For MetroWest couples, date night doesn't have to be dinner and a movie

Lillian Eden, MetroWest Daily News
·3 min read

WESTBOROUGH — Tucked in an industrial building just off the downtown rotary is a shop containing a treasure trove of handcrafted items, many of them local: cutting boards, greeting cards and bags, arranged on shelves, tables and walls inside the small space.

Owner Holly Kenny named the shop, Elsie Kaye Glassworks, for the pronunciation of her daughter’s initials — L, C, K — although some customers still think her name is Elsie.

Kenny began taking flameworking classes to make glass beads when her daughter was small and Kenny wanted to carve out a bit of time for herself. She started making glass beads and offering classes from her basement before moving to the Westborough space.

More: Check out our online calendar for other fun things to do in MetroWest

Kenny hopes to soon move to a new location with more visibility and event space.

Although things have been a bit quieter since the pandemic, the shop offers a full schedule of classes this fall including book tastings, essential oils, silver rings and silver stamping, as well as glass bead making for teens and adults.

Sheila Chekoway, resident arrtist and teacher at Elsie Kaye Glassworks in Westborough, demonstrates during a glass making class, Sept. 29, 2022.
Sheila Chekoway, resident arrtist and teacher at Elsie Kaye Glassworks in Westborough, demonstrates during a glass making class, Sept. 29, 2022.

Getting decent at making glass beads is all about “practice, practice, practices,” she said. “It takes a little while to get the flow going… it’s really about controlling the glass and using gravity.”

Here are some unique date-night ideas from throughout MetroWest.

Elsie Kaye Glassworks – couples glass bead making

Website: https://elsiekaye.com

The class: "Rekindle your flame” with this two-hour introductory class for couples that will introduce participants to introductory glass bead making using a tabletop torch. All materials are included in the cost of class.

Participants in a recent glass making class at Elsie Kaye Glassworks in Westborough include, from left, resident artist and teacher Sheila Chekoway, of Natick; Nancy Barck, of Lancaster; Sari Bitticks, of Auburn; and owner Holly Kenny, Sept. 29, 2022.
Participants in a recent glass making class at Elsie Kaye Glassworks in Westborough include, from left, resident artist and teacher Sheila Chekoway, of Natick; Nancy Barck, of Lancaster; Sari Bitticks, of Auburn; and owner Holly Kenny, Sept. 29, 2022.

Cost: Price depends on the class. The “Rekindle Your Flame” is $150 per couple.

When: There are upcoming sessions in October and November.

Where: 3 Union St, Westborough

Muse Paintbar - couples painting

Website: https://www.musepaintbar.com/events/marlborough-paint-bar

The class: A collaborative class where customers can paint two halves of one piece of art.

Cost: Varies, depending on the project. $39 for the dual portrait and $45 for an upcoming Disney-themed couples painting class.

When: Upcoming couples classes include self-portraits and stylized hearts — no artistic talent required — in October. Instructors will guide everyone through the painting process.

Where: 115 Apex Drive, Marlborough

Culinary Underground – couples cooking

Website: https://culinaryunderground.com/

The class: In-person cooking classes designed specially to develop skills and confidence for home cooks

Cost: $225 per couple

When: Upcoming couples classes include Tapas and Sangria, where amateur chefs will learn to make empanadas, spicy garlic shrimp and a Spanish egg and potato omelet, and Provencal night to explore the culinary delights of that region of France with French cheese puffs, Bouillabaise and ice cream-filled cream puffs.

Where: 21 Turnpike Road (Route 9), Southborough

Lowe's - design and build a fire pit

Website: https://www.lowes.com/diy-projects-and-ideas/workshops

The class: For those who want to curl up to a fire for a date night or just a late fall evening hangout, learn how to design and build a custom fire pit with a DIY workshop at Lowe’s. The workshop is available both via livestream and in store in October. According to Lowe's, it’s a great weekend project and can be accomplished with materials you can buy in the  store.

Cost: Free

When: Upcoming DIY sessions in October

Where: Lowe’s, 40 Fortune Blvd., Milford

Earth & Aerial Yoga – couples aerial yoga

Website: https://earthandaerialyoga.com/

The class: Get “head over heels” with your partner by exploring movement and breathing at this local Hudson Studio. Explore movement, breathing and aerial yoga — while hanging from a silk strap suspended from the ceiling.

When: The next partner aerial yoga class is being offered in February, so mark your calendars. The studio offers a "Parent & Child Partner Aerial Yoga" workshop in October and November.

Where: 43 Broad St., Suite B307, Hudson

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Cooking, painting and glassworks among cool date ideas in Metrowest