What can I say. Every single time I come to this store to get supplies for my child who is an art…read morestudent we are never acknowledged when we walk in. Now this doesn't bother me until about 3rd /4th time. At about the 8th time visiting this store when we are leaving I hear the alt boy behind the counter pipe up and say "hello" to whoever walks in. It baffles me. I'm not wanting to be "instantly greeted" I don't want a red carpet, or some fake ass enthusiasm , but an even/ "do you need help" or "are you finding everything you're looking for" would be chill and friendly.

I needed ink for my fountain pen. Not only did they have a large selection of ink colors, they also…read morecleaned the nub and got the pen working to its' original form. Plus the ink cost was in line with what is available online. Very helpful, many thanks again. M

Buying art supplies can be overwhelming as a noob. Grateful to the staff for helping even though I…read moredidn't ask. They must have saw I needed it. :) Got advice on which paints to buy, what to skip and was checked in on a few times. Great customer service!

I've loved my experience here so far! The staff is very friendly and helpful with answering…read morequestions. This location has a decent selection of art supplies, for hobbyists and professionals alike. A few of the paints I was looking for were out of stock, but I'll check back in again soon. The location is pretty convenient and the price point is good, given that professional-grade art supplies can be a splurge at times...

Flax Art & Design is hands-down one of our favorite art supply stores in San Francisco. Their…read moreprices are refreshingly reasonable--especially when compared to big chain stores--and we always find great deals on printmaking supplies and imported paper. The selection here is top-notch, and it's clear they really cater to artists of all levels. Whether you're hunting for specialty tools or unique paper stock, this place delivers. Plus, the store has a creative, welcoming vibe that makes browsing a pleasure. If you're an artist or maker in the Bay Area, Flax is definitely worth the stop. Support local--you'll find what you need here, and probably something you didn't know you needed too!

Love this store and the selection of unique wrapping paper for gifts…read more Has a free kids coloring section while parents are shopping which is a huge plus.

As a regular SF tourist and crafter, I ALWAYS visit this place when I'm in SF! It's got a fun…read moreselection of a bit of everything. They have a lot of costume-making supplies and a huge selection of colorful faux fur! I always find things there that I don't normally see in my local craft stores! You can feel the joy that is SF Pride in this store! I love it!

When you need a certain color of felt or a specific needle in a hurry, it is such a joy to actually…read morego into a store and pick it out in person instead of trolling the web. The staff is amazingly helpful and they stock quite a wide range of crafting / art supplies. Fabric supply is limited but they have all of the faux fur options you could ever ask for. Halloween, sorted!

Sadly, they hold their "donation" acceptance of magazines to specifically "National Geographic" and…read more"fashion magazines". So yeah, pretty tightly regulated. I have an arsenal of Cigar Aficionado and Food & Wine mags (all high quality) if anyone is interested in preserving these (for free). Otherwise they're going out in next recycling/garbage night.

Scrap is exactly what you think it is - odds and ends of art supplies (some new, mostly used or…read moreopen) for the crafty. There is also some original art for sale. Something for everyone to scratch that creative itch. There's a lot going on here but it's organized by category which is helpful. Also, there's an option to donate here which is always great! Agree with other reviewers that the area doesn't feel the safest and is a bit apocalyptic (barbed fence wires with no one walking around) but I think it adds to the charm of the place. Just don't recommend coming here at night and take an Uber/drive if you can as it's located in an industrial area.

I wasn't able to find my favorite Japanese sketch book by Trystrams at Maido Japantown. Maido did…read morenot have a restock date. The notebook is thin, Japanese paper quality amazing and I genuinely cannot find a substitute for this one. Topdrawer, all Japanese merchandise supplier notified me they only carry their proprietary brand. The sales rep however did recommend The Wishing Well workshop. I arrived, the owner looked for the notebook and realized they were sold out. He immediately placed an order and took my contact info to notify me once the order arrives. I can't recommend this place enough, so happy I found it!

I can't say enough great things about The Wishing Well SF! I needed a same-day print job for an…read moreevent, and they absolutely came through. Their team went above and beyond to get everything done on time--and the quality? Flawless. The price was more than fair for the amazing work they delivered. If you've been searching for a go-to print shop, this is it. Trust me, once you've been here, you'll never want to go anywhere else. Highly recommend!

Large selection of Chinese art supplies with a very helpful service for figuring out what to buy!…read moreDefinitely worth a trip!

At time of writing, the address has not yet been updated on Yelp (I just put in the change request)…read more= current address is 535 Grant St at the back of a souvenir store. So glad to find it - loads of quality supplies for calligraphy / ink painting and a nice guy who demonstrated (and let me try) different brushes to help me make my decisions. Lovely experience. Will definitely be returning for materials in the future. Recommend!

WOW such a great store with so much inventory. I found everything I needed and the paint selection…read morealone was SO HUGE. I even found embroidery stuff which was unexpected!! But the BEST part was the staff named Ben. He was SO SO helpful and had a refreshing and warm sense of humor that really made my day. Ben was also highly knowledgeable about the products they sold and you could tell he was an artist and had actually USED these products himself. He even showed me some creative workarounds and alternatives for the titanium white paint I was trying to figure out if I wanted. thanks Ben! you made this art shopping trip so great just by being you!

All ready for a new art project. My favorite place to go. Ben was so helpful and getting me the…read morebest item to use. The art work on the walls are so inspiring. I think I can find everything under the sun there with so mush selection and at a great value too.

Some cool, interesting stuff. Some, but not all, overpriced…read more They really need to train their Gen Y staff to answer the phone with more than a surprised-sounding "hello" leaving the caller wondering if they got a wrong number and having to ask whether they reached J4F.

Looking for something and somewhere just for fun in San Francisco ? Summer isn't the only time to…read morehave fun in the city. There is a place in Noe Valley in San Francisco which you can find fun things all four seasons and the place is called " Just for fun ". This is the place to pick up last minute gifts. This is a gift shop/ novelty store located on 24th street. There lots of interesting items from books to games inside. Step inside just for fun or just for the fun of it. Noe Valley has good food like Fiorella Noe for pizza with slices of prosciutto and go to Saru for Sushi and Mamahuhu for noodles Walk down 24th street between the carriages and poodles then head inside Just for Fun & Scribbledoodles

San Francisco is a city full of twist and turns like Lombard street . The crookedest street in…read moreworld of course is in Vermont ( not the state) street in San Francisco. When it comes to art work in the city some art creations comes in a variety of shapes and forms and have so many multidimensional twists. Hand made art can be explored in different neighborhoods in San Francisco through canvases in the galleries and murals on the walls of the city streets. In Japantown there is a place where art is made on paper and with paper and you can create almost any work of art from plants , flowers and also animals like birds and tigers through the art of origami. This place is located on Buchanan Mall in Japantown in San Francisco and it's called Paper Tree. On a Spring stroll around Japantown in San Francisco there is a place to not only learn about the art of origami but also get the art supplies like origami paper to make the pieces of art. You will find inside lots books about origami along with displays of some of the most amazing art work. Komo was very helpful and gave me a lesson about the origami art sculptures displayed inside Paper Tree. This place is so inspirational origami will become my new hobby. In the month of August every year Paper Tree host the Origami Palooza in San Francisco Japantown. Paper Tree have classes to teach and "train " how to make an origami "Crane" and you can also take flight and make a "paper plane "origami is a fun hobby to stay focus and self "entertain" Come to Paper Tree and book a "session" to learn origami and make paper shapes in the third "dimension "and create animals and plants and your own character "invention "and late August in Japantown they host Origami Palooza an origami "convention"

I have no skill whatsoever in origami. The most advanced thing I know how to fold is probably the…read morestandard crane and little jumping frog. Regardless, this is a must if you're in SF Japantown for the first time and definitely if you're interested in papercraft. SUPER impressive display of origami that they have here. Things are folded and tucked in such unique ways that I would have never thought of to create so many of their cool crafts. This includes various animals, dinosaurs, references to pop media (Star Wars, Disney, Ghibli, etc.), plants, and much more. Pretty amazing if you ask me. Their shop dog is also impressively large and also really chill. Fun to see 'em wandering around and just hanging out. They seem to also have community events and classes, including free online ones. I'd definitely check out their website and social media accounts for information, but I always LOVE when businesses foster community and build towards hobbies. They also have private classes and they also do events for corpos or birthdays which is pretty neat. HUGE variety of different papers of all prints, patterns and textures, along with guide books, along with various gifts and art supplies and tools. Prices vary based on what you're getting, but seems quite affordable if you're just getting into the craft and pretty reasonable if you're finding fancier imported paper that'd be difficult finding elsewhere. Staff were friendly and ready to answer any questions that we had. If you have a crafty and artistic side, another reason to visit as well!