This review is for the custom framing department. I've ordered 6 custom frames from this Michael's and I would NEVER go anywhere else. I always call ahead of time to make sure that Beverly is there because she is my girl and she is absolutely the best at custom framing! She's been in the business for a long time and definitely knows her stuff. She's also very patient, as her and I have spent a couple of hours together brainstorming on frames before (no joke!). She always greets me by name and asks about my family whenever I see her. She's a joy to talk to in-store while frame shopping, and she even calls me when they have rediculously good framing deals. Now that's customer service! I've gotten some pretty standard frames (a straight black frame for a Johnny Cash print), and I've also done some crazy ones as well (a triple matted orange frame with green matte trim for a child's wooden puzzle that i got framed and looks awesome!) No matter how difficult or easy, my frames always come out looking just as good as I expected them to, if not better. I actually went into a different Michael's that was closer to where I was living at the time, and the difference in knowledge and professionalism between the two framing departments was apparent immediately! I walked right out and drove here. A couple of tips for frame shopping: -Bring the artwork/photos in. -Don't be afraid to pull frames off of the wall to put around your piece in order to find the perfect frame. -Don't be afraid to take your time looking at different frames and discussing options with the clerk. They're a great source of knowledge and are there to help you. -Choose a frame that will accent the piece and not draw attention away from it. -Choose a frame that fits the surroundings that it will be hanging in. -The pricier, museum glass really is worth it. The rest of the store is your standard arts and crafts store, but as I've pointed out, it's the framing department that really shines. And make sure that you ask for Beverly! read more

Michaels - A great framing job made possible by Beverly - Arts & Crafts Near Me - San Leandro, California

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How could this location have lower reviews than the Emeryville one?? How?!!? The employees here are so nice and actually know where things are in the store! And their shelves are actually stocked! WOW! I am a new fan of this store after becoming a bitter crafting bitch from spending too much time at the Emeryville store. read more

This location is very well stocked , clean and organized . There prices are a little more then the union city , ca location . They have all the art supplies you will need , it seems more cluttered but i think that's because this location is smaller than most . The only downside to this location is that there aren't enough cashiers so the lines take a while and the parking lot is always full and the spaces are really close together so be careful with your vehicle . read more

Michaels - 16x20 =$14.99 - Arts & Crafts Near Me - San Leandro, California

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MEH! I think I've turned into a craft store snob. I prefer JoAnn's. Perhaps it's because when I recently visited this location, it turns out the yarn that I thought was on sale, was not. And I'm not sure if I remembered the online ad correctly, but I wasn't in the mood to fight it. Also, they didn't have the colors I needed, so that made me even more bitter. read more

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I have used Michaels for years to do custom framing and been very satisfied with their service and end result. The framing dept manager, Cindy, is knowledgeable and takes time to cover framing options, costs (always a factor) and will give recommendations if you ask. All the staff have been pleasant and helpful. I like the consistent quality of their framing and Michaels has frequent sales so I can wait for a sale to do a custom job. read more

Not horrible although they have a huge selection of seashells, art supplies and anything floral I buy seashells for my hermit crabs here because the have normal cheap shells I also buy art supplies here too read more

Michaels - Lots of art supplies - Arts & Crafts Near Me - San Leandro, California

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This Michael's is the closest art supply store to my home, but I rarely come here. The parking lot is always a mess (since it's in a very busy shopping center). If I come in during the week, I can usually get in and out pretty quickly. But the weekends are always very busy with customers; unfortunately, this location never has enough staff to accommodate all the shoppers. The wait lines to check out can be very long. If you need to ask a staff to unlock an item from one of the cases, good luck. The last time I came on a Saturday, there was only one roving staff to help out all the customers. It took me about 15 minutes to flag down this person. She was very nice, but obviously overworked and overwhelmed by all of us. read more

Took a picture in to be framed that had a 'floating frame' because it was imprinted on metal which was explained at the drop off. Had to go back 5 times because they just could not get it right. Had a gap between mat and picture. I know they really tried, but their expertise is very limited. My suggestion is that if you have something unusual to frame-DONT GO TO MICHAELS! read more

Such a great place with loads of selections to fill your creative desires. Their coupons make everything affordable!

