61°
Lombardo and her mother, former Saddle Brook mayor Karen Chamberlain, just marked their first anniversary of running Kim-Bridge Ceramic Art Studio, where patrons paint ceramics and canvases.
“Everyone’s paintings are going to be a little different, and that’s what makes them original and beautiful,” said Lombardo, who studied art at Montclair State University, the Art institute of Fort Lauderdale, and the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.
Lombardo teaches painting classes and hosts painting parties at the studio located in her native Saddle Brook. The business draws patrons from surrounding towns such as Elmwood Park, Garfield, Lodi, Little Ferry, Rochelle Park and Moonachie, she said.
“This has always been a dream of hers,” Chamberlain said of her daughter, as the two stood in the colorfully decorated space, watching a pair of regulars paint ceramics.
The studio is housed within Kim-Bridge Cardtiques and Florists, which Chamberlain and her late husband opened 43 years ago. The business – named after their daughters Kimberly and Bridget -- started as a card store and expanded into a full-service florist ten years later.
The most recent addition to the business came about after Chamberlain decided to part ways with a corporate company and run her store independently, which allowed her to open up floor space for the art studio, she said.
“We had the space and Bridget and I put our heads together,” Chamberlain said.
Lombardo, who previously worked with special needs children in the Saddle Brook School District, said one of her favorite parts of her new job is working with groups of special needs children and adults who come to the studio to paint.
“It is nice to see them enjoying themselves. It melts my heart to watch them,” she said.
The studio offers walk-in hours, art enrichment classes, and ceramic and canvas painting parties for celebrations like birthday parties, ladies nights, bridal showers and fundraisers. It also offers discounts to non-profit organizations.
To learn more or book a party visit www.kimbridgeceramicartstudio.com.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Saddle Brook-Elmwood Park and receive free news updates.
