Geoff's is no longer the in-the-know Auckland hipster's secret. Go here on Halloween and you will…read moresee what I mean. Luckily, Halloween only happens once a year but year round Geoff's is the place that truly does have everything. I am most often here for random products like baby oil ($6 for a small bottle of branded petroleum by-product at a supermarket? $2 here), fabric dye, art supplies, sewing stuff and what must be Auckland's cheapest fabric. No offence to Spotlight, but go here first if you need anthing crafty. There's ribbon, cotton, buttons, sparkly bits, belt buckles, bra pads, googly eyes, appliques, patches.... on and on and on. The fabric selection is no small part of the shop and the pricing fairly freakin ridiculous. You'll also find toys, costume jewellery, probably Auckland's biggest range of wigs and "ready-costumes" for adults and kids, as well as such essential props as tiaras, plastic swords, feather boas, cowboys hats, gloves, face paint and garters. There are paints, brushes, canvases, dyes, sketch books...... You can even buy paperbacks, hardware, kitchen equipment, candles and it just goes on. What I love most about Geoff's is that it has been around as long as I can remember and as far as I know, Geoff himself is still around too. My kids love coming here with a handful of coins and leaving with treasures and so do I. The staff are awesome and Geoff's is such a wonderful reminder to me that some things don't ever change, they just get better with age.

This place is AWESOME. Recommended to me by a fellow sewing friend, I decided to check it out…read moretoday. Walked in the door and thought wow, this place is a bit...crappy. But then I walked in further, through the narrow door and into a huge space, filled with all manner of crafty supplies! I was there to buy interfacing, and buy it I did - 5m for $5! Incredible prices. I also got a zip for $1.05 and a belt buckle kit for $1. The prices are insane, even cheaper than what I paid living in the US. I saw some gorgeous fabrics in there, too, but I'm trying to watch my fabric budget right now so I sadly left it behind...for now. The woman who served me was really friendly, carefully rolled up my interfacing and asked about my projects. I can't wait to go back and browse their fabrics some more, and they will definitely be my go-to place for notions, too! I didn't explore the rest of the shop too closely, as I had a sick husband in tow, but they have a huge range of paint/art supplies, party supplies, incense and other trinkets, and heaps of other stuff too.

Good service. Great selection and knowledgeable staff…read more Went for painting items and they had everything needed

What an amazing craft store! Knitters, spinners, weavers, artists and quilters will consider this a…read moreone of a kind place to just take in the variety of products and goods here.

David's emporium is your one stop shop for everything! Here they have tools, paint, art supplies,…read morecrafts, material, nick-nacks, appliances, wigs and my favourite.....dress-ups! It's at David's you are able to find anything and everything suitable for a party, or if you're after something on the cheap. Located on Cavendish Drive in Manukau, it's only really convenient if you're in the area. There is plenty of onsite parking available. I have been here a number of times to pick up bits and pieces with my boyfriend, who is really in to art. He finds that they always have great sales on their canvases, sketch books and cheap paint brushes that he might need for touching up. Here I have managed to purchase lint rollers and a foot exfoliator, both of these cost next to nothing, I was very impressed.

As a professional artist and teacher I need a top art supply store that not only helps me with my…read moresupplies and in-depth technical knowledge of the range of products I require - or products I am interested in researching for potential use - but I also need an art supply store that reliable and is able to supply, help and advise my students, answer their questions and send orders well packaged. Studio Art supplies is my NZ art supply store of choice for almost all the products I use. These people really know their products and being artists themselves, they have the knowledge and expertise I can rely on and recommend to my students. This is why I have stayed with them for over 20 years. Susan Harrison-Tustain

As the name suggests, Studio Art Supplies is a brilliant art supply store that is designed to cater…read moreto students and budding young creators. Located in Grey Lynn, this store stocks everything from oil paints to charcoals and pastels, canvases to recycled papers, brushes to spatulas and anything else even remotely art related. The staff are all very helpful - many of them are artists themselves and offer their advice and expertise as soon as you walk in the door. Although I'm usually happiest left to my own devices, they were particularly helpful when I needed advice choosing different paper weights for printing. Outside the store is a big board which customers are encouraged to leave their mark on. This is a really fun and inspirational wall, as it is a good place to share your ideas and sketches. Often local artists can also be found in the store creating their masterpieces - it's a great way to keep us stressed students and designers motivated. I definitely recommend this store to any local artists, as it will provide you with any supplies and all the encouragement you need! Tip: Studio Art Supplies offers specials and discounts to customers upon the presentation of a student ID - so students get those ID cards ready!

I'm a reasonably fanatical crafter and this is my favourite Spotlight store, which after all, is…read morereally the fall-back option for every kind of craft when you either can't get what you want at a specialist shop, or really need to save time and money. Not long ago they re-jigged the whole thing which made the layout about a thousand times more confusing. It was all new and scary but somewhere in there were the cheap cheap craft supplies I had to have, so I found my way. Now they have what I think is the biggest craft section in a Spotlight in Auckland, plus a special helium balloon counter, as well as the usual interior decor, fabric, and soft furnishings sections. Also, although you wait for absolutely ages at most Spotlights (especially at the fabric counter), this one doesn't seem to be quite as bad.

