Jackson resident is new owner of color-me-mine at the freehold mall

FREEHOLD-On May 9, 2019, Color-Me-Mine, a pottery painting and art studio franchise located in the Freehold Raceway Mall changed owners. Former owners George and Lisa Senkus sold the franchise to Courtney Cicconi, who has worked at the location at various times for more than seven years. Cicconi will be the youngest Color-Me-Mine franchise owner in the country.

“When I was 17 years old, I walked in and applied for a job. The minute I was hired, I knew that this was what I wanted to do for a living,” Cicconi says. Now 24, the young entrepreneur has business ownership in her blood, having been raised and worked on Cicconi Farms, a wholesale and retail perennial plant grower in Jackson, New Jersey owned by her family.

“We could not have been happier to learn that Courtney, one of our first employees we hired 7 1/2 years ago, was interested in purchasing our Color-Me-Mine franchise. She brings management experience, a great attitude and new ideas about technology and artistic programs to the studio. We are confident that she will excel in her new endeavor and she will make all of us proud,” says previous owner Lisa Senkus.

Cicconi plans to keep the friendly, family-oriented culture of Color-Me-Mine but also has some exciting new additions in the works. In addition to the walk-in paint-your-own pottery hours, birthday parties, scout events, and fundraising programs currently offered at the studio, Cicconi will offer new classes and host special events such as:

· Adult Paint Workshops
· Kid’s Night Outs
· Paint Me a Story
· Special Needs Sensory Painting Events

Establishing classes for children with special needs is particularly personal for Cicconi, who has a young son with congenital heart disease (CHD). During stressful times in her life, painting ceramics was therapeutic, she says. Cicconi previously helped others similarly through volunteer work at Child Life Services at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

“Whenever we attend our many appointments at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for my son, there are so many genuinely kind people that touch our souls through music and art therapy,” Cicconi says. “I want to teach others to use techniques to soothe the soul, calm the mind, and to relax and unwind either in the comfort of my pottery and art studio or with our to-go packages in the comfort of their own homes.” Cicconi also has an education background in psychology and health science.

Color-Me-Mine in Freehold Raceway Mall, Freehold, is open Monday through Saturday 10 am-9:30 pm, and Sundays 10 am-7 pm. For more information, visit the studio’s Facebook page and join its mailing list for more information.

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