CUBA CITY—New opportunities for group activities, social events and instructional classes are available through the creation of Stained Sign Studio.

Bill and Christina Taylor, owners of Cuba City Greenhouse, started the new business last month to fill a need in the community and create a use for the extra space they had.

“We’ve owned the flower shop for 11 years and we’ve always had this space and were looking for a good idea to use the space for, and bring something to do to the area,” Chris Taylor said. “We tried different things out here, but it was just so hard because it was disconnected from our retail area. With holding classes and workshops out here, it’s a good use of the space and it’s something fun to do with a group in the area.”

The new business has been a whole family project. To prepare for the new business, Bill Taylor built tables and completed some cosmetic improvements to the space to create a rustic workshop area They purchased a stencil cutter that creates the templates in a similar process to printing a document. The cutter takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes to cut the stencil, depending on the design. Additional time is needed to weed the unnecessary parts from the stencil. Chris and Bill’s children help prepare some of the supplies for upcoming classes. “We always wanted to teach our kids that you have to work hard in order to be successful at things,” Chris Taylor said. “It’s so great to have them involved and to see that process.”

The Taylors have also acquired a beer license to be able to sell beverages during the workshops.

“It’s important to register through the website, preferably at least 12 hours in advance, so I can have all of the materials ready,” Chris Taylor said. “Especially when they are personalizing something, I need that in writing so I can refer to it when I design the stencils. ”

Each project can also be customized with your own stain and paint colors.

Taylor has a gallery of project options available on the website, stainedsignstudio.com. To participate in a workshop, go to the site, choose a date and choose a project, then check out with the secure online payment system. Any personalized information to include on the project needs to be submitted before the payment. Some projects allow for personalized names and/or dates.

Some of the designs are always available, others are seasonally available.

Once the participant arrives at the workshop, Taylor has the supplies and tools ready and walks them through the steps to assemble the pieces, sand and distress the board, cover with stain, apply the stencil and paint the design. The entire process takes two to three hours and is ready to take home that night.

Classes are currently held on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons.

 “We have an amazing group of friends and family who helped us get this far with it,” Chris Taylor said. “Without them we wouldn’t be open already.”

The first class was held on Sept. 28.

Chris Taylor hopes to hold other classes, such as bow-making and wreath-making workshops. She said she would be open to working with others who would like to use the space to hold their own classes, too.

“We’re open to bringing as many things for people to do as we can here just to have some choices in the area,” Chris Taylor said.

She is working on creating fundraising opportunities and creating more ready-made items for retail sale. Gift certificates are available.

For more information, visit stainedsignstudio.com. The workshop is located at 420 S. Washington St., next to the Cuba City Greenhouse.