I was recently in the market for a good puzzle glue, of all things, and it had to be REALLY good,…read moreas the puzzle in question was very special and pricey (limited edition, and a gift from a dear friend). I am familiar with DeSerres stores as they are a national, high-end arts supply store, and when I used to be a student in design school, we'd often get specialized items here in Montreal, years ago. I went online and saw that they carry not one but TWO good puzzle glues, so off I went, to find this store. I found the place easily, on Grandview, close to the Italian Community Center where I got my COVID booster a while back. And right off the bat, I was impressed that there was a dedicated parking lot for their clients. Free parking? Yes, please! Upon entering the store, a young woman who was manning the cash greeted me, and I asked her where the puzzle glue was. She knew exactly where and told me which aisle. As I walked to the area, I was struck by all the canvases, acrylic paints and brushes. What a great selection, and all of excellent brands. (Not the kind at generic craft stores). I also was struck by all the artsy "toys" - the kinds I've not seen elsewhere. Know a kid who's creative? This truly would be the place to get him or her gifts. I didn't go upstairs, but it was clear there was a second floor. I was amazed at all the puzzles they had. I didn't remember DeSerres having puzzles and toys, only art supplies. And the puzzles they had were excellent quality ones, like Ravensburger, and all depicted scenes and artworks that I've never seen on puzzles before. I don't think you'd have to worry about missing pieces or ill-fitting pieces if you got any of these puzzles. I couldn't find the puzzle glue, but the employee who greeted me came to check on my progress in finding what I came here for, and when I told her there were no glues in the aisle, she said they just got a shipment of stuff "in the back" and she'd go check. So nice! Unfortunately, when she returned she said that no glues were in that shipment and the next shipment isn't for another week or two. Darn it. I had assumed if an item was on their website, it'd be in stock in the store. Next time I'll know to call first to check. The employee suggested I try maybe Michael's or another craft store (I forget the name), and I thanked her for her help. She really tried to help me out and I appreciated it. The prices at this store are not cheap, but we're not dealing with cheap merchandise. Just call first if you're looking for a specialized item.

I am reviewing this based on my experience as a disabled person and also the parent of a child who…read moreuses a wheelchair. This place COULD be accessible but it isn't. The door opens directly on to the sidewalk, but there is no handicapped door opener. They keep sale items upstairs. There is an elevator but a key is needed and it takes you to a staff only area. It's clear that the primary purpose of the elevator is staff moving items and not accessibility for people who can not use stairs. We felt like complete afterthoughts trying to shop here.

Prices are great and the lady who works there is so funny and sweet. Highly recommend!read more

Pottery, glass making, paint classes - This is a wonderful place to relax, get away and spend hours…read moreat. I wish there was more of a selection for pottery but overall a great experience for yourself or for a gathering.

What an amazing and unique arts and crafts to do alone, a small group, or in our case, a group of 8…read moregirls! All of us had a great time from the moment we walked in. The ambiance is super cute, with colorful, warm vibes. The music always soothing, and you even get hot tea and Turkish delights in bites. 1) booking has never been easier. We selected the pick you piece on site. So go earlier so you can browse and really find the piece and size you want. 2) go early, so you can start planning what kind of mosaic you plan to design in your platter. 3) be mindful of the time. You get 3 hrs, but the hours go really fast when you're having fun, and you're also new to this. Set some time aside, more than 1 hr, so do the filler beading at the end. My friends and I really pushed the boundaries of time limit and was rushing to finish our beading filler. Still super fun, but super intense thinking we wouldn't finish on time. Definitely would go back and do this again. The staff was super friendly and helpful. The establishment was clean and chic. Please note that this isn't wheel chair friendly and that you will have to go down a bunch of stairs to reach the studio. Price was right! For unlimited glass and beads. And for just the whole experience. Really recommend it! Parking was easy to find outside. Paid meter, bust its only 2 hrs max? So had to go up again to refill.. send a friend up with your receipts so one person can refill all the cars. Or carpool!

Hands down, the best art workshop around!…read more At the Mosaic Art Studio you can make your own traditional Turkish lamp using hand cut mosaic glass and beads. I've never been to a more satisfying art workshop. You start with a specific project in mind (think Candle Holders, or different shapes of lamps... Table, Aladdin, Swan, and Moon lamps). They are all the same difficulty and range in prices from $79-139. In their studio, you spend 3 hours making your lamp, and what may seem like a lot of time, those precious hours will fly by. Their studio, which is just across from Columbia station, is gorgeous! It's decorated with rugs and lamps and intricate Turkish pieces all set to get inspiration from. Each workshop table has an assortment of colorful beads and hand-cut glass pieces. You also get a handy sheet that has examples of designs that you can use for your creation. It's fun getting to design your own lamp. You have the creative freedom to choose the color, shapes and styles, or you can even wing it. Whatever you choose, it will come out perfectly following their instruction on what to do. Once you're finished making your glass bowl insert, the studio takes two weeks to seal it to preserve your design. You'll receive an email when it's ready to collect. And at home, you can marvel in awe of what you created. I've also booked the team here for an in-office team-building group workshop, and they were fantastic. They set up everything similar to their studio and even played the traditional Turkish music. The instruction was clear and they had plenty of their friends to help on a one-on-one basis if anyone needed help or advice. The team here make it a really seamless process and I couldn't recommend them enough! Come to their beautiful studio or book them for an event, either way, it's a fun time creating your own Turkish mosaic lamp!

