I've been to Craftopia a couple different times now, but the girls and myself went to her new…read morelocation for the first time the other day for her candle making class. It was great. The place is really big, easy to find with a nice big sign right on the building and parking right in front. Has a lot of different rooms and a lot of art displayed in each. I loved walking around everywhere and looking at it, it was definitely encouraging us to want to come back and partake in even more classes she has to offer! Cora was even nice enough to give us one of the pieces that she had done that the three of us liked the best. Definitely recommend this place and we'll be back soon! Thanks Cora!

My friend and I came for a candle making class today and we had a great time with Cora and Adira…read morethe staff dog! Cora was really good at explaining our options and helping us make our selections. Her space is very welcoming and cozy, I appreciated how she was available for questions and assistance but also gave us free rein to pick and choose scents/colors/materials. For the class fee, you really get a lot out of the lesson time, definitely worth coming to a class and I look forward to coming to some of the other classes in the future!

If the rumor is true, that Michael's is going to take over for JoAnn Crafts, we're in trouble…read more Someone needs to teach the staff how to cut material/chords. I obviously wasn't paying attention at the time or I would've noticed she measured 2 yards of cord that had been spliced together. Unfortunately, by the time I realized what she had done I had thrown away the receipt. They obviously didn't take the cord back and refund my money. They will obviously never be a JoAnn Crafts

After dealing with a very rude person at a different location (Tukwila) I called Puyallup for help…read more They couldn't have been more kind! Found what we needed and had it waiting when we arrived. Even though the drive is at least twice as far from our house, this is the only location I will shop at when at home. It is clean, safe, well stocked and staff understands the concept of customer service!

The pay by the bag thing was a total scam. I tried my best to navigate what was supposed to go in…read morebags and what was off limits but it was a mess. The smallest signs that said "not for bags" were written in sharpie on tape. I was sure I picked all the bag eligible items but when I went to check out every item was rung up. So instead of 7 dollars it came out to 23. In response to owner- I looked for the signs as best I could, I thought all these things I picked out were good to go. The signs are very small and not obvious so it's hard to tell what is individually priced and what's not. Everything in the store has a price on it. But yes next time I will triple read the signs to avoid paying 22 dollars for old pins and beads!:)

Tinkertopia is a utopia of all things related to tinkering. With many random things needed for a…read moreproject (beads, magnets, jewelry, scraps of fabric and construction/ felt paper, buttons, etc), random books/ magazines, CDs and tapes, etc. If you have time to browse, you should make a visit in here to look at all the things in here because it is hard to describe the magnitude of fun things you may find. My husband, our little girl dog and I actually parked right outside this store and saw this Santa (we visited last month) which really peaked our interest (and also the name did too) so we decided to come in. There was a "time travel" Santa by the large window in a cool looking time travel machine that was available for free photos. This time travel Santa had a fun steam punk kind of attire and was more than happy to take photos with our little girl when asked if he would. We ended up decided to purchase these tiny little blocks we found in a small cabinet. My husband thought it would be nice to get these blocks to spell out our dog name and glue it to her wooden dog bed headboard. It made me laugh that the bag the employee put the blocks in was a brand new (clean) hamburger wrapper bag from Arco's AM/PM. The friendly employee told me that a customer donated boxes of these wrapper bags that he got from a storage that he ended up purchasing (as there were a few boxes of these just sitting in there). That definitely made me laugh since it just goes with the charm of this store. If I lived in this area, I know I would be a regular. For those of you visiting from Vancouver (or if you visit there), you can check out their other store, Urban Source (https://www.yelp.com/biz/urban-source-vancouver), in which the owner had opened that store first before opening this store in Tacoma.

This place is as essential to my life as gas in my car…read more The joy of getting from point A to point B, finding something, building something, creating something is priceless. The coffee shop is a bonus. I had never been in Bonney Lake before meeting my now husband of 5 plus years, and I have developed the habit of coming here whenever anything happens in my life. Everything is expensive these days, but I come to Ben Franklin to walk the aisles and feel my feelings. I come here when I am sad, scared, happy, excited. Through celebrations and losses, milestones and ordinary days, it has been a constant place of comfort, creativity, and possibility. I do not usually let staff at any store affect my day one way or another. They have their own lives and stories that I know nothing about... every employee I have encountered here has been kind, helpful, and genuinely pleasant. My child is growing up with paintbrushes instead of iPads, with crochet hooks and yarn, fabric, puzzles, sewing machines, and handmade keepsakes that become symbols of memory. She is learning how to create, imagine, and build with her own hands. A big part of that is because this place exists. We truly love Ben Franklin Crafts. Please do not go anywhere.

