Small but mighty art store - great selection of materials for drawing, sketching, and painting including a wide variety of paints, paper, brushes, and pens. They even have paint for leather, which can be used for shoes, purses and jackets. Lots of materials for framing as well, including canvas that you can use to stretch to a customized size for your creation. Small number of supplies for fabric arts - just the basics to get started or if you're in a pinch. Prices are reasonable for the city and quality of the materials. Lots of cute gifty items up front too. Stop in here with your kids for a fun side trip when visiting Planet Word! read more

Blick Art Materials - Entrance to the store - Art Supplies Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The selection is small and overpriced. Plan ahead and buy online for 1/2 off. This location is the worst in the chain. Very poorly run, always dirty, cluttered, poor selection. The staff is poorly trained and rude. It's awful service like this killing brick and mortar. read more

Framing. I worked with John during some end of year sales, and had so much fun and everything turned out perfectly. He totally got my style , easy to talk to and experiment with. Just had the best time discussing minute differences in color shades and the look I was going for. We had so much fun read more

Blick Art Materials - Small sample - Art Supplies Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Amazing service, good prices, lots in stock! Always greet you on the way in and everyone is an artist so great advice for any project!

This location has a lot of options across the board for any at supply you might need. They know their customers and have testing papers next to the art supplies for you to try out the color and feel including - oil pastels, traditional pastels, alcohol markers (blick brand dual nibs not copics) and some watercolor and gouache paint have sample swatches included above the individual colors for sale which is great for artists looking for something very specific. They also have a good set of options for journals, sketchbooks (sketch paper, watercolor, manga, marker paper) etc - a full aisle in fact so it'd be hard to not find what you're looking for here. read more

Surprisingly great place to buy presents for kids! I saw lots of little gifts for the younger crowd, and older kids/teens will appreciate the range of real art supplies as well as cute class supply stuff. I walked out with a bag of little surprises for my 4 year old for under $15. Actually way better than the "toys r us" inside the Macy's, which was bleak. The folks who work here were very nice and helpful. Recommend! read more

Fabulous. A very big store with a large collection of art supplies and a super helpful staff.

We had a big stroller with a baby in and two toddlers with me but the staff were so helpful and friendly. I often hesitate to go anywhere like this place because I have three littles with lots of energy but I was so happy to found another place I could go with little less hesitation to go with them in dc. Lots of nice stationaries and most materials you'd want to have for your littles' craft time. :) I'm from Japan and I saw a lot of products that was from Japan too. That made me happy. read more

First time ever in an art store believe it or not (or at least it's been at least 20 plus years when I used to draw). So this was fun! The service was fantastic and the employee super patient and helpful since I 100% had no idea what I was looking for. Ended up with some great stuff and absolutely obsessed with my new art book. Can't wait to be back for all my art supplies. read more

Blick Art Materials - My book. LOVE IT!!!!! - Art Supplies Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

5 stars for the customer service at this location. I needed a particular size/type of raw canvas and had an issue with purchasing it the day before. Torrez, the GM called directly to resolve the issue, get me the product I needed for a client and made it right the following day. I can tell he genuinely cares about running this store well and taking care of his customers. read more

great selection and even better customer service! 10/10 recommend for all your art/ architecture needs

I go to this art store when I'm in the DC area going to an event or something. Good to go to a real art store vs Michael's or Hobby Lobby since they're close to me. This place is serviceable I guess. It's small for what I'm used to in the south where we have more space. I know space in expensive in this area. They have pretty good sales on various paints often and sometimes canvas is a good price too. Staff is always nice and smiling so a pleasant experience when I go. read more

Great selection of art supplies, great prices, and the staff is knowledgeable and friendly. I am so happy with my experience at Blick both in person and online. I got some art markers from them and found out one was dry when I got home. I brought it back to them and they exchanged it for a new one. When I got additional markers online they were packed carefully and securely to make sure they arrived in perfect condition. read more

Covid19 precautions in place and hours may be less than usual. We got great craft materials such as padded board, gold paint, fabric dye, paintbrushes and sequins and elastic bands for reasonable prices, all good quality materials. Staff very helpful in finding where stuff was located. read more

Blick Art Materials - Bag of materials - Art Supplies Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I've only been to this location a few times, and I remember why I don't shop here. No one asked if I needed help, but I hear an associate asking another customer if they needed help. Instead they watch me as if I'm stealing. Don't they teach y'all that approaching a customer is a great deterrent to theft? Anyway, when I went to check out the cashier asked if I was a member, I was but because I had not been here in so long I needed to sign up again. I gave her my info but when doing so, I'm assuming someone may have been speaking in the ear piece because she got my name all wrong and I kept having to repeat it over and over again. Unprofessional, and unpleasant experience. read more

