I love blick. this location is great in particular and in a great spot. I like how they said "good…read moreluck on your project" when I checked out. I really needed that luck

They have everything one needs to complete their artistic endeavors. I use acrylic paints…read more Obviously much easier to use than oil paints. And, they have every color imaginable. I also appreciate their sales force. Their associates are very knowledgeable and extremely helpful. Don't need to look anywhere else.

THE Place for materials for Bay Area Artists & Teachers!…read more Everything creative, at rock-bottom prices. Stock changes briskly!

3 stars is an average. It's 5 stars for the shopping, as I've had fun shopping here and found great…read morestuff. It's 1 star for the donation experience. If you are looking to drop off donations, note that donation hours are only Thurs. and Sat. from 12-3pm. I failed to look at their website to confirm drop-off hours, and as I circled the block looking for parking, saw that the garage door to the donation bay was closed. They should really post a sign on that door stating donation hours. I'd seen that the store was open, so I persevered to find parking, then hauled my heavy bag into the store, thinking that maybe they were accepting donations inside the store. Wrong! As others have noted on Yelp, EBDCR can be finicky about what they'll accept for donations. Add the difficulty in finding parking, and it's just not worth it. The expensive (and unused!) stuff I was trying to donate went into the trash and recycling instead when I got home. Maybe next time I'll try posting unwanted craft supplies to FB Marketplace or Nextdoor, or find a school or teacher who wants them. Those methods seem way more convenient.

I just want to write this review to counter-act against "Scott S" one-star review because his…read morereview is so ridiculous. I should mention, I am in no way affiliated with this shop whatsoever in any way, shape, or form. However I do live in the neighborhood and when I was searching for paper stores, this shop came up in the search. It took me literally 2 seconds to see that it's not the type of store I'm looking for (I'm looking for more of a stationary/paper store as opposed to art supply anyways, but alas this shop came up.) I personally think it's really cool to have a shop specifically for materials more geared toward graffiti/spray paint art...because graffiti IS ART. Therefore this shop IS an art supply store! That guys review would be almost like if I went to Whole Foods and got mad because they don't sell Hot Cheetos and Swishers. That would be ridiculous, right? Of course it would be! People should do their own due diligence! I'm sure Scott S. refuses to take such responsibility though, for he mustn't have the basic sense to make such high agency decisions in his day-to-day life. But that's okay. Because I'm here. To suggest to anyone that comes across this shop, to simply look at the images. Look for yourself. Is this the type of store you're looking for? If you are unsure, the store owner's phone number is right here on this very listing. I'm sure you can call and ask. Don't be like Scott. Not now. Not ever.

I was looking for an "art supply store" close to me. Saw good reviews for this place on Yelp. Went…read morethere but a total waste of time. This is not an art supply store. They only have supplies like spray paint for graffiti. They don't have drawing paper or paints or canvases or anything you need to make art. Unless you're doing graffiti don't bother with this place.

I love going to the Berkeley Blick Art Materials store. It a pilgrimage for me. I remember crossing…read morethe Bay from SF when I was young going to a "giant" artist supplies store on Univeristy Avenue. This is the next best thing to that. Now that I'm relatively speaking "Old" I take my joys where I find them. If you ask me to go out for a good time, first take me to the Berkeley take me to 10th St. Blick and then to Berkeley Bowl West to pick up something great for dinner. You think I am joking, but I am not. I had a wonderful time and got loads of goodies. I would say the real value at Blick is immediacy. We old school folks like to touch the merchandize. We have respect for the time saved, finding what you want when you want or need it. The people that worked there were very lovely and helpful. The were probably humoring us. Three old ladies touching everything, laughing having some kind of celebration at the Art Store. It was a sort of special occasion and my choice was to go to Blick. It isn't far from home but it can be a challenghIt is a beautifully equipped establishment The only problem I had was at the colored pencils. The font size on the labels was so small could only guess. My.only difficulty at home was am individual Prismacolor green pencil. Broke so many times during sharpening it left the beloved Color just slightly over half the size.