This Spotlight has THE WORST customer service. If you politely ask a question, they (and I mean…read moremore than 3 employees have done it to me) cut you off mid sentence and tell you they're too busy to deal with you. And when they do finally have time, they point you in the wrong direction and disappear! Worst customer service experience I've ever encountered in the whole of Auckland!

It seems Japanese shops such as this one are growing like mushrooms!…read moreI would rank this one as my second favourite, the kitchen section in particular has lots of pretty soup bowls and pans and steamers. As mentioned in my fellow Yelpers's reviews there are also the stationery and bathroom sections and lots of random cute thingies no one needs... But oh they' so cheap so why not?!

This place is pretty awesome, hidden in an obscure location, you almost miss it. Thankfully for the…read morevibrant orange and black sign to mark the narrow entrance you begin your decent into the lower depths of Queen Street to find yourself in a rather large store that I could not accurately categorise. This is because there is a lot of stuff here, stationary, the gift bags and paper section is great, Hello Kitty and Snoopy are well represented here. There are aisles of all kinds of things for your home, a massive chopstick section, Hello Kitty cling wrap, food bags and plasters. Interestingly a big range of nappies and other baby things. It is fun just to look around, there are some odd things here too, especially in the bathroom and cleaning sections. Good fun I say, you'll walk away with things you didn't need but make are entertaining none the less. (Hello Kitty keeps my food fresh now).

A fabulous shop with everything for artists of all abilities. Quality products, friendly and…read morehelpful, and with staff that know what they are talking about! What else would you want?!

I took art and graphic design all through school and university, which meant a lot of visits to…read moreGordon Harris and many dollars spent there. If you're looking for any kind of art supplies - paper, brushes, pens, foam board, design books, notebooks, sketch pads, paints, easels, pencils, erasers, fix, spray glue, you name it - this is the place to go. It's kind of a dark, dingy-ish building, but it does the job and the staff are nice and pretty helpful. If you've got student ID you can get 10% off which is handy, because it's likely you're going to be spending a lot there. A lot.

I have never been good at art. One time I drew a bird with a beak AND a mouth. But that doesn't…read moremean I don't appreciate artists and their tools. I have always been a fan of new stationary, so strolling around Gordon Harris gives me a nice little buzz. Newmarket is a pretty styly place anyway so the scene is set before you even go in. The staff are always really friendly and arty looking and are generally people that you want to like you and be friends with. This is the place for everything in the way of art supplies. From easels to pens to paper in many different forms and spray glue, if you're wanting to get crafty, Gordon Harris should be your go-to. The place itself could do with a bit of a spruce up, but it doesn't really matter, and the stuff they have there is the best quality. Student IDs get you 10% off and they've always got something on special. Even if you don't actually know what you're doing, walking arounf Gordon Harris is a lesson in creativity and is enough to inspire you to get crafty.

This is such a cool store, one of the go to options for when I have to buy gifts because everything…read morethere is unique. Even though it is New Zealand designed and made, there is not too much kiwiana, that makes for good gifts for tourists or people you know who are overseas but much of the store is just products created by amazingly talented people of whom Texan Art Schools bring collectively into their store. You'll find textiles, glass, ceramics, jewelry and prints here as well as what I think must be feijoa candles because the store smells of feijoas. A while back I purchased some amazing glass vases and a dish for myself and had wanted to go back and get another colour of one of the vases. It was gone. So lesson here is that you need to just buy it at the time. Stock is often limited.

Is this an Art School? I'm not sure. What I know it has is a great New Zealand gift and NZ made…read moresouvenir shop. If you want good quality New Zealand gifts then this is the place to come. They do loads of stuff, including Jewellery, paintings, signs, korus, ceramics, wood carvings, sculptures, you name it. Many of the items they sell are also one offs so very unique bits which are wonderful for special gifts whether it be for someone living in NZ or family and friends overseas. Also while some things are expensive, I think they have something for everyone's budget. I have been to the Newmarket and Ponsonby stores and have found staff at both to be very helpful with advice for gifts.

I don't really know what I was expecting from this store when I walked in. Maybe a shop full of…read moreelephant crafts. Elephant shaped things? Are there any elephants in this store? The answer is no, I couldn't find any. On the bright side they do have some other nice things that aren't elephant related. Lots of little knick knacks and crafts all specially handcrafted by Homegrown artisans. Now that can't be a bad thing! It's a really good place to come if you are looking for a very 'kiwi' gift to send to friends and families overseas. And there's a whole lot of kauri/ wood ware. I mean a WHOLE lot. I think maybe they should rename it to something with wood in the title. It might be more reflective of the product they do actually stock.

An absolute nightmare…read more I was excited when I read the reviews and decided to visit. However, when I shipped over $500 worth of gifts it arrived poorly packed and completely destroyed. It has been months and they say they will reimburse me, but never followed through. Also found their exact merchandise for a fraction of the cost elsewhere. Feel completely ripped off. Do yourself a favor. Go somewhere else!