Geoff's is no longer the in-the-know Auckland hipster's secret. Go here on Halloween and you will…read moresee what I mean. Luckily, Halloween only happens once a year but year round Geoff's is the place that truly does have everything. I am most often here for random products like baby oil ($6 for a small bottle of branded petroleum by-product at a supermarket? $2 here), fabric dye, art supplies, sewing stuff and what must be Auckland's cheapest fabric. No offence to Spotlight, but go here first if you need anthing crafty. There's ribbon, cotton, buttons, sparkly bits, belt buckles, bra pads, googly eyes, appliques, patches.... on and on and on. The fabric selection is no small part of the shop and the pricing fairly freakin ridiculous. You'll also find toys, costume jewellery, probably Auckland's biggest range of wigs and "ready-costumes" for adults and kids, as well as such essential props as tiaras, plastic swords, feather boas, cowboys hats, gloves, face paint and garters. There are paints, brushes, canvases, dyes, sketch books...... You can even buy paperbacks, hardware, kitchen equipment, candles and it just goes on. What I love most about Geoff's is that it has been around as long as I can remember and as far as I know, Geoff himself is still around too. My kids love coming here with a handful of coins and leaving with treasures and so do I. The staff are awesome and Geoff's is such a wonderful reminder to me that some things don't ever change, they just get better with age.

This place is AWESOME. Recommended to me by a fellow sewing friend, I decided to check it out…read moretoday. Walked in the door and thought wow, this place is a bit...crappy. But then I walked in further, through the narrow door and into a huge space, filled with all manner of crafty supplies! I was there to buy interfacing, and buy it I did - 5m for $5! Incredible prices. I also got a zip for $1.05 and a belt buckle kit for $1. The prices are insane, even cheaper than what I paid living in the US. I saw some gorgeous fabrics in there, too, but I'm trying to watch my fabric budget right now so I sadly left it behind...for now. The woman who served me was really friendly, carefully rolled up my interfacing and asked about my projects. I can't wait to go back and browse their fabrics some more, and they will definitely be my go-to place for notions, too! I didn't explore the rest of the shop too closely, as I had a sick husband in tow, but they have a huge range of paint/art supplies, party supplies, incense and other trinkets, and heaps of other stuff too.

As a professional artist and teacher I need a top art supply store that not only helps me with my…read moresupplies and in-depth technical knowledge of the range of products I require - or products I am interested in researching for potential use - but I also need an art supply store that reliable and is able to supply, help and advise my students, answer their questions and send orders well packaged. Studio Art supplies is my NZ art supply store of choice for almost all the products I use. These people really know their products and being artists themselves, they have the knowledge and expertise I can rely on and recommend to my students. This is why I have stayed with them for over 20 years. Susan Harrison-Tustain

As the name suggests, Studio Art Supplies is a brilliant art supply store that is designed to cater…read moreto students and budding young creators. Located in Grey Lynn, this store stocks everything from oil paints to charcoals and pastels, canvases to recycled papers, brushes to spatulas and anything else even remotely art related. The staff are all very helpful - many of them are artists themselves and offer their advice and expertise as soon as you walk in the door. Although I'm usually happiest left to my own devices, they were particularly helpful when I needed advice choosing different paper weights for printing. Outside the store is a big board which customers are encouraged to leave their mark on. This is a really fun and inspirational wall, as it is a good place to share your ideas and sketches. Often local artists can also be found in the store creating their masterpieces - it's a great way to keep us stressed students and designers motivated. I definitely recommend this store to any local artists, as it will provide you with any supplies and all the encouragement you need! Tip: Studio Art Supplies offers specials and discounts to customers upon the presentation of a student ID - so students get those ID cards ready!

David's emporium is your one stop shop for everything! Here they have tools, paint, art supplies,…read morecrafts, material, nick-nacks, appliances, wigs and my favourite.....dress-ups! It's at David's you