BUSINESS
MASTER OF PLASTER
Tamara Peysakhov's arts and crafts store provides a
hands•on setting for birthday and painting parties.
AMY J. MEHLER
Staff Writer
T
■
Tamara Peysakhov
explains painting
procedures to
some of her
youngest
customers.
amara Peysakhov al-
ways wanted to own a
store like Fun with
Plaster. So last January, she
bought one.
Soon after Mrs.
Peysakhov, who is from the
Soviet Union, moved to
Detroit, she discovered a
store called Plaster
Playhouse. She and her
daughter, Julie, would go
and paint all kinds of ce-
ramic molds: lizards, human
faces, rainbows, ballet
slippers, and hearts with
arrows.
"It was a wonderful idea
and a lot of fun," Mrs.
Peysakhov said. "I thought
then that I'd like to have a
business like that. It was
something I knew I'd enjoy
doing for a living."
However, Mrs. Peysakhov,
who moved 12 years ago
from Baku with her husband
Isaac and two small chil-
dren, had home respon-
sibilities to meet before she
could realize such a dream.
Mrs. Peysakhov, who is a
musician by profession,
learned to speak English
and then retrained as a
dental technician, Mr.
Peysakhov, who managed a
store in the Soviet Union,
worked all sorts of jobs until
he bought a butcher store in
Pontiac.
"It's not part of the Soviet
culture to own your own
business," Mrs. Peysakhov
said. "It takes some time to
get used to. But I've found it
to be a wonderful and
rewarding experience."
Mrs. Peysakhov has spent
a lot of time asking ques-
tions and visiting similar
stores.
"I didn't know what runn-
ing this kind of business
would be like, so I asked
everyone I met how to go
about doing it. People were
kind enough to help me and
answer all my questions."
Fun with Plaster is part
merchandising and part arts
and crafts.
Customers may purchase
ceramic molds from $3.50 to
$30 or $40,-depending on the
size and design. Mrs.
Peysakhov gets her plaster
molds from a woman in
California. The largest vases
run for about $200. An addi-
tional $1 covers all paints,
drying and glazing.
Fun with Plaster, in West
Bloomfield, is open seven
days a week. It hosts child-
ren's birthday parties and re-
gular painting parties for any
age group. There's even a
ladies' night every Tuesday,
where women get together to
paint and schmooze over
cakes and coffee.
Smocks are provided free
of charge and are found next
to the rows of long tables
which are protected with
lengths of paper.
Amy Selik, 20, of Bloom-
field Hills, spends some of
her spare time at Fun with
Plaster.
"It's not just for kids," said
Ms. Selik, who's a senior at
Michigan State University.
"There are plenty of things
for adults to do in here.
Anyway, I just like to come
in here and relax and paint.
"The fact that it's a Soviet
Jewish business is a plus,"
she said. "I feel like I want
to give them the business."
Ms. Selik, who is majoring
in elementary school edu-
cation, said the noise from
busy children doesn't bother
her.
"I think that's part of the
fun, to be here in this kind of
atmosphere," she said.
"When you're concentrating
on your work, you can pretty
much block out everything
else."
Shelly Freedman, who is
also from Bloomfield Hills,
brought her three grandsons
17).
to the store.
m.
"They wanted to come
here instead of seeing the
0 movie Problem Child, Mrs.
Freedman said.
"This is like our 900th
time here," said Chad, who