Creative Inkling: The Budding Art Shop and Retreat in the Heart of Hatboro

When the space was first bought for Creative Inkling, its opening seemed nothing more than a pipe dream for owner Karen Silver. Its home in an old trophy building at the center of Hatboro needed a lot of work and contractors presented hurdles at every turn. Its renovation was initially slated to take four months but took two years to complete.

“It felt like it was never really going to get done,” said Silver.

But much like the often long and strenuous creative process, something truly original has taken shape through it all, Silver’s dream is now a reality. Her new business Creative Inkling is one of the most unique arts and crafts experiences in Montgomery County and beyond.

“To see it actually come to fruition just blows my mind—even today,” said Edie Malin, co-founder and creative director at Creative Inkling.

Creative Inkling is a retail arts and craft store. It is a retreat, offering a personalized weekend-long group art experiences, and it is a workspace and classroom for both the experienced and exploring artist.

Its retail store offers everything an artist could need to tap their inklings of creativity and makes an effort to source its products from companies out of art’s mainstream vein of mass production.

“We try to sell products from companies that you can’t find in a lot of the big stores,” said Silver.

The workspace and classroom of Creative Inkling is any artist’s playground, and also where Malin and Silver host various classes throughout the week. Silver’s specialty is in papercrafts and she leads a monthly cardmaking class, while Malin specializes in metal, paint and fabric art, hosting metalsmithing and art journaling classes every week.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to classes. In the past, Malin and Silver have ran mixed media, stamp-making and color theory classes to name a few. Both are very open to suggestions from customers looking to learn about any form of art.

“Most of it is from feedback,” said Malin about formulating new classes. “I ask them [the students].”

One of the newest classes being offered at Creative Inkling is the result of a suggestion. It is a junk journal class, where participants will learn smithing and bookbinding to create a journal from recycled materials. Silver and Malin always update Creative Inkling’s Facebook page with updates on new classes and is a must follow if interested.

This openness to class suggestions reflects the founders’ understanding of creativity: something that’s within everyone and only needs to be tapped.

“We are all creative beings,” said Malin, “but you have to find your medium.”

It is why the classroom doubles as a workshop and includes materials and tools for a multitude of art forms.

“Through exploration, you can find yourself and your creativity,” said Malin.

The workshop is also open to any local artist who needs a space, the tools or materials to work on their own projects.

While the classes are gaining steam, by far the most popular facet of Creative Inkling is its retreat. Located on the second floor of the building is an Airbnb-style complex with five bedrooms—each with two full-sized beds—three and a half bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, outdoor patio and massive work studio for any personalized art class led by either Silver or Malin. Its central location also provides a unique base for exploring Hatboro.

In the future, Silver and Malin hope to use this location to host guided retreats, where guests will get tours of Hatboro and day trips to Philadelphia, only a train ride away.

Much like the creative potential of any individual, the potential of Creative Inkling in Hatboro has yet to be tapped. Having been only open for five months, its vision of being the creative spark in the community seems nothing more than a pipe dream at this point. But given what it’s already gone through to get to this point, that dream will too soon be a reality.