I shop this store frequently and have had nothing but positive experiences. The staff are helpful…read moreand friendly. Even though some prices are slightly higher, I prefer local shopping to Amazon or a place like Hobby Lobby.

Buy 1 lb. of fudge for $12.99 and get a 1/2 lb. free!…read more We went in there (six of us and our dog) and tried lots of fudge samples! The lady was really gracious with us and we were able to sample pretty much all of the flavors before making our decisions. This store was cool - scrapbooking materials, homemade fudge, and tanning services. The cappuccino fudge was my favorite and there was a good selection of wedding invitation and album scrapbooking materials. If I were a scrapbooker I would've spent lots and lots of money here!

I am not an artist and am not in any way crafty. I can't draw for the life of me and honestly, the…read morevery thought of attempting to put paint on a cavas terrified me. A friend had an extra groupon and invited me along with a group of ladies in Jan. I went because my friend asked me to,not because I wanted to. 3 hours later, I was totally hooked. I am not an alcohol drinker, but, the selection is nice. And, she has a nice selection of things for us non-drinkers. Anyway, what started as a terrifying experience for me, quickly turned into something amazing and almost therapeutic. With guidance and teaching, I learned how to mix paint and put it on the canvas. And what I brought home that night actually looked like someone important painted it. I made thedecision during that class that this would be my new year's resolution: to attend one class a month for the year. And, it is now November and I must say that I have done that and a couple extra. The price is great and is the same as a night out to a movie or other activity. And for me, it is a time to turn off the cell phone, chat with friends, learn something new and leave with art. Everything I have painted is worthy to be on the wall. It is a cozy setting with umbrellas on the ceiling and sample paintings everywhere. Music plays through the sound system and the instructor is very personable and knowledgeable. The no clean up part is pretty amazing too. For me, this has been a great monthly experience and even if you just come once, you will have a great time, enjooy some wine, and take home your own art, worthy to be put on your wall!

My boyfriend wanted to take me out and plan something that I liked to do and naturally, when he…read morethought of me, two things came to mind: booze and painting pictures of cats. We decided to go on an adventure and take a painting class together. He, an engineer, didn't think himself a painter or an artist at all. I consider myself more of the artsy-fartsy type and was completely ecstatic about going to this class! I walked into this little hole-in-the-wall in Renton and was greeted very kindly by the owner, Bev, and a guest artist. Some booze and snacks were had and then we entered the art room. Not officially called "the art room," but I thought it was a clever description. The painting process was explained and easy to understand. Every painting seemed very unique and easy enough to learn. Even though my bf wasn't an artist, his painting turned out wonderful! We had a great time. I recommend going after work with the girls or for a birthday party. I brought home a complete work of art and it was a really good time. Some suggestions: eat dinner ahead of time, come early to find parking, and you might not want to be a perfectionist because the two hours we had went by really quick. I'd like to go to a longer session. All the paintings look so RAD!

Super nice and helpful here every single time. The selection of clay and glazes is endless & the…read moreadorable pups makes you keep wanting to come back (:

I love this place to get anything you need for pottery! Super helpful and friend staff EVERY TIME I…read morego. This store has earned the community's support!

My friend and I traveled to the area for other reasons, and decided to fit in a little yarn…read moreshopping. Unfortunately, the hours posted on Google were not correct, and when we arrived, the store was officially closed, although a class was going on. Win, whom I am assuming was not just sales but perhaps the manager, was extremely apologetic. Rather than turn us away, she let us browse , saying that she was teaching the class but wouldn't have time to help us in real time. She let us know that we could flag her down if we had questions. We really enjoyed ourselves. The store is much larger than any local yarn store I have been to previously, and there are many unique and different yarns. Win came to help us after her class, and could not have been more wonderful. What started out as a browse, turned into some nice purchases. It's a gem of a store, and I look forward to going back on my next trip up north.

Great yarn store. They cater to all kinds of fiber arts. The selection is fantastic - you've got…read moreyour staples (Noro, Malabrigo, Manos del Uruguay etc) as well as the fanciful and rare, in all weights, fibers and types, and neatly organized too. It's located in an old industrial space. Light industrial brickwork. The sign is a little small and hard to spot. You enter through a small door and go up a few stairs, and voilà - Alibaba's cave. The staff is helpful, friendly, and very knowledgeable. They'll help you as much as you want them to, without being pushy. In my case, there were some yarns that I liked, and they found the right projects for my taste and skill level, made sure I was kitted out, and taught me the techniques I'd need. In case you need patterns, they've got them. There's a full room dedicated to books. Don't miss the clearance section! They also do knitting workshops during week days by reservation, for a very modest fee. They also have classes, though they do fill out fast!