I think this store is OK.. But not as big as other Michaels which may have you wanting to go to another location if you can't find what you are looking for. This is much smaller than some of the Michaels I've been in and don't have a very large selection of charm trinkets and other bead work like other Michaels I've been at. The store seems organized though and all the merchandise seems well stocked so it's a hit and miss I guess for some looking for certain things and others not so much. Spent only 10 minutes in here before walking out. If you are travelling on Bart, get off at Bayfair Center, proceed to the crosswalk and walk across the parking lot from Target to the Fashion Fair Center, and it's right near Dollar Tree. read more

Need a bunch of photo frames, two 7 X 5.5, saw a promo for Michael's. WORST website I've seen, gave up after a minute.

I don't consider myself an artist so I cannot say much about some of the criticism of lack of supplies and other details that are to a great extent beyond an employee on the floor's responsibility. But I cannot say anything but praise for Marie, Amanda and David in the framing department. I have limited skills in this area and they have been so helpful to me it made my numerous back and forth visits there a pleasure rather than a stressful experience. I have not had a bad experience with any of the employees Michael's on Hesperian including at the checkout up front. I know that that they do not get paid their worth as is usually the case. They don't let that alter their professional and respectful interaction with the consumer. read more

My wife and I stopped by 9 days ago (it was actually my idea- I knew that we were going to find a baby shower gift here). +The posts are padded. I backed into one, but didn't hurt myself (I have to protect my fragiel braim, you know- uh, fragile brain). +Like at other locations, a ton of items are sold here (ex: rubber stamps; picture frames; craft paint; stickers; beads; scrapbook albums). I briefly played with a small glitter ball (the design on it caught my eye). +The classroom here is fairly clean, and it looks like it can seat about 20 people. +There are always some items on sale, and here's a link for a 40% off coupon: http://www.michaels.com/040311-Art-Supplies/040311-Art-Supplies-SEM,default,pg.html +Including tax, the 9" wood G that we bought only cost $3.83 (Gabrielle will be born next month). +Returns can be made within 60 days, even on seasonal and clearance items (you need a receipt- for all other items, you'll be given an 80% refund if you don't have one). +/-You can tell before stepping inside that the store is too small. The aisles are narrow, and some areas are crammed with items (it's hard to walk through the fake flowers without getting lost or struck in the face). +/-Due to a lack of space, there's only a fair selection of most items. It's also hard to avoid other shoppers (Andrea S. talks about the "children running around," but a bigger issue for me are all the SLOW adults). +/-The store was busy, but only 1 register was open at first. 2 others were opened within a few minutes, though. +/-The cashiers I saw were friendly enough, but not particularly impressive (they could have done a better job of moving people along). -The store is pretty dark and blah. The Union City and Fremont locations are brighter inside and more lively. -There's not much room by the registers. You'll probably feel cramped even if there's only 1 or 2 people behind you in line. -Although there are a lot of spots, the parking lot is ridiculously tight. Exiting is especially tricky (you have to be extra careful while backing out). I wonder if the designer assumed that everyone would be arriving in motorcycles or Hot Wheels (http://www.binbin.net/photos/injusa/inj/injusa-6v-ride-on-hot-wheels-quad.jpg). The store isn't bad, but it's not great, either. Even I can only watch a few seconds of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCDIlr63rdM read more

Why oh why do I keep finding myself here? I'm modestly crafty - I knit and embroider - but no matter what I decide to make, this place never has what I need. Selection and quality is absolutely awful. The only thing this place seems to have is rows and rows of fake flowers. Oh, and I'm always accosted by crazy cat-lady knitters who want to tell me their life stories whenever I'm perusing the yarn aisle.They give me the creeps. read more

I hope I caught them on an off night. It was very messy through out the store. Many items were disorganized and shelves were bare. I ran in for earring backs. A $1.99 transaction that took awhile to get rung up. There were a lot of us waiting in line with 2 checkout stands open on a busy week night around 8. On a good note the employee that rung me up was friendly. read more

Don't trust their website if it says something is in stock. Call ahead and ask them to look instead of wasting your time.