Staff makes you feel like you shouldn't be in there after declining to apply for a card. I found good materials but the staff sucked. They didn't even acknowledge me when I came in. When I went to checkout, there were two employees who saw me but kept talking ignoring the fact that I wanted to checkout. If you're a beginner and want to ask staff advice on what tools you should get, good luck because they'll only talk to you when they're asking if you want to sign up for a rewards card. read more

Enroute to the convention center on foot, my wife and I stumbled past the store and had to go in for a better look. My wife, the budding artist, appreciated the wide assortment of paints and canvases. They have a nice selection of easels in the front window as well. The staff were friendly and helpful and it was nice to see a good bit of foot traffic in there during a weekday. read more

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What a great little shop! I decided the other day that I wanted to pick up embroidery as a hobby and so needed to stock up. I called ahead to make sure they had some of the key items I needed and the person I spoke with was super helpful! She mentioned that they were running a little low on the embroidery hoop size I was looking for so she said she would hold one for me behind the desk. Later that day when I went, it was easy to pick up the hoop and I found everything else I was looking for around the store. There are also so many other fun little things there. It would be a great place to do some gift shopping when you don't know exactly what to get a person. Attaching my completed embroidery project! read more

Blick Art Materials - Completed craft! - Art Supplies Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Best experience ever in an Art supply store. I went in looking for encaustic materials and even thought the location is small and geared towards old school graphic artists, I found enough to keep me amused. So did my friend, who unleashed a wad of cash. She almost never does that. I ended up getting into a really good conversation with one of the staff about a Pilot calligraphy pen. I couldn't decide/remember which one I had at home and wanted to get a second one. This led to that and we ended up trading stories on how to use them like we were besties. That was cool. She showed me some of her artwork on her phone. I had been thinking of using the pens strictly as they were marketed. She showed me her linework and it encouraged me buy one on the spot. I like the staff more than the stock here. I was hoping for a variety of fine arts materials that were a bit more specialized. Instead the focus is more on graphic arts materials and traditional materials. Lots of notepads and sketchpads. read more

Blick Custom Framing Dept. Well couple of points for you if using the Washington, DC Store. 1. Hours don't match what's on Website. 2. Staff here are not a single team. 3. Staff don't seem to understand that your art work can be valuable especially if your getting if custom framed. So to my first point tried on three occasions to visit the store in DC and while it was open to get custom framing I was unlucky on three occasions (two visits the staff member and there backup where not on shift, told to come back another day). Website FAQs: "Are frame shop hours different from the store?" "All of our Custom Printing & Framing store hours are the same as the store they are located in." - So not true. On the one occasion when the Framing department was open things didn't work out so good for me either. I should have pay more attention to my initial staff encounter when the Staff member wasn't wearing any groves (that they sell in their store) when handling the high gloss archival metallic photographic print that I was hoping to famed.. But after dropping the wooden frame samples twice directly on the print surface and thus destroying the print, it was then I realized my mistake in choosing what can only be described as a "backyard" framing store. But the staff member was willing to give me a discount but just not off the frame, glass or mats? The staff member didn't offer to try and replace the artwork but did have the audacity to ask I didn't need the print anymore if I could leave it for him to look after? I know I'm a glutton for punishment but still thinking ok this guy's having a bad day. I proceeded to complete the quotation based on the little discount he had given for the destroyed print and I would rush home to replace the Print with a new one and return the next day to drop if off it off in the rain to compete the framing as we had arranged. So on the Sunday I returned to Blick DC only to be told by the on duty Staff you need to come back as they don't do custom framing on Sunday even to just drop off the print, like we had agreed? I spoke to both the sales staff and a assistant manager (S.D.H) but got little to no sympathy even when I asked about a claim form to replace the staff damaged item as while the Custom Framing is located within the Blick store apparently it's some how separate and he could (or would) not help me beyond this, but Lucky for me he would refund my prepaid framing cost. Morel of this story if you want a professional custom frame done don't trust Blick! read more

Went into the store yesterday to get art supplies for work. A very nice gentleman age about 30/40s, 5'10, African American greeted me upon entering and helped me up the steps with my baby stroller. He took the time to speak and see what I needed and helped me to each isle! He even recommended the paper I was looking for. All in all for a paintbrush, 6 heavy sheets of paper and some glue 5$ very affordable! I will definitely be back when it's time for art again at work and will update my review with kind gentleman's name who helped me. He also helped me back down the stairs upon leaving! Thank you thank you! read more

After being looking for art supplies all around dc (Plaza art, mickaels, etc) I finally ended in this shop that a friend recommended. I found every thing needed and the advices too read more

