Every budding artist should come here for inspiration. This is not just a typical clay, throw on…read moreyour own wheel, sort of deal. Classes vary and can include crochet, painting, etc. I took my little girls and they just happened to have paint with a Princess where there was Anna and Elsa and they spent so much time engaging with the kids. They have lots of kids classes for all ages like make your own monster. Great staff and if you love to support local this is a great place!

Well that was disappointing. Came in and there was no staff around to help get started or pay. Cute…read morepieces but no service is a huge turn off.

Squidly is a fantastic little shop full of color and handmade joy!…read more There are many unique, handmade goods by local artisans as well as fresh flowers! The owners are kind, authentic people who work hard to uplift local artisans and the surrounding community. A visit to Squidly is a visit to a great place that supports local creativity and the economy! Here you can find gifts, unique/handmade items, fresh flowers, a positive/vibrant/colorful and uplifting atmosphere, stickers, cards, jewelry, fashion accessories, home goods, art and more!

Super cute place with awesome product. I enjoyed talking with owner and I love supporting local…read morebusinesses. This is a cute place to buy local!

La Parada is rumored to have been a stagecoach stop on the historic El Camino route between Santa…read moreFe and Mexico City. If so, I doubt that it looked anywhere near as colorful and beautiful as it does now. The tagline on the 4th Street entrance sign (shared with Farm & Table) is "world decor/gifts/vintage," and it fits the place to a tee. But they easily could have added "flowering trees," "flowing water," "blooming gardens," "radiant sunshine," "world music," "retro chic," or any number of other descriptors. Some of the items here are bulky and best suited for local purchase and use, especially the hand-painted garden planters and exquisite ceramics and wooden sculptures on display inside the store on the first floor. Others, like the funky vintage items in the upstairs "Retro Kitchen," are ideal as traveling gifts for self, friends, or family. It's hard to describe everything else, which ranges from small ceramic suns and moons to day of the dead key rings, blank note cards, bear-shaped coin purses, scarves, gloves, necklaces, and a full compliment of exotic, alluring, aesthetically intriguing outerwear for women and men. Everything is carefully arranged and tastefully presented, but it's not so precious that you'd be afraid to bring your 2-year inside for a look. This isn't a Dale Chihuly gift shop, or a place for showing off 50-year old aged balsamic in Venetian hand-blown glass. The painted birdhouses and potted plant burros, frogs, and chickens are tougher than they might look. If you ever are tempted to convert 100% of your shopping dollars to on-line retail, visiting La Parada may make you reconsider. Like an approaching stagecoach stop that people yearned to reach after days of dusty, sun-baked travel on bone-rattling roads and perilous river crossings, some places are best experienced in person, with the hands and fingers and optic nerves that millions of years of evolutionary history have crafted, one natural selection at a time. Whenever I visit a unique and lovingly-tended place like La Parada, I wonder how many times a particular key chain or coin purse or flower pot has been looked at, touched, talked about, before finally finding a buyer. I imagine the leather being stitched, the ceramic being painted, the face of St. Francis being sanded, the birds on his shoulder being attached, the fabric being woven, dyed, and sewn, the boxes being lined with packing materials in La Paz, Las Cruces, Southern India, Sulawesi, or Isfahan. And then, like magic, they appear within range of your vision. You look, you touch, you ponder, and if the stars align and the price is right, you purchase. And then you pack up your belongings, cast a skeptical glance outside at the dark clouds gathering on the horizon, get back in your SUV-sized stagecoach, say your goodbyes and bon voyage's and vaya con dios's, and you move on to the next stop of the journey, with your new bear-shaped coin purse and painted ceramic sun and moon wrapped up securely next to your seat, no doubt curious about where they will be going next.

One of my favorite shops in the north valley -- no, in ABQ! Lots of treasures and unique finds and…read morethe owner and staff are always warm, friendly, and helpful. If you're looking for a unique gift for someone (including yourself) and a lovely day out at the same time, then make plans to shop here! They've got my favorite dishes (D'Casa), jewelry, and lots of clothes and other unique finds.

Super fun place to make art. There's a wide variety of pottery paint as well as a variety of paints…read moreto choose from. The whole vibe of the place definitely gets your creativity going. You pay for the pieces you paint and nothing else (however, if you waste paint you will be charged 50¢). It is a little pricey, however. Staff is great, the place is clean, the bathrooms are clean.

My daughter and I had such a fun date night. We loved all the different options that you can paint…read morein the colors. The staff is super friendly and helpful. They are very attentive and it's cutely decorated.

We had such a wonderful time coming here for Mother's Day in a group. The space was busy, but it…read morewasn't crazy. Each one of us found something we wanted to do, enjoyed our time together, and had fun creating something. I can't wait to get back our pottery that we created. There are so many options!

Wholesome place! Great for dates, family time, a good time with friends. So much space to get…read morecreative with your loved ones. I really enjoyed my time with my family at Kiln It. The space is inclusive and the staff is friendly. It took me two months to realize that this location does NOT call you when your art is ready. You need to come by and pick it up 10+ days AFTER you've completed painting your pottery. Of course, that doesn't go for all pieces since there's so much going on at Kiln It but if you're painting pre-made ceramics -- head back after 10 days to pick up your stuff!

I just moved to town and needed to start over with supplies. Good guidance from employees. Got some…read morebasics and am heading back. They also have classes. I like to touch what I'm buying.

I really wanted to like this place because it is the only locally owned art shop I have seen in…read moreABQ. However, the selection was extremely lacking. I found none of the basic items I was looking and had to order everything online from another vendor. I wish they had more products cause I do not like shopping from Michael's and wish there was a good local alternative in ABQ. Overall I would not recommend shopping here.

This is my favorite store in Old Town. San Pasquale is a close second, and the basket shop is - of…read morecourse - a must shop - but this one edges them out. The woman who owns the shop is so lovely - she is always extremely helpful and just could not be nicer. I have bought lots of things for myself here, and more than a few presents for other people. The shop has all kinds of interesting art, sculpture, wall hangings, jewelry, hats, clothing - it's a great place! She travels to South America to buy much of it, and it's all very beautifully made. All of the art is not just beautiful, but also priced very reasonably. I always know that if I need a gift, I can stop in there and find something great. I once got a necklace/earring set made of dyed cantaloupe seeds - really amazing, beautiful stuff. This shop is wonderful - I love it, and you will too!

You have to visit this shop when you are in old town. Out of the way in a side alley but worth he…read morestop. Excellent hats hand made and reasonably priced.

Ok I hate leaving reviews and almost never leave them. But Chatter Paint was so fun I created a…read moreYelp account just to leave a review because it was so amazing. Outside of breweries and the outdoors, it's hard to find unique things to do in Albuquerque. After spending a decade or so here, I just get bored of visiting the same places over and over again. When I first heard of Chatter Paint, I thought it was another boring painting place where you can paint pottery or a canvas or whatever so I didn't think too much of it. Then I saw one of my friends post their experience on Instagram with the black lights and neon paints I was floored. If that's not enough, I saw the absolute mess they created and I was even more blown away. What kind of business even allows this??! I had to try it for myself. I went with my three little boys who always have so much energy. The moment they set foot inside the painting area they were in the zone. They didn't even pay attention to their canvas when they saw the cool black lights, the painting tools, and especially the paint guns. We just had to try those! They spent the next 45 minutes throwing paint at each other and just having an absolute blast. They kept on asking for more and more paint. It wasn't even about painting lol just having lots of fun with paint. Word of caution! You can get very very messy so it's a good idea to wear ponchos or bring an extra set of clothes to change into. They have a sink to wash off in, but it doesn't always get everything off especially the hair or back. When we got home, I took my boys immediately to the shower and put their clothes in the wash. Everything came out pretty easily. They were talking about their time at Chatter Paint all evening and were begging me to go back again. It's also not a cheap experience either but we felt like it was comparable to other art places and totally worth it to bring the kids out! And they get a canvas to take back home with them. I highly recommend checking out Chatter Paint for a different painting experience that the whole family can enjoy.

What a fun concept! A large open room where you can actually paint, throw paint, shoot paint, fling…read morepaint, drop paint, splatter paint, aim for your canvas, aim for the walls, aim for eachother?!... it's rare to find a space where creativity's only limit is your imagination. And, as an extra option, you can choose to have this creative fun under black lights with glowing paint? Yes please. This cool spot provides you with a poncho, but I recommend wearing shoes and pants that can get messy. The only thing you'll need to clean up is yourself! They took care of everything - set up & clean up. We had a great time. Welcome to the list of creative & fun things to do in Albuquerque, Chatter Paint! They're new and working out the best ways to offer this space, but were really open to feedback and genuinely friendly and wonderful. I recommend just booking it, and going in and letting them walk you through your options. You'll have a blast. We will be back!

I placed an online order. It wasn't ready when I arrived. I asked about it at the register. I was a…read morelittle annoyed because I thought I would have to wait a while. Someone brought my order up in less than 5 minutes. The staff was very friendly. I was very impressed.

I usually enjoy shopping at Michael's because the store has a great selection of craft supplies and…read moreI can almost always find what I need even if the prices are higher than most shops. Unfortunately, the checkout experience completely ruined this visit. There were only self-checkout registers open and just one employee assisting customers. When one of the registers double-scanned an item, I needed help to fix it. It took nearly 20 minutes to get assistance because the single employee was overwhelmed helping multiple people. I understand staffing challenges happen, but waiting that long just to fix a scanning error is frustrating and unacceptable. If the store is going to rely primarily on self-checkout, there needs to be adequate staff available to assist customers quickly when issues come up. Great products, but the checkout process seriously needs improvement.

I love a unique toy shop and Bugzby's was just that! Their selection was diverse for ages and…read moreinterests, while also being unique (none of the big store brands and characters ). The shop itself is several rooms and there's a lot to see and explore. There are also so secret keys hidden around - if you find one you can get a little treat from their treasure chest The prices were competitive which was a pleasant surprise ( I expected things to be a bit pricier ) If you're strolling around old town this shop is worth a stop

A fun shop aimed towards young children. They had all sorts of classic and modern toys for a range…read moreof activities from make believe to educational fun.