I've honestly had nothing against this store up until yesterday. The store itself is fine. I never had a problem finding what I needed. However, the customer service is HORRIBLE. Actually, the customer service on the floor was fine, but the cashier we had yesterday was completely rude. I came with my sisters & my mom to pick up some supplies. We get to the cashier and my mom hands them over a $100 bill. The cashier gives me mom this look and says rudely "Do you have anything smaller? I mean, that's such a huge bill for a little purchase." My mom looked in her purse and told the cashier that that was all she had. The cashier replied with, "Well, we're not a bank" UM EXCUSE ME? What does that have anything to do with it? We get it, you're not a bank but I'm pretty sure if your register does not have the sufficient funds for change you can ask your supervisor to get more out. My mom just replied and said that that was all she had and the lady replied "You don't have an ATM?" My mom again declined and said that why was it such a big deal that we don't have smaller bills? Cashier replied, "Ugh, I'll see what I can do" With that, she gave us our change and we left. I didn't get the employees name but I think it started with an S? It honestly wouldn't have been such a problem if she asked nicely for a smaller bill. Anyway, after yesterday's horrible customer service I don't think my family will be visiting anytime soon. read more

Aron Brothers Framing is located in this store. Frequent ads for discounts on their custom framing brought me in to have two illustrations framed. I just went to pick up both and was SEVERELY disappointed! On one the white mat was stained on one corner a light purple. One the other, a very sloppy mounting of the print with tape showing beyond the actual print. Custom framing is not inexpensive even discounted, so I was shocked that both exhibited sloppy work and extremely poor quality control. Someone actually wrapped up both frames without any regard to potential mistakes. My recommendation is never to bring your artwork here for "custom" framing read more

This MIcheal's is located right by the Bayfair Mall in a slightly smaller plaza by Bevmo and has no idea it was there. Complete with art supplies, embroidery and crochet stuff, framing and all that. Like the rest of the typical older Micheal's stores. Side note the parking kind of sucks. read more

Michaels - Arts & Crafts Near Me - San Leandro, California

This review is for the Rainbow Loom "class" only. Don't let the title fool you. This was NOT a class. I signed my daughter and a few of her friends up so they could learn new techniques and designs (as advertised for the $5 class). Nothing was taught. This was nothing more than a group of people sitting around a table looming with techniques they already knew. The kids seemed to know more than the "teacher". Aside from making sure everyone who was there had signed up and paid, there was no tracking the kids. There was no sign in/out sheet to leave an emergency phone number (the class was 2 hours so parents don't stay) and no way to know who had been picked up at the end. It was a free for all. Very unorganized. While some of the kids were tweens and teens, others were little and there definitely should have been a sign in/sign out sheet. I've been wanting to take the cake decorating class at Michael's forever. Not sure I will now. I was not at all impressed with the Rainbow Loom class. Two stars just because the girls had fun being with each other and looming. Back to You Tube to learn new techniques. read more

I always feel like everything is falling off the shelves here; the aisles are wayyy too crowded with stuff. The staff is also never very friendly. This place does have a much larger selection of things than Jo-Ann, but Jo-Ann has them beat on sales and better coupons. I only go here when I have to. read more

We signed up for Michaels "rewards program" and they immediately started bombarding us with expired coupons twice a day. I contacted their corporate office, to explain they have an annoying glitch, that is sending their customers expired coupons a couple times a day. They responded back, having me jumping through hoops with several messages, sending them copies of the expired coupons . We received an email today insulting us, telling us they resolved the problem by eliminating us from the rewards program. Instead of actually doing their job and fixing their problem. Lucky for us we have many other craft stores in the area to spend our money at. Because with such insultingly "I don't care" customer service, I don' think their stores will survive much longer. read more

I had a terrible experience with my Wilton Course 2 Cake Decorating class. I am currently enrolled in Johanne's class at the San Leandro, CA Michaels store. Let me first say that Johanne is a gem. She is an amazing instructor. Johanne's dedication to cake decorating instruction and to her students is unparalleled. My problem is with the Michaels store. The classroom is repeatedly left in disarray by others who use the classroom before us. Last week when Johanne came to class it was again left a mess. When she requested help from the store manager to clean it she refused telling her that Johanne could leave if she didn't like it. The class was cancelled, but nobody from Michaels came to tell us. The students sat for 20 minutes waiting with materials that took both time and money to prepare. It must be this infamous manager my fellow Yelpers are talking about that make this store such a miserable experience. The rest of the staff is great! Helpful, knowledgeable, nice. Maybe there is another side to the story of the dirty classroom. I wouldn't know because I've sent a letter and two e-mails to both the corporate office and the San Leandro store with no reply. It's a shame because they have some good stuff there. Michaels, if you write me back I'll give you another star... read more

