Moose Club, I would have classes at Striketown and the Fillmore," she said. "I'd also travel out of Manistee and go up north to Honor and Benzie and a few places. I've gotten some people that have been coming for almost four and a half years of doing that in Manistee."

Snay said she loved the traveling painting parties, but wanted to open up a studio.

"I was like, 'Man, it'd be really nice to have my own place someday.' So very slowly I was working towards that," she said. "Obviously COVID really slowed me down — I would have been in here almost two years ago if it wasn't for COVID."

Snay has a husband, Ben, and two boys, Brady and Carson. Even opening up the studio was a family affair.

"My Aunt Karen was here a lot helping me with things. She supplied a lot of the furniture and helped me paint it and gave me ideas," Snay said. "It was definitely a collaborative effort with the family. My dad helped me build the tables. It was really good."

Snay keeps busy with her family and art, but likes to venture out to the beach when the weather permits.

"I love going to the beach in the summer," she said. "I love to collect rocks and beach glass — I'm one of those people. I try to be at the beach as much as possible in the summer, but really I focus on my kids, my family and art."

The Purple Paintbrush is a canvas and pottery painting studio, but Snay has plans for crafts and other activities in the future.

"Right now I'm open for walk-in pottery painting. You can come in, just pick something off the shelf, paint it here.and leave with the finished piece," she said. "Otherwise, I do structured classes as well. I have my Wednesday night classes and I'm going to have some Friday night classes where it will be a canvas painting event where people sign up ahead of time and then come."

Snay said walk-ins are welcome.

"When I'm open, they can come in and bring a group in to paint," she said. "You don't have to have a reservation all the time."

For more information, visit @artfulcreationswithjoann on Facebook or call 231-747-9430.

I was born and raised in Manistee. I earned a bachelor's degree in English from Grand Valley State University. My hobbies include fishing, reading and playing music.