By LOIS KINDLE
If you’re itching to do something fun and creative with family or friends, Board & Brush in Apollo Beach is the perfect place to do so.
Owned and operated by Waterset residents Kevin Boyd and his wife Julie, the Board & Brush design studio is at 1312 Apollo Beach Blvd., Suite O, in the same plaza as Alpha Pizza. It’s colorful, delightfully decorated and functionally designed, and its walls and corners are filled with examples of just some of the 800 projects Board & Brush offers. New designs are introduced every month, based on the season.
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Michael and Jasmine Verdecia, owners of the Healthy Spot, have participated in seven or eight workshops at Board & Brush Apollo Beach and are now considered VIP members.
Three to four times per week, the studio offers fun, do-it-yourself wood-based workshops for groups of four to 18; these include raw wood, all supplies and a staff member for every four to six participants. The staffer leads the event, provides instructional guidance and answers questions. Most workshops last three hours, and each has a flat fee. Free beverages are available.
“If you can dream it up out of wood, you can do it,” Boyd said, adding customers make everything from wooden signs, home décor and boxes to benches and porch planters. “The community has really come out and supported us. We’re really happy how things are going.”
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Members of the Crafty Connections monthly networking group, run by Jill Cherry, of the Cherry Picked Web Co., gather with co-owner Kevin Boyd, front left, after one of their monthly meetings at the Board and Brush design studio in Apollo Beach.
At Board & Brush, you can sign up for or arrange a wide array of workshops, private parties and networking events; holiday gatherings; birthday celebrations for kids ages 8 and older; corporate events; or fundraisers. There’s even the option of purchasing a take-home kit for $30 without paint and $35 with paint. You can choose from more than 100 designs, and the wood is pre-stained for you.
“It’s a great place for local small businesses to gather in a creative environment, share ideas and make something fun,” said Grease Monkey co-owner Melissa Canfield, a member of the Crafty Connections monthly networking group run by Jill Cherry, of the Cherry Picked Web Co.
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Here’s a sampling of colorful projects children can make in a family workshop at Board & Brush in Apollo Beach.
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The Board & Brush design studio is at 1312 Apollo Beach Blvd., Suite O, in the same plaza as Alpha Pizza. It’s colorful, delightfully decorated and functionally designed, and its walls and corners are filled with examples of just some of the 800 projects the place offers.
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The Boyd family gathers for a group photo at Board & Brush design studio in Apollo Beach. From left are co-owner Julie Boyd; her father, David Jones; and husband/co-owner, Kevin Boyd. In the front row are daughters Sydney, 4, and Samantha, 10. The studio opened Nov. 12, 2022.
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Board & Brush Apollo Beach co-owner Julie Boyd enjoys some quality time in the design studio with her daughters and a couple of their friends during a family workshop. Call 813-938-1541 to arrange one of your own.
Board & Brush serves Apollo Beach, Gibsonton, Riverview, Ruskin, Sun City Center and Wimauma. Among its upcoming workshops is an on-site cornhole class from 5 to 9 p.m., April 29. The cost for this special four-hour class is $225. Cornhole bags are an additional $25.
Registration closes 24 hours prior to starting time on all workshops for Boyd to have time to prep ahead. Credit card payments are accepted.
Founded by Julie Selby and based in Heartland, Wis., Board and Brush has design studios in all 50 states, Canada and Japan.
The Apollo Beach franchise is No. 319.
For more information on Board & Brush in Apollo Beach or to pre-register for a themed workshop or any other offering, visit www.boardandbrush.com/apollobeach or call 813-938-1541.
You can also search for “Board & Brush, Apollo Beach” on Facebook or “boardandbrushapollobeachfl” on Instagram. On Tik Tok, search for “boardandbrushpollobeach/.”
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