The staff at Michael's in San Leandro went above and beyond to provide me with outstanding customer service. Amy helped me pick out 50 holiday baskets, transported them on a cart to the cashier, all with a smile on her face. The cashier, Jackie, was efficient and delightful in helping me check out this big order (they were all different baskets). Edward topped it off perfectly by helping Jackie count the baskets and both of them carried them to the car for me. Everybody provided amazing customer service and Michael's should be proud to have them on their team. Thank you all! read more

Every time I come in for one thing I end up leaving will 15! This place is like a girls heaven. If only they had margaritas and shoes ;) I haven't taken a class just yet but I might join in on the baking classes soon. Great prices and A++++ on coupons. Couponing directly from my phone and Michael's App to the coupons on the receipts to even the adds. If you go to Michael's and pay @price, you are redic! read more

Sure it's not the classiest of craft stores. Here's what I like and don't like about Michaels... Likes: Squishing the green foam in the floral aisle $1 - $5 aisle Glitter Cheap canvases It's super close to the Dollar Tree and Ross Dislikes: The smell Dustbunnies Damaged goods Parkin lot is a mess Even though I usually come here for just one thing, ex. Canvas to paint on, I end up spending over $50 'cause I find so many little things I can't live without. It's fun to come here for brainstorming & picking up ideas and, of course, people watch/mock -ing. read more

This store is soo confusing! Better stick together cause it's incredibly easy to get lost or separated in here! They're not all in a row so when I had to ask an associate(when I finally found one) where an item was I had to scramble to find the correct isle # they told me. I feel like they're incredibly understaffed. There's always a line at the register even when there's not that many people in the store in the first place. Fortunately all the workers there that I came across are all very friendly and try to be as helpful as they can. read more

Michaels - Trying to get you at the last possible second! - Arts & Crafts Near Me - San Leandro, California

This is for their craft class. It was our first time attending and both of my children (7 & 1) really enjoyed themselves! The teacher (don't know here name) was great! Very friendly, conversational, and amazing energy! I will be keeping my eyes on their calendar for the next class we can attend. read more

Decent selection on affordable frames. Got every frame I came for! 12x16 and 12x18. Best parts, 1) all frames were buy one get one FREE. I saved $50+. 2) teacher discount with ID! Busy, but it's a Saturday so I expected it. I'll be back for custom framing when it's not as busy. read more

Luckily most of the crap in this store is cheap enough that it doesn't matter that everything has the wrong price above it (if its marked at all). I originally went in looking for a pendant bail to make a necklace. Both employees first ignored me, then one pretended to not speak english. When I finally got the other ones attention I had to spend 10 minutes explaining to her what I was looking for only to have her wave her hand in the direction of the other side of the store as she said "look over in those isles. If we have them they're over there". Ewe. read more

Love crafting! This location is alright. Most of the time when I come here they don't have what I need or things are not where they are supposed to be. Lines are long and parking is a pain. I usually have more success at the Union Landing location to get what I need. read more

I spend a lot of time at Michael's during the Holidays and this year was no different. In fact, I visited 3 locations, the SLN branch being the first and the most frequently visited. I only came here as often as I did because it's the closest branch to my house. If it were more convenient, I'd visit the Milpitas branch more often. There is a 180 degree difference between this location and Milpitas. This location is very cluttered and they were running low on stock. I went back as often as I did waiting and hoping that they would have what I needed. I didn't have any issues with the customer service. I was able to find someone when I needed help, but I browsed by myself while I was putting my ideas together. read more

This Michaels barely does the job. It's a lot smaller than Emeryville & Union City's Michaels. More crowded and less organized. They seem to never restock either! Came here looking for a decorating tip for cakes 2+ times and had to resort back to Emeryville. In general, I just find it more pleasant at Emeryville or Union City! Parking also sucks because of Ross and the Dollar Tree. read more

Great bead selection! I get stuck looking at all the shiny things for way too long here... I only come when I have a lot of time to burn. The cashier that rang me up was super friendly! She greeted me on my way in the store, (something that employees hardly ever do any more) and made the check out process easy. One issue for me though--- the super long lines. The cashier girl called for backup probably 3 times and nobody came for 15 minutes! read more

I love the store but I don't enjoy waiting in line. They either don't care or not looking. I blame management though.

