The Best Art Supplies Stores in New York

Yesterday, I added a new section The Best Art Supplies Stores in New York to my 'resoources for artists' website USA: Art Supply Stores & Online Art Supplies

Pearl Paint, 308 Canal Street, TriBeCa, New York NY 10013

I've constructed the section by reviewing what I can find online.  

The thing is - I KNOW I've read excellent reviews by art bloggers in the past about different art materials stores in New York - but I simply can't find them!  It's driving me potty!

Have people stopped writing reviews of art supplies stores in New York or has Google stopped identifying them?  The only ones I've found so far are the Handprint reviews of retailers which include three reviews of stores in NYC.

Anyway I'd like to develop this section to include a poll, links to reviews and a map on the website to help people visiting New York.  However first I'd like to be clearer as to the relative ranking of the top ten stores - so I can construct my top 10 poll!   My initial conclusions to date are:

• Pearl Paint in Lower Manhattan, between Tribeca, SoHo and Chinatown probably gets the most visitors and certainly gets the most reviews - but it also gets quite a lot of dissatisfied customers.  
• Dick Blick in NoHo, Manhattan gets the most favourable reviews and is actually the top art materials store on Yelp.  Plus points are well laid out store makes it easy to find what you want and helpful staff
• New York Central Art Supply between Green Village and the East Village is very much the "go to" store for fine art paper

So I'd like to ask you two questions:

• Which are your top three art supplies stores in New York? Please leave the names and locations of your top three as a comment
• Have you written a review of any of them?  If so please leave a comment with the URL of your blog post and I'll link to it or reference it.

I'll then add in a poll to the website and more links to reviews of the different recommended stores.

Video - Sennelier Colours by Dominique Sennelier

A fascinating video of Dominique Sennelier talking about the Sennelier colours and products in one of the Sennelier shops in Paris.

Dominique is the grandson of Gustave Sennelier who started his art supply store in 1887 close to the the most famous art school in Paris, Ecole des Beaux-Arts.  At the beginning he only sold colours made by other manufacturers before deciding that he needed to start making his own.

Various media are discussed in the video.  Mr Sennelier mentions that the soft pastel range has "only 579 colours".  The oil stick they created was originally made for Picasso.  The formulation for egg tempera is very old as this was a very traditional type of paint and was used before oil painting.



See also my post Making a Mark Reviews: Art shop review: Magasin Sennelier, Paris.

The buying habits of fine artists - in the UK

How does your buying behaviour compare to fine artists in UK? Did you know that nearly 75% of artists responding to this poll buy online on a regular basis?

I've been running a poll on my information site Art Supplies in the UK - Resources for Artists since November 2007. The above chart shows you how people buy art materials in the UK. (Click the pic to see a bigger version or visit my information site)

Based on 86 responses - and in order of magnitude - the results are as follows (percentages are rounded):

• 31% buy most of their art supplied online - spreading their custom around and doing business with reliable suppliers who offer great deals
• another 31% have no particular preference and buy online and from their local art shop - choosing whoever can serve them better for their particular requirements
• 26% are happy to do all their business with just one supplier
  
• 16% have a great local art shop and are happy to do all their shopping there because it has a great range and good stock levels. Great art shops don't do one or the other - they do both!
• just over 10% of fine artists are happy to deal with just one online supplier - who fulfills all their needs in a timely way
  
• The UK fine artist appears to have little love for B&M art shops which don't offer a good service. Only 10% choose to do all their shopping in the high street despite the fact that some local art shops do not provide a great service.
  
• 7% are prepared to shop locally even though the range of goods on offer may be limited and occasional stock-outs.
  
• over 3% of people are averse to shopping on the internet and continue to shop locally despite major problems with what's available
  

The bottom line

When compared to the fine artists in the USA (see The buying habits of fine artists - in the USA), my own conclusions from the above is that

• UK artists are slightly more likely to buy online than artists in the USA. 73.3% compared to 70% of USA artosts buy online
  
• UK artists are discriminating and tend to spend their money with suppliers who deliver a good service. Although artists are happy to buy online, excellent local art shops still have an edge over excellent online suppliers if these are available to artists. I know I always oprefer to handle art supplies if at all possible and am prepared to pay the cost for doing that. However once I know my product well I may well order it online if supplies are available and the delivery service is good. My choice was the buy online and from my local art shop - however I always promote good local art shops.
  