Prices are high. Variety on hand is low (much easier to Buy online )…read moreStaff at the cash register was nice, the older gentlemen , the one younger floor attendant was short with us and not very helpful. Bad shopping experience.

Just a simple spot. Basic paints and pens. Some paper and general writing supplies along with a…read morevariety of canvases and art books! Overall, good if you know exactly what you're looking for (which most artists do).

As independent art supply stores have shut across the Bay Area over the last few years, Ink Stone…read morehas remained a paragon of affordable, convenient, intelligent retail. And it means you don't have to give your money to Blick.

I've been following Jessica Hische's work and career for a while now, and I was super excited to…read moresee that she opened up a shop. At the time, I was pretty sad, because I lived on the east coast. Little did I know, I'd find myself in the area after all. This shop is a nice little oasis for designers who just love nicely designed little every day objects. Hische stocks this place with all kinds of delightful things. I think the best part is that there are things at all price points. It's not just some snobby place, where nothing costs less than $100. There are solid quality and affordable pens, as well as some specialty items that are on the more expensive side. There is even original designs/works of art from Hische herself. Definitely a fun spot to check out if you're in the area. Highly recommend!

Do people give any less than 5 stars to local arts and crafts, woman owned businesses? Anywho, any…read moredesigner knows who Jessica Hische is but her store is for anyone. There's actual art supplies, pins, art books and kids books, some branded items like shirts, totes, onesies, and cool stuff like gorgeous desk clocks or hourglass timers that I can't afford lol. Anyways, worth a visit if you're in the area. I ended up getting a bunch of my holiday shopping done for my creative friends.

This is not a fancy place, but what I love about it is that it is for true crafts people. They have…read morea lot of solutions, potions, and powders that you can put together to make interesting artistic things, so to go in and purchase, you have to really know your craft and know what you are looking for. They have some great prices and some wonderful models of how to use their goodies through the store. The people who work there seem knowledgeable and that always helps. I appreciate their offerings so I go in, even though I'm taking my husband to buy things. He used to go to their San Francisco location. I have a lot of respect for businesses that provides supplies for people who have a craft -

I read online that this business is a local distributor for Smooth-On mold-making products. I…read morewanted to work on a project over the xmas break and was very happy that they were open on the morning of the 24th. They have a large selection of products in stock (silicone/urethane liquid rubbers, resins, pigments, and lots of other materials and chemicals) The employee who helped me was very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. I got everything I needed and highly recommend this place!

Went to this Michael's specifically to drop off a package for return via UPS; I found the site on…read morethe web (easier than out by Lucky's or the one near Nob Hill - also out a ways). The young woman who helped me was very cordial & pleasant. I had no wait at all. As soon as she scanned my package, she sent a confirmation to my email. No cost at all for this excellent service. There's no signage on the outside of the store so just go to the 5th St. Safeway; the 2 stores adjoin and share some of the same parking. After I left Michael's, it was a short walk over to the grocery store to pick up a few things. easy peasy

We went into the Michaels at 5:45 PM. They were open with customers. We had a shopping cart full of…read moreitems and were getting ready to check out but needed to use the restroom. I asked an older female employee if I could use the restroom prior to checking out and she said "no" that the restroom was closed for the evening for customers and told me to walk across the parking lot to the Safeway. Note that it was raining at the time. This was extremely unprofessional, and we left without purchasing any items and will not be returning. I would have been a paying paying customer and there is no reason unless it was out of service that I should Not have been allowed to use the restroom that is designated for customers. They even had the restroom area barricaded so you could not get to it. The female employee did not say the restrooms were broken she simply said they were closed for the evening, Yet they were open for at least another hour. I hope Management addresses this matter. I understand having to monitor the restrooms in stores due to People that misuse them but that's not me. I should Not be prohibited because of those that do. I am very Disappointed with Michael's in Alameda as this has not been an issue in any of the other Michael's I frequent.