Blick Art Materials - Art ludique - Art Supplies Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

They had so much more supplies than I expected. Staff was knowledgeable and helpful. Overall a great store

First off, the person who helped was GREAT. I couldn't figure out what email address I had registered with them, and this cashier spent some serious time trying to figure out what I had used. So nice and helpful! (Management: this was 12/4 in the evening - wish I had caught the name!) Unfortunately I'm only giving 3/5 because Plaza would've been considerably cheaper - I was just in a bit of a pinch because I need to send off cards with international postage deadlines. All in all great help, decent selection, pretty high prices. read more

As a budding artist (oh, how I wish, but I'll go ahead and keep living in this fantasy world in my head), this is the place to be! They seem to always have new, good sales going on (so artists don't have to starve TOO too much), and they've got a good selection of pretty much everything. I picked up my paint, brushes, palette and canvases here. I'll get an easel here when I feel more legit. OK, I'll admit that I don't know as much as a more "real" artist, but my "real artist" teacher recommended this place; and I trust her. The staff is super helpful, so if you're feeling lost, they can usually lead the way. Seems like each staff member/artist has differing opinions based on personal taste, so don't be afraid to ask more than one person for help! read more

Art, sweet Muse, how needy a lover! Artists come to work and teach here so this store has a veneer to it. It's a REAL art shop -- no scrapbooking doohickies here! During the day, the store 'hosts' artists showing their groove, and most of the employees, if not all, who work here are artists. There are gems to be had at the sales, but don't expect that art is a bargain affection -- the Muse will let you get away with $7 paint kit for a first date but eventually, you'll be dishing out $26 for a single thick round sable brush -- just so the Muse will let you tangle your fingers through her hair, and stroke the swell of her silhouette, gently shimmering in the candlelight. read more

During my senior year at AU, I decided to take a painting class to complete my second level arts requirement. Taking this class led me to Utrecht to buy all of my paints, brushes, paper, canvas, etc. There is a good selection of art supplies here and it's moderately priced so that you know it's pretty good quality but you won't go completely broke. Post-graduation, I've returned to Utrecht to find materials for matting and framing my photos and pleasantly found all of the things I needed. Staff are readily available to help should you have questions so don't be afraid to ask. Most of their recommendations are on par. read more

I love your friends, they're all so arty, yeah! $13 got me plexiglas and mat boards for three 5x7 frames. They have lots of cool paints. I wish I were a real artist and not just a poser. Staff is young, funny and knowledgeable. They have so many colors of paint tubes that you could probably park yourself in front of them and go for a trip. As in, they're called fingers but I've never seen them fing... oh, there they go. Good place for a lunch break or a date. read more

Great experience. Sales person were very helpful when I need assistance to pick out frames and mats!!! Agree with Jenn H., their frames are always on sale, very reasonable priced. And plenty in stock! Thanks! read more

I'm headed over to Utrecht in just a moment to stock up on Halloween card-making supplies - yay! Utrecht has a great variety of affordable papers (for when I don't feel like splurging at paper source), pens, glues, paints, gadgets, etc. and the staff is really friendly and helpful. In fact, one time a sales associate took the time to help me brainstorm ways to transport a 48"X48" canvas home with me on my bike - good times - I hope nobody got that fiasco on film. Big spenders take note: they have some membership card deal that tracks your purchases and sends you coupons from time to time, so that's nice. Overall it's convenient, has reasonable prices and can be a good place for art-y/craft-y advice. read more

Great, no-nonsense art supply shop. It's not a huge location, but they seem to stock a lot of the basic essentials at reasonable prices. I usually come here to find frames and mats for my photos. The staff has always been helpful and patient with my questions, helping me figure out solutions to more than a few of my oddball problems! They also have frequent sales and coupon offers through their email list. My only complaint is that their straight-edge mat board cutter is REALLY dull (they are very upfront about this and caution you against its use) - and they don't have a beval mat cutter available for your use. If I cut more mats, I'd look into buying a real mat cutter for myself (I've heard though that the cheap ones aren't worth the bother, and I don't use it enough to invest in a real one). But as someone who only occasionally needs an off-size mat, it would be really nice if the store had a way for me to cut the mat board down to size without destroying it. read more