• UK artists use websites to shop around between different online suppliers. The message for online suppliers has to be that paying attention to the design and accessibility of their website could well prove to be a cost-effective measure. Anything which makes the information that artists want to know more accessible is likely to get returning buyers. Speaking personally, the websites I tend to look at are the ones which I know have got a good structure which is easy to navigate and good quality information about what is on offer.
  

If you'd like to take a poll just click this link to go straight to the poll

If you've got any comments - either as a retailer or an artist - do please leave a comment below (and please say which you are).

and finally......

If you'd like to see the inside of some excellent and traditional art shops in London and Paris try a virtual visit to see the slideshows on my information site My Favourite Art Shops - Resources for Artists which has just been awarded a purple star for excellence by Squidoo

My Favourite Art Shops - Resources for Artists
As more and more sales move online, it's crucial that all artists continue to patronise and support our favourite 'bricks and mortar' art shops in our towns and cities. These are where we can find the specialist art materials which can be impossible to find online. This site contains:
(1) reviews of favourite art shops
(2) photographs of what they look inside
(3) details of how to find them.

The buying habits of fine artists - in the USA

How does your buying behaviour compare to fine artists in USA? Did you know that

• 99% of fine artists are willing to buy art supplies online
  
• 70% actually do buy online on a regular basis.

I've been running a poll on my information site Art Supplies in the USA - Resources for Artists since November 2007. The above chart shows you how people buy art materials in the USA. (Click the pic to see a bigger version or visit my information site)

Based on 78 responses - and in order of magnitude - the results are as follows (percentages are rounded):

• one third of fine artists (33%) prefer to go with whichever art materials supplier serves them best - they're neither wedded to their online supplier or their local art materials store. This figure is very similar to that experienced in the UK and suggests that around a third of the market is always going to be looking across the whole art economy of B&M and online art stores for their supplies and deals. These are the people who are going to be sensitive to aspects of online supply such as: ease of finding a product on the website; product pricing and delivery time and charges levied. In relation to the B&M supplier the issues are likely to revolve around whether items required are stocked, price points and urgency of need. In relation to both sets of suppliers artists may bring their custom for a sale but the really critical question is whether they come back and become a regular customer on a routine basis.
  
• 24% prefer to shop online and are price and customer service sensitive. They always spread their custom around a range of online suppliers of art materials. Essentially they give their custom to whoever gives them the best overall deal. However all suppliers should note that this level is lower than that experienced in the UK.
  
• Artists in the USA are much more tolerant of a poor customer service compared to the UK. 15% buy at the local art shop despite some problems in supply eg even if it has a limited range and occasional stockouts. This is significantly different to behaviour in the UK. I began to wonder whether distance between art shops might have anything to do with this. Some people will not buy online whatever and consequently will buy from a local store even if it's not providing the greatest service....
• ....however in the USA this only 1% buy at their local art shop because they don't like internet shopping. That says an awful lot about how online shopping for art supplies is now completely rooted in the American mindset as a normal fact of life. It's a message that all B&M retailers need to take to heart - and their business plans.
  
• By way of contrast some 14% are very happy to buy at their local art store BECAUSE it has a great range and good stock levels. This level is pretty much the same as experienced in the UK. Local art stores providing an excellent service can only be certain of capturing most of the purchases of around 15% of the the buying power of fine artists who live locally
  
• 11% buy all their art supplies from one online supplier who serves all their needs. This is the customer who is like gold dust to online suppliers - a dedicated buyer who keeps coming back!

The bottom line

My own conclusions from the above is that

• USA artists are more likely to support their local store and less likely to move all their purchasing online based on a parallel but identical poll in relation to UK suppliers
• neither online supplier nor B&M retailer can be certain of the custom they will continue to attract. Consequently both sets of suppliers of art materials need to be working hard all the time to provide the best service and the best prices they can possibly offer. Artists continue to support their local art shops but 99% are also very willing to buy online if what they want is available at a reasonable price and can deliver when they need it - even if they don't do so right now
  

The latter conclusion is good news for all fine artists because the good suppliers are going to be working very hard to give you the best deal in terms of product, price and overall service.

