I came in for the first time - a friend who's an artist in the ceramics community recommended this…read moreplace and gave me some direction on what to look for, but left the final decision to me and said the staff would help me figure it out. Unfortunately my experience with an associate named Jess made the whole thing pretty miserable. When I explained I was new and needed help choosing clay, she would just stare at me blankly when I asked a question, like she was waiting for me to figure it out myself. It was incredibly frustrating to stand there and try to puzzle out what she wanted from me - a simple "what are you trying to make?" or "what look are you going for?" would have gone a long way. She cut me off mid-sentence more than once, and when she walked me over to the clay wall she made a spectacle of it - speaking loudly and drawing attention from the whole store. It felt less like help and more like being made an example of. I went back to the counter a second time and tried to ask more specific questions. Same thing. At one point I straight up said "I'm not trying to waste your time." She eventually pointed me to something, I bought it, and got out of there. I get that this place has a great reputation and I'm sure a lot of that is deserved. But walking in as a beginner and leaving feeling humiliated is not okay. If you're new to ceramics and need actual help, just hope you don't get Jess.

On August 1st of 2025 I went to their Richmond location to get 300 # of porcelain clay only to be…read morederided by the male employee who unhappily loaded the clay into the trunk of my vehicle. REALLY?! I'm 69 years old, 4'11" tall, and go to the chiropractor every Monday because of MY bad back!

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!

Art supplies, baking needs, classroom packaging for goodies and birthday giveaways, holiday…read moredecorations, Hello Kitty and much more can be found in one place...I know because I always do. I'm spoiled! I love the option to shop online and pick up in store. The fact I can place one order for pick up at multiple stores makes is amazing especially when all your items are not available at one location. We experienced it yesterday traveling between Pleasant Hill, Emeryville and Pinole locations for pickup. Pick up is always a breeze. I receive a text and email when my order is ready. The pick up area is usually near the cash registers at the front of the store under your last name. If your items are oversized or have an order larger than the pick up bins then you will need to check in with staff for retrieval. The store itself is well organized and maintained. With the signage, it is easy to navigate. Staff are friendly and willing to assist with directions or questions regarding a project DIY. Coupons are always available ranging from 15 to 30 percent off. Pre-pandemic it was 40% quite often, I rarely see those these days.

Flora was super helpful, friendly and we appreciated the great service!!…read moreThanks again Flora !!!

I would leave 0 stars if I could I know hero arts is now with spellbinders but come on hero arts…read morethere customer service is awful there web page is a joke you can't get on there without help or a link from them there shipping is awful there telling me after they pull the money from my account for a club they have till the end of the month to ship you monthly hero kit out which is totally bull!! Very disappointed in hero arts!!!! Gerrylynn Hilliard

One of my first stamps were from Hero. They have such sophisticated designs…read more They are a wholesaler so you can buy their line from JoAnn's and other crafts stores but they also sell online too. Customer service is first rate!

This is a working warehouse with a small store that's open a couple of days a week. If you don't…read moresee what you're looking for on display, they can get it for you from the back. There's a small make and take desk to try out some products. They also have some discounted items for sale, too.

Hero Arts produces high quality products that I've always liked but can't always afford! Today I…read moreexperienced really excellent customer service from them. I called about two stamp pads I purchased on vacation last July as a splurge which were defective. I expected a run around that would require me returning them to the place of purchase. I called and started to explain the issue, but the person in customer service just wanted the product number and... the address where she could send replacements. Tomorrow. Wow. Great customer service!

For whatever reason, I am slow reviewing businesses in my own backyard. I take for granted that our…read morelocal shops will always be here, so it is sad when after ten years they shutter their doors. Kelly Nicolaisen and her husband Jacinto Castillo, owners of The Mom & Pop Shop have been vibrant members of our community. The shop was a destination for an eclectic collection of art, greeting cards quirky items, jewelry and other hand crafted items all sourced and curated from local artists. They also functioned as an art gallery. If you needed something in particular that wasn't in stock (a set of acrylic paint pens for example), Kelly was happy to order them for you. There was always so much to look at and take in. Our community wishes them all the best in their future endeavors!

A lovely art shop with tons of supplies, art, trinkets, gifts, and more. Great in-store service and…read moregood prices. Great community location.

Great customer service with Paul who went to great lengths to help me with a relatively small…read moreproject

TAP Plastics in El Cerrito CA has done many custom jobs for me over the years. They have always…read moreturned out precisely what I've specified, including with professional clean assembly. They are also an excellent source of freely given advice on plastic materials, adhesives and methods. For me they are the go-to place for custom work as well as for selection of the best plastic materials for any job. Rob Firmin, El Cerrito

Dropped off some items that we wanted to donate. The staff were very nice and even helped us with…read moreremoval from our car.

New favorite place for crafts! Picked up basics like staplers, staples, glue sticks, glittery pom…read morepoms, Lunar New Year decorations, crepe papers (including the kind for decorating piñatas) , ribbons... this place is delightful for artists and kids crafts.

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.

We get very excited every time we receive their open house notification in the mail. We then…read moredebate, "Oh, do we need another piece? We already have quite a few pieces already. Oh, what the heck, we'll just go take a look..." And we always come home with another piece of artwork, or two. We had a custom wall display unit built just to house all the pieces. We love their pumpkins and squash, the leaf vases, the tortoise shell series (our fav), eternal flame, orion, etc. etc. One of these days we'll have to get some of those glass mushrooms too. Be sure to check out their beautiful back garden where they incorporate their art pieces into the landscape. I could sit there all day to enjoy the sight, and the sounds of birds and the water fountain. Their two friendly dogs are always there - we love people who work with their pets around!

Beautiful showroom. I have seen a lot of glass, but this place is worth the trip. Before moving…read moreto San Francisco from Wisconsin, I used to make certain that I visit their studio.