Great store! Staff is super helpful and friendly, very attentive. Well stocked and good selection of items. If you sign up for their rewards type program/ customer loyalty card, you can save a lot of money. They have great deals when you buy five or more paintbrushes. I originally only checked out with a couple paintbrushes and the cashier recommended I get a couple more.. and she was right- the price went down three dollars because I got two extra brushes! What a deal! read more

water for pets: no Utrecht is one of those rarities in the retail world, a national chain that feels like a mom and pop. It has the resources of the big boys (decent prices, great selection) but the staff are friendly, very knowledgable, and really want to help you get what you need. When you go to Michael's, you run the gauntlet of aisle after aisle filled with cheap crafty preassembled crap (you know who you are, Martha...) and min wage teens who could care less about you and your bags, but not at Utrecht. They have the supplies and recommendations to satisfy most any fine artist or art student, carry the staples AND the exotic medium or two, and maintain a healthy kids section that isn't insulting or anchored by the latest cartoon character. Combine that with a regular barrage of worth-the-trip coupons on their FB page and free in-town delivery on orders over $100, and they're simply unbeatable. This dog-friendly place is a 3 mile walk from my door and back, and the round trip is never one we've regretted. read more

this is the only art store I go to in the DC metro area. I never cheat on Utrecht because: Students get 10% off Walkable from McPherson's or Metro Center! big selection decently priced read more

I came here a few weeks ago for calligraphy tools, as well as a photo frame for a Quotables (.com - you know the ones) card I had purchased as a gift for a friend. I lucked out! Not only did they have a variety of frame options, but they actually carried a proper Quotables frame intended for this exact purpose - in both black and white! Sold. However, as for calligraphy tools, they had pens - with some sort of dipping ink, and then they had very thick (5.0) black markers (Y&C Calligraphy from Japan). I went with the markers, however the slanted edge and tip thickness ended up being too thick to use for my intended purpose (writing a custom message in a birthday card), so I used it only to label the envelopes (which was a slight bummer). While the shopkeepers were super friendly and helpful, I knocked off one star for this, because when I had taken a calligraphy class in Colorado in 7th grade (yes, I know - eons ago), we had calligraphy markers with smaller, thinner tips - also in a wide variety of colors. I had hoped that an art store such as Blick would carry those same (or a similar style, different brand) markers. I'm also not sure if such a tool exists anymore. Alternately, maybe it is available in a larger Blick - like the stores in San Francisco and Chicago. Either way, this is a pretty good shop, especially for DC - where the art scene still seems to be emerging. read more

I love this place. It's near the McPherson metro stop and has more than you'll ever need in terms of art supplies or hobby shop stuff. You'll come out wanting to be 10 different kinds of artists... sculptor, painter, spray painter, decoupager, etc. So, I try not to get carried away. Ask for the free loyalty rewards card and you'll get 10% off all future purchases, a 25% off coupon for your entire purchase that day, and a free eraser! They'll even let you save that 25% coupon for a future purchase, if you ask. read more

I'm an MFA Candidate and Graduate Assistant in painting at University of Maryland in nearby College Park, MD. Having a quality store like Utrecht in such close proximity to where I live and work is greatly beneficial. They stock a wide variety of brands in nearly every type of supply they carry and their prices are VERY reasonable when compared to other options. The staff is always friendly and helpful, most of them being working artists, and the frequent sales make the supplies even more affordable. I've been painting on thick Arches watercolor papers which Utrecht carry a wide variety of to suit virtually any need. The paint selection is great as well. I will continue to be a loyal customer for years to come. Be sure to sign up for the preferred customer card as it gives an additional 10 percent off. read more

Just stopped by to pick up supplies to make a costume and some painting supplies. I did not get judged (much) for going to the crafts section first. I was surprised that hot glue gun refills cost around $7.50, but they are a different type of glue and a bit longer than the sticks you find in a Michael's. I was equally surprised that a pad of 11"x15" watercolor paper costs only $6.99 and that my acrylics (series 1) cost only about $5.50 a tube. The person who helped me, Belle, was just so friendly and she knew exactly where everything I asked for was. By the way, big sale on canvases going on through 12/26! read more

I enjoy looking around in this store. They have lots of art supplies for all sorts of art activity. I like checking out the various pens and drawing supplies. I usually wind up buying a new mechanical pencil. I like pencils so I can easily correct my mistakes. read more

I was impressed with the service here. I brought a syllabus with a list of materials for an interior design class and an associate helped me pick out each one. She could tell I was conscious of price and so she helped me find less expensive options. She also explained the difference between products I was not familiar with. I did some comparison shopping between Utrecht and Amazon and found the prices to be very comparable for basic art and design supplies like pens, pads, T-squares etc. Utrecht also has a large selection of picture frames, but they mostly for displaying art/photography and are not colorful or ornate - a good alternative to more expensive stores. I asked about a student discount but they did not offer one, which was a bit disappointing (they offer a credit card with 10% off the first purchase - not worth it for me). Still, the prices seem low enough that I could do without it. read more