If you'd like to take a poll just click this link to go straight to the poll

If you've got any comments - either as a retailer or an artist - do please leave a comment below.

Tomorrow I'll reveal the buying habits of fine artists in the UK!

My Favourite Art Shops - Resources for Artists
As more and more sales move online, it's crucial that all artists continue to patronise and support our favourite 'bricks and mortar' art shops in our towns and cities. These are where we can find the specialist art materials which can be impossible to find online. This site contains:
(1) reviews of favourite art shops
(2) photographs of what they look inside
(3) details of how to find them.

My Favourite Art Shop

I moderate a Flickr Group called My favourite art shop. The idea is that it a place where fellow art shop enthusiasts can share photos of their favourite art shops.

Good art shops can be really hard to find and and my experience is that it's getting more difficult all the time to keep track of the good ones. However devotees will travel miles to visit a good art shop!

Let's also not forget that patronising good local art shops will hopefully keep them from going under during the downturn. The idea is this Flickr group is a sort of cheerleading group for really good art shops. Mediocre shops don't get a look in!

Experienced art shop detectives can often tell from looking at pictures whether this is the sort of art shop they like the best. The pool of photos may therefore provide an incentive for a future visit by an artist - even if the shop is in another country! Or maybe for other art shops to improve their standards of stock and display?

The group shares visual information about the type of art store you like and what sort of art materials are available. This is the group photo pool. I've personally loaded photos of:

• L. Cornelissen & Son's and Green & Stone plus Shepherd Bookbinders / Falkiners Fine Paper in London
• Senneliers in Paris
• Arcobaleno Pigmenti de Nube Massimo in Venice (the pigment shop)
  

I like to see photographs where people explain what we're looking at and a little about the type of art materials which are kept in stock.

The group is 'public - invitation only' and all submissions are moderated. The rules are very simple

DO
Do be helpful to other members of this group and provide some notes about your favourite art shop and what your photos show

DO NOT
1) post photos in this group unless you asked permission of the shop owner/manager before taking them
2) promote an art shop that you have any sort of commercial relationship with - eg as an owner, member of staff or an affiliate.

My favourite art shop / Rules

If you've posted on Flickr about your favourite art shop and would like to share your photos in this group you can send me a message on Flickr (to makingamark2) to get an invite to join.

You can find the group at http://www.flickr.com/groups/favourite-artshop/

Note: This group is for personal use only and should NOT be used:
1) by art shop owners, art shop managers or affiliates of any art store to promote their store for commercial purposes.
2) BY artists to promote their artwork

Links

• Flickr: My favourite art shop or http://www.flickr.com/groups/favourite-artshop/
• Making A Mark on Flickr

Art Supplies in the UK - Resources for Artists
Do you have problems finding art shops or sites providing artist supplies or just anywhere that has got that illusive item that you want. Do you forget who stocks which range? This site provides details about where to find fine art materials and art supplies in and around the UK. It shares details of online suppliers and the locations of retail shops and stores that you can visit as a retail or trade customer.

London Graphics Centre Closing Down Sale

You probably reacted the same way as me when you read the headline. It certainly made me open my email.

It turns out that the London Graphics Centre - which has four art shops in London - is closing down its Putney branch at 254 Putney High Street. If you can get to the store you might be interested to know the offer is 50% discount off EVERYTHING between now and the end of March. The store is very focused on serving the graphics community as well as artists and their stock reflects this fact.

London Graphics Centre - Putney Branch

However this is a sign of the times.

B&M retailers of art materials are heavily under pressure from online suppliers - and even more so in a recession. Art stores need to keep on top of their overheads right now if they are to stay competitive and in business. In such situations retail outlets always tend to get 'shaved'.

However online suppliers would do well to remember that if all B&M stores went out of business there'd be a lot fewer spur of the moment purchases which lead to longer term purchases online!