When ever I have a hair brain idea involving creating a masterpiece, Michaels is my store of choice for supplies. They have EVERYTHING! Scrap booking supplies, jewelry making pieces, baking items, frames... the list goes on. I rarely leave here empty handed. Everything in the store is easy to locate and it's kept pretty tidy. It can get crowded, depending on when you come and if there are any good sales, so be prepared to wait. Parking can also sometimes be a hassle, but not very often. read more

I use to go to this store a lot as a child. I loved making bracelets and threading piecework. However, as an adult, I rarely visited Michael's. This past weekend, Michael's had a $5 off coupon and it brought me back into the store. It was pretty easy to find a parking spot Friday night. There were some items that were marked on clearance in the front. Once you're inside, it can be a bit chaotic and messy. However, many items are in stocked. You can see that the age of this store since it's not one of the remodeled larger stores you might find in Dublin and Fremont. However, it carries many of the same products (minus less baking items/baking craft items). I was pleasantly surprised to see two Martha Stewart lines- one for baking in the seasonal section and the other in the crafts/painting section. The items are totally quality as are many of the other products and items purchased at Michael's. I didn't try to ask for help while shopping, but I thought the cashiers were fine. They weren't particularly gloating with smiles, but they kept the lines moving and were fast. I knocked down two stars because I do like the updated stores more since they are less crowded and there's slightly more selection. I also thought it was a bit hard to track someone down at the store. I wish they had price checkers since some of the items were not marked n the shelf and I was trying to figure out how much things were since some items were 40% off the marked price. Tip #1: They offer bilingual craft courses! Okay, I was a bit fascinated by this. I passed by a baking class Friday night and it was in both Spanish and English. The instructor was very bilingual and I thought it was so cool! Tip #2: Try to bring the weekly ad if you are trying to figure out what's on sale. It can be difficult to track down the weekly sales ad inside the store or see one posted. Tip #3: If you are a big fan of The Container Store storage items, Michael's actually carries some of the smaller craft/office supplies/seasonal ones! Better yet, they always have coupons in the paper, so you can save some money! read more

Thank you Brisaa for helping me! So my son's birthday is 5/31 and he is turning 4! I know, time flies! I was looking for something fun for him & his friends to do so i decided to buy painting supplies. Brissa rings everything up and its a total of $36 and some change, she makes me a member (thank you!) & adds coupons and she goes out of her way to scan everything again and saves me $12. It may seem silly but I think there should be more girls like Brissa, making everyones trip enjoyable! Have a great day! For sure coming back to this location!!!! Definitely recommend read more

As far as craft stores go, this one is A -Ok. Lots of selection for the crafty folk . Very helpful service and the lines move quick enough. I found a some great deals on some inexpensive Christmas projects I was working on today, but have always had good success in finding everything I need when the urge to craft and create something hits. Parking in the lot sucks however so if you go snag a spot when you see it. read more

I have nothing against this store or its employees. Everyone has always been pleasant to me here and I personally have never had an issue with their selection (but I'm also not a master craftstista, so that may be why). They also have constant sales and are always emailing me coupons or sending me advertisements with more in the mail. Plus, you usually get a 40% off coupon with your receipt every time you purchase something in store! Definitely a great incentive to get me to come back. I knocked the place down two stars for two reasons: 1) I hate their parking. With a passion. It's in a shopping area with a bunch of other little stores, but the parking lot seriously needs an update. People here suck at driving and parking and I'm often frazzled before I even walk into the store. 2) I will agree with others on this: the store isn't always at its neatest. But I understand that the employees do try. But it does suck when you're trying to find a price for an item and the sticker is either not there or the item isn't next to the price sticker like it should be, so you have to go on a treasure hunt to find it. I've also had experience with their custom framing department. They people behind that specific counter are pretty knowledgeable and are totally willing to work with you on frame design and will enlighten you on all aspects of framing (if you care to find out more about it). Granted, it's definitely a pricey thing, so make sure you take advantage of any and all coupons and sales that they have going on for that department. Overall, I love crafting and I love Michaels! Unless they build something closer to home for me, this will remain the default store I turn to for most of my crafting needs. read more