This print shop is a god send for creative designers. She has such an amazing collection of papers…read moreand envelopes and letterpress printers to make designs that really stand out. She deals with mostly invitations and personal stationery herself, but for me, my designs for gift certificates and special promo items for my business clients could never be made by anyone else. Prices are great, communication is fast and detailed and the options this shop allows for me as a designer is outstanding. My favorite vendor for years now - I'll follow you to Langley or anywhere else you go!

This is where you want to buy paper! Beautiful quality, no tacky scrap-book stuff, all 8X11 sizes…read morefor easy printing AND so many great envelopes. They make their own pockets and folding cards which are like envelopments but better (and cheaper) and they have more envelope mixing and matching options too. Make sure you order well in advance if you need a volume of something for your wedding as many things are made to order. I also like the vibe here, they definitely aren't an in-your-face tulle filled wedding store. (Low gag-factor).

What an artist! I…read moredon't know anyone else who is able to interpret your creations and make it a reality.

Exceptional work at a fair price - here is the story of my Dad's watch…read more I went to see Alexandr about my father's 40 year old watch. It was not working and the crystal had fallen out and was broken. First he ordered and installed the new battery but the old watch still didn't work. So we set a budget for the maintenance and cleaning of the watch along with a new custom crystal. Then we crossed our fingers everything could be done within our budget and that the old watch had some more life in it. Alexandr called to say the watch was working and ready for pick up. What he didn't say over the phone was not only was the watch working but that the whole thing was restored! All the gold had been cleaned and polished (not a scratch anywhere) and with the new crystal the old watch sparkled and looked brand new. I was blown away with the fabulous restoration job he had done and all within our budget. Alexandr had listened and knew how important this watch was to us and he went above and beyond to get that watch to work again.

This artisan gift shop is located in the PoMoArts building/gallery on St Johns Street in the heart…read moreof Port Moody, and despite its small size, it sure packs a punch! I'm a sucker for museum gift shops and artisan fairs, where you can browse and/or purchase unique artsy items and occasionally meet and chat with the artists who created them. This gift shop embodies all that, and more. The store carries a diverse selection of art items, from gorgeous greeting cards created by paper artists and painters and photographers, to ceramic tile coasters with BC photographs fused onto them, to ceramics to textiles to jewelry. When I visited I also saw some lovey contemporary glass pieces, from small pocket hearts to larger serving platters. I really liked how this shop focused on the works of local artists. I like supporting local talents and local businesses. I also really liked how, unlike some museums or art gift shops, here their items for sale ranged in price from $5 and up, making many of the beautiful items available and accessible to folks on any budget. I really appreciated that wide range of price points here. For example, I saw some gorgeous hand-made greeting cards with hand-made textile embellishments on them, signed on the back by the artist, for $4.95, and I've seen comparable artist-made greeting cards for double that price elsewhere. (Note: for many items here, though, the pricing is on par with similar artisan creations. I believe the pricing may be set by the artists themselves). As I was leaving the shop, I chatted a bit with the lady at the check-out counter, and I commented how lovely the shop is, how there's something here for practically anyone. She noted that they have a very popular "Christmas marketplace" coming up in November and December, and I have already put a return visit to PoMo to check it out!

I stumbled onto the Wylde Wood and to be honest I could have spent hours in there looking at each…read morepiece of art in detail if I wasn't on a time limit. This is a small specialty boutique shop filled with unique items ranging from the Renaissance period, Steampunk culture and Victorian style pieces. They have local artists designing for the store and the items are one of a kind. The staff were just as kind and wonderful as I took my time looking at everything in the store. Wylde Wood is definitely special and I hope they stick around for a long time.

Make it show is one of the largest Christmas craft fair in Vancouver!…read more I enjoyed shopping and browsing at so many vendors who offerscraft, accessories, infuser, and foods! Especially food section is one of my favorite. There are so many unique creation such as lobster oil, East Indian fusion desserts, plant based products, boba, and more! I highly recommend this craft fair. So many vendors, so many experiences!

Saving my clams for next year! This place rocks for providing gifts, decor and munchies of local…read moresubstance. So, I won tickets this year but would gladly pay the entry fee which is ever so reasonable. My little heart was swollen with pride at the creative folks using their noggins to produce quality fare for our fair city. Local gins, bourbon chipotle rubs, lights, signs, plants, artistry of every measure, leather goods, drawrings...if someone can imagine it, it's probably here in some permutation. I love the idea of Make It and would like to rent space/tools myself sometime. The food trucks outside certainly don't hurt (wink!).