The London Graphics Centre also provides a 'normal' online ordering facility for:

• artists supplies
  
• graphics supplies
  
• studio equipment
• art books and magazines
• and they do offer free delivery if place an order for £100 or more
  

I've found over the years that LGC leans a bit too much towards graphic supplies for my taste. They stock good quality art materials from reputable manufacturers but they can be a bit boring and really aren't in the same league as Green & Stone or Cornelissons (see My Favourite Art Shops - Resources for Artists) when it comes to salivating potential!

Tomorrow I'll give you a peek at the way in which different types of retailers are faring in the UK and the USA

Art shop review: San Clemente Art Supply

Name of shop: San Clemente Art Supply San Clemente Center for the Arts (SCCA) is in the same building

Address: 1531 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente Ca 92672

Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Weds 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun Closed

Telephone: Phone: (949)369-6603 | Fax: (949)369-9304

Websites: http://www.scartsupply.com/

Online Store: none - however try contacting them by email or phone if you have something very specific in mind. Patti has indicated they can take orders and ship.

Of interest to: artists wanting a non-chain art supply shop and the greater range and choice that can mean

Highlights: independent supplier - hence not tied in to a corporate view of which range of goods should be sold excellent customer service - very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful fabulous range of paper and supports carry canvases of all types and sizes - stretched or by the yard; supply many brands of oils, acrylics, watercolors and pastels plus an extensive range of brushes carry a good range of drafting supplies, printmaking supplies, and graphic supplies provides a shipping service for artwork - using specialised shipping containers a place to go to if you're searching for something you can't find in other art supply shops; will order supplies they don't stock committed to the environment - advice re disposal of art media/materials; people using reusable bags for their supplies get entered into prize draw

Think Again? It's a long way to visit if you don't live in Southern California! lack of an online shop for those who'd like to patronise independent suppliers

Summary: This store provides both excellent service and a very good range of art materials. I travelled several thousand miles to visit - and it was one of the highspots of my trip

Back in 2006, I reviewed San Clemente Art Supply on my travel sketchbook blog after a trip to the south western states of the USA in Service with a smile - San Clemente Art Supply.

San Clemente Art Supply

I'm reproducing part of it here and providing an update due to some recent changes which are worth mentioning.

My previous review ended with the following important notice! ;)

You have been warned - DO NOT ENTER this store with any plastic in your hand unless you're prepared for a large bill or can exercise masterful restraint or have spent your art budget for the next six months already and have promised to be really good!

San Clemente Art Supply

This store has a fabulous stock of paper and supports of all different sorts - I came away with all sorts of new goodies which I just can't get in the UK. In this respect, I even thought it was at least as good if not better than the Dick Blick store in San Diego (see tomorrow's post), If you can't find what you want at your local store try giving them a ring! They don't currently run a mail order service from their website but I'm currently thinking along the lines of contacting them next time I want something not stocked in the UK!

They also had an excellent range in both pastels and coloured pencils - and pens and pencils. I do know though that they were stocking the Terry Ludwig pastel sets - including the Terry Ludwig dark set which helped to produce lush darks in the workshop.

The store is also fantastic for having a great supply of small pieces of kit and useful items which make one's artistic life easier at times - and makes browsing filled with lots of loud sqeaks of "Oh look what they've got here!" They had all the material and tools which Dianna had recommended to hand - which was great as some of them were very difficult if not impossible to find at other stores.

Since I visited they added a custom framing shop in 2008.

A commitment to being green: I wanted to update the review because of one aspect which is now much more apparent on their website - and that's their commitment to the environment and being green - which I happen to think is vitally important, in a literal sense.

• they discontinued their paper-based newsletter and now provide all updates online
• they provide advice and details on their website about where their customers can safely recycle or dispose of unwanted or used art media
• They are eliminating plastic bags and will not be reordering any more. They now have reusable bags. Check out the photos of why they do this on their website - the rubbish relating to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch/Gyre

Each time you shop using any reusable bag, or don’t need a bag at all, we will enter your name in a monthly drawing for a $25 gift card to the store.
San Clemente Art Supply website

San Clemente Center for the Arts

The website contains details of both weekly classes and workshops:

• for adults
• for children

The place where the Dianna Ponting Pastel Workshop was held really deserves a special mention in this blog as it was outstanding.

