Hillsdale Brewing Company will host an autumnal craft night. Calli Townsend | Collegian
Hillsdale Brewing Company customers will put the “craft” in craft beer on Oct. 13.
Sweet Melody Lane, a craft business from Horton, Michigan, will hold a “Paint and Pints” 6–9 p.m. at the Hillsdale Brewing Company.
Attendees will choose between a wooden ghost and a wooden jack-o’-lantern sign to paint. All craft supplies are included in the $45 project fee, and attendees can choose to purchase additional food and drink from the Brewery to enjoy.
Sweet Melody Lane owner Stephanie Poleck said she envisions the event as a way to foster community.
“Our whole goal as a DIY studio is to bring people together to connect and be creative, and just spend time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday,” Poleck said. “That’s my goal for every event, every class, every workshop, every open-paint that we offer.”
Poleck said she expects about 20 attendees for the event, which will run from 6–9 p.m. Although registration for the October Paint and Pints night closed Sept. 29, Poleck said she hopes to do monthly craft nights at the brewery.
“I’d like to see the flow of this event, and then we can go from there,” Poleck said.
According to Poleck, she started her business in 2017 with her husband, Dave. The Polecks sold wood blanks, which could be turned into painted and stencilled wooden signs.
“Dave does all the woodworking,” Poleck said. “I tell everybody that if he wasn’t here, I wouldn’t have it.”
The husband-wife duo found 2020 to be a pivotal year for their business.
“We just soared through COVID, because everybody was at home and needed things to do,” Poleck said.
Poleck and her husband decided to open a physical storefront in Horton in 2023.
“Let’s take this business and move it into an establishment where we can actually bring the community together,” Poleck said. “COVID separated all of us, and we just needed something to bring everybody together.”
The craft projects Sweet Melody Lane offers, Poleck said, are designed for people at any skill level.
“You do not have to be an artist by any means, because in all honesty, I’m not,” Poleck said. “But I am pretty crafty, so I wanted to make sure everybody could come in and do something. I have kids that come in that are two, and I have women that come in that are in their 80s, sometimes 90s.”
In the first couple years of owning a physical storefront, Poleck said she has received a positive response from her community.
“They love being able to come in,” Poleck said. “They put their phones away. They chitchat.”
According to Poleck, her customers live in Horton, Jonesville, and Hillsdale, which is by design.
“They’re getting to know each other, and they’re talking, and they’re actually building relationships, to the point they’ll communicate via Facebook if I have an open-paint class scheduled and say, ‘Hey, do you want to come during this time?’” Poleck said. “It’s bringing the different communities together.”
Kaley Morgan, a Jonesville resident, said she plans to attend the craft night after a friend saw it advertised and invited her along.
“I’m hoping to have a good, relaxing night with my friend and meet new people,” Morgan said.
Poleck said she invites participants to trust the process in every craft event she offers.
“When first-time customers are done, they’re like, ‘I can’t believe I created this,’” Poleck said.
