The Paint Bar
The Paint Bar is a women-owned digital painting-instruction business offering beginner acrylic video tutorials via subscription and one-time purchase, plus virtual and in-person corporate team-building painting events with worldwide supply-kit shipping, serving busy women, families, and corporate teams.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersNewton, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The Paint Bar does
The Paint Bar is a women-owned small business (1-10 employees) founded circa 2011-2013 in Newton, Massachusetts, by mother-daughter co-founders Jill Kerner Schon (graphic designer) and Jackie Schon (BFA, Washington University in St. Louis). The company operates in the beginner painting-instruction and creative-experience market, serving three customer segments: individual consumers (primarily busy women seeking a low-friction creative outlet), families with children, and corporate teams seeking team-building experiences. Originally a brick-and-mortar "paint and sip" studio operator, the company transitioned in 2023 to a digital-first model and no longer runs physical studios.
The core product is a library of step-by-step acrylic painting video tutorials (typically 60-90 minutes) engineered for beginners, with pause/rewind self-pacing, printable scalable templates that remove the need for drawing skills, and simple supply lists. Tutorials are hosted and monetized through Kajabi, a third-party creator-commerce platform, integrated into a Squarespace-built website. The corporate line delivers canvas, mural, wine-glass, and watercolor painting events in virtual, in-person, and hybrid formats, supported by individually packed supply kits shipped worldwide from the company's studio. There is no proprietary software, API, SDK, or in-house technology stack; the offering rests on content (the tutorial catalog and event facilitation) delivered over off-the-shelf platforms.
Revenue mechanics span three streams: recurring subscriptions (Monthly Membership and a 3-month Summer Pass with new monthly content and cancel-anytime terms), one-time digital tutorial purchases ($12-$27, with a free "Blush Roses" tutorial as a freemium funnel entry and bundles such as a $27 Mother's Day pack), and quote-based corporate events (minimum 10 participants, non-refundable deposit, teams of 5 to 5,000+). Go-to-market is product-led and direct-to-consumer for tutorials—self-serve e-commerce driven by website content, email newsletter, organic social, and testimonials—and inquiry/quote direct sales for corporate events. The company cites 1,000+ corporate events delivered over 13+ years and references Amazon in a customer testimonial.
The Paint Bar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Paint Bar
- Website
- https://thepaintbar.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Paint Bar is a women-owned digital painting-instruction business offering beginner acrylic video tutorials via subscription and one-time purchase, plus virtual and in-person corporate team-building painting events with worldwide supply-kit shipping, serving busy women, families, and corporate teams.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Paint Bar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Art Education and Creative Workshops
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA)
Keywords
Where The Paint Bar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Newton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
The Paint Bar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Monthly Membership Subscription: Recurring monthly subscription providing access to new paintings every month, family-friendly tutorials, with cancel anytime flexibility.
- Individual Tutorial Purchases: One-time purchase of individual painting tutorials at various price points ($12-$27 per tutorial), with instant digital access.
- Corporate Events: Custom team-building painting events offered virtually or in-person at client locations. Pricing varies by group size and event type. Minimum 10 people required.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Summer Pass - 3 month access |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Membership |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Mother's Day Bundle |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual Tutorial Purchase |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Tutorial |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Paint Bar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Paint Bar sells step-by-step acrylic painting video tutorials directly to individual consumers and families via a Kajabi-powered storefront, offered as one-off purchases, a 3-month Summer Pass, and a recurring Monthly Membership. For corporate clients, it delivers in-person, virtual, and hybrid team-building painting events (canvas, mural, wine glass, and watercolor formats) with individually packed supply kits shipped worldwide.
Product overview
The Paint Bar is a digital learning platform offering step-by-step video painting tutorials for beginners. The core offering consists of individual tutorial purchases (acrylic painting tutorials with instant access), supplemented by subscription tiers including a Summer Pass (3-month seasonal access) and Monthly Membership. Individual tutorials cover themes including spring floral, seasonal, and nature subjects. For corporate clients, the company offers team-building painting events in four formats: Canvas Painting, Canvas Mural Painting, Wine Glass Painting, and Watercolor Painting—available in-person, virtual, or hybrid formats with worldwide kit shipping.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Painting Tutorials
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1,000 corporate painting events completed
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Paint Bar
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Paint Bar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Paint Bar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
The Paint Bar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Painting with a Twist: Largest paint-and-sip franchise in the US with in-person studios, private events, and virtual offerings. Closest direct competitor to The Paint Bar — same beginner canvas instruction format, same wine-and-social positioning, and an overlapping corporate team-building value proposition.
- Pinot's Palette: National paint-and-sip studio chain offering step-by-step painting classes with wine plus private corporate events. Direct competitor serving the same beginner painting niche with a multi-city footprint and franchisee capital that The Paint Bar lacks.
- Wine & Design: Paint-and-sip franchise with both public studio classes and private corporate events. Overlaps with The Paint Bar in beginner-friendly painting instruction including virtual, in-person, and corporate team-building formats.
- Yaymaker: National paint-and-sip events operator (formerly Paint Nite) running virtual and in-person painting events for individuals and corporate clients. The closest direct competitor to The Paint Bar's digitally-pivoted, kit-shipped, beginner-friendly event model.
Broad incumbents
- Skillshare: Large online learning marketplace with thousands of creative classes including painting, illustration, and DIY. Overlaps with The Paint Bar's tutorial catalog but spans a much broader creator base at subscription pricing ($8-15/month).
- MasterClass: Premium online education platform featuring expert-led video courses across creative disciplines including painting. Overlaps with The Paint Bar's video-instruction format but at a much higher price point ($120-240/yr) and celebrity-instructor positioning.
Emerging players
- CreativeLive: Online creative education platform offering classes across photography, art, design, and craft taught by working professionals. Competes with The Paint Bar's beginner-friendly instructional videos in the visual arts vertical, with a broader creator roster.
- Outschool: Online learning marketplace for kids and adults with live, small-group enrichment classes across categories including visual art. Adjacent peer serving a similar family and casual-learner base through live, instructor-led, low-commitment formats.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Paint Bar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Paint Bar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Paint Bar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Paint Bar M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Paint Bar
What does The Paint Bar do?
The Paint Bar sells step-by-step acrylic painting video tutorials directly to individual consumers and families via a Kajabi-powered storefront, offered as one-off purchases, a 3-month Summer Pass, and a recurring Monthly Membership. For corporate clients, it delivers in-person, virtual, and hybrid team-building painting events (canvas, mural, wine glass, and watercolor formats) with individually packed supply kits shipped worldwide.
Is The Paint Bar a public or private company?
The Paint Bar is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Paint Bar founded?
The Paint Bar was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Paint Bar based?
The Paint Bar is headquartered in Newton, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Paint Bar make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Monthly Membership Subscription is the primary driver. The others are individual Tutorial Purchases and corporate Events.
Who are The Paint Bar's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Painting with a Twist, Pinot's Palette, Wine & Design and Yaymaker. Broad incumbents are Skillshare and MasterClass. Emerging players are CreativeLive and Outschool.
Does The Paint Bar have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Paint Bar.
What industry is The Paint Bar in?
The Paint Bar's product category is Art Education and Creative Workshops. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAGAA, Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration). Its SIC code is 7330.