The workshop was held in a large room to the rear and side of the San Clemente Art Supply and Framing building at 1531 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente Ca 92672. (that's the spanish style building with two big palms either side!)

They have an extensive range of classes and workshops - from ones for children to regular classes for local people on a variety of subjects to one day or one week workshops from some of the best tutors around.

Running workshops, classes and demonstrations by instructors from major suppliers on a regular basis means that they are well used to having students in the building - which probably explains why they are so good at hosting classes. Each workshop participant had an easel and a decent amount of table top space - so essential when working with pastels. The wash-up and rest room facilities were fine. They also had a great map of all the local places to get lunch. What was best though was the very easy access back into the store proper where you could find anything you knew you wanted - and a lot more besides.

Sally Strand (see The best ever workshop - pastel painting with Sally Strand) lives just up the coast and teaches a workshop on 'The Color of Light' here every year - which should be of interest to any pastellists who can get to it (that's if it's not sold out already!) The next one a four day workshop running 23rd-26th July!

and finally......

The explantion behind my the title of my original blog post

Patti Herdell, who set up and runs the store, is one of the most helpful and hospitable people I've ever come across in an art supply store - and this is reflected in the range of services and supplies they offer and how one is treated as a customer. As the website says "We provide service with a smile" - and they do too!

Links:

• San Clemente Art Supply and Framing - Home
• Schedule of Classes (this is regularly updated)
• Store Directions

Art Supplies in the USA - Resources for Artists
Do you have problems finding art shops or art suppliers or just anywhere that has got that illusive item that you want. Do you forget who stocks which range?

My Favourite Art Shops - Resources for Artists
As more and more sales move online, it's crucial that all artists continue to patronise and support our favourite 'bricks and mortar' art shops in our towns and cities. These are where we can find the specialist art materials which can be impossible to find online. This site contains:
(1) reviews of favourite art shops
(2) photographs of what they look inside
(3) details of how to find them.

Art Shop Review: Falkiners Fine Paper / Shepherd Bookbinders

Name of shop: Shepherd Bookbinding/Falkiners Fine Paper shop

Address: 76 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4AR. NOTE: No longer at this address.  Moved in November 2012 to: 30 Gillingham Street, London SW1V 1HU (near Victoria Station)

Hours: Southampton Row sop now open seven days a week. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10 - 6; Wednesdays 10.30 - 6; Saturdays 10 - 5; Sundays 11.30 - 4.30

Telephone: 020 7831 1151

Websites: http://www.bookbinding.co.uk/

Online Store: http://store.falkiners.com/store/

Of interest to: Bookbinders, printmakers and artists wanting fine quality papers

Highlights: Probably one of the best - if not the best - fine paper suppliers in the UK Truly amazing selection of fine papers - can be perused in binders Comprehensive supply of bookbinding materials and supplies in the basement Very good selection of archival tapes for mounting and mending Printmaking press available Knowledgeable staff Online store http://store.falkiners.com/store/mail order supply

Think Again? No media supplies (ie no paints, drawing media etc)

Summary: This shop is genuinely superior and is also a genuine "one off". I can't think of another shop which combines their range and quality of fine papers together with a comprehensive supply of bookbinding materials.

Last Friday I visited - and photographed - the Shepherd Bookbinding/Falkiners Fine Paper shop at 76 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4AR.

You can see a slideshow of the photographs I took on Flickr. Click the 'info' (top right) to see my description of every image.

This post is a review of what the shop has to offer. I'm never quite sure what to call them - and I've decided they're Falkiners on the ground floor where the paper is and Shepherd's in the basement where the bookbinding supplies are.

Fine Paper

It's getting progressively more difficult to find fine paper in a shop in London. A number of suppliers are switching to focus more and more on student supplies at the cheaper end of the range and/or are restricting their range. It is therefore a complete joy to go into a shop like Shepherd/Falkiners and find shelves and shelves (and shelves) of paper!

The way the shop works is that you review the selection on offer in the boxes at the browing cabinet. You make a note of what you want, hand that to one of the members of staff and they will retrieve the paper from the floor to ceiling shelves at the back of the shop.

(Left) A selection of boxes of paper samples
(Right) a member of staff retrieving paper from the paper shelves
all photos copyright Katherine Tyrrell

One thing they don't stock is illustration board. I'm still trying to find a shop in London which does!

Here are the links to the different types of paper that the stock (and a photo of their very large paper sizes diagram which was attached to one set of the paper shelves):

• Asian Handmade Papers
• Blotting & Utility Papers - which includes oiled manila paper for people wanting to stencil
• Colorplan Paper - very environmentally friendly
• Conservation Paper - Western - an amazing selection eg Barcham Green, Griffen Mill and coloured paper from Ruscombe Mill
• Drawing & Pastel - Fabriano
• Drawing & Pastel - Canson
• Drawing, Ingres & Pastel Paper
• Handmade Plant Paper
• Inkjet - Fine Art & Photo
• Japanese Decorative Paper
• Japanese Fine Art Paper
• Marbled Paper
• Parchment Look Paper
• Printmaking Paper - European
• Rolls Of Western Art Paper
• Samples & Tryout Packs
• Watercolour Paper - They have a good range of quality watercolour paper - including Shoellershammer 4G 250gsm and Two Rivers Handmade.

In addition there is also a wide selection of Decorative Patterned Paper

Interestingly while I was in the shop, there was a chap at the counter who was picking up a range of paper (pictured on the right). It turned out that these are all set to reappear on a television screen near you next year when they will downsized and used as the papers for various letters in an episode of Poirot on ITV!

Adhesives

This shop has the best range of effective and/or archival adhesives that I've seen in a very, very long time. Check out the adhesives page on their website - it's enough to make those who appreciate the differences between different types of adhesive drool! Downstairs in the basement are all the adhesives for bookbinding - together with the Japanese paste brushes. Upstairs are a variety of starch adhesives and a jolly good range of acid-free hanging tapes from LineCo which is an American company which does mounting and framing supplies (but which does not have an ecommerce site). It was great to be able to see the gummed Japanese Paper Tape which is amazing but almost impossible to find. I bought a roll of the Self-Adhesive Line Hanging Tape (see end).

Essentially the shop has just about anything you might need for document repair and conservation.

Bookbinding

The bookbinding supplies can be found down in a large and well lit basement - where there's also a very helpful guy who provides informative answers to questions.

(Left) Rolls of bookbinding tapes
(Right) Rolls of bookbinding cover materials

I'm not a bookbinder but I can imagine those that are going into raptures when entering this shop. Here's some of the things I noticed:

• a really comprehensive supply of bookbinding materials - from buckram, leather and other types of skins (I didn't linger!) - to Japanese silk bookcloth; sewing tapes; sewing threads etc
• a huge range of Bookbinding tools and hardware - including bone folders, specialist hammers, paper drills and hole punches, Japanese hake and paste brushes and any number of other sundry items related to bookbinding

Interestingly the chap I talked to said they'd never been busier in terms of business demand. I gather the onset of the recession has led people to start making more things for themselves rather than paying other people to do it for them.

On the media front their only supplies seem to be pens, ink and printmaking presses. I picked up a couple of Zif archival lightfast pens - in sepia ink - which are quite difficult to track down.

Future reviews

I came away with a small haul of supplies which will be the subject of future reviews on this blog.

Summary

This is a shop which the paper and/or bookbinding fanatic should definitely visit if they live in or are visiting London. It has an excellent range of suupplies and very helpful staff - basically it's the stuff of dreams! For everbody else you'll just have to make do with the very well organised and well illustrated online store!

Art Supplies in the UK - Resources for Artists
Do you have problems finding art shops or sites providing artist supplies or just anywhere that has got that illusive item that you want. Do you forget who stocks which range? This site provides details about where to find fine art materials and art supplies in and around the UK. It shares details of online suppliers and the locations of retail shops and stores that you can visit as a retail or trade customer.
My Favourite Art Shops - Resources for Artists
As more and more sales move online, it's crucial that all artists continue to patronise and support our favourite 'bricks and mortar' art shops in our towns and cities. These are where we can find the specialist art materials which can be impossible to find online. This site contains:
(1) reviews of favourite art shops
(2) photographs of what they look inside
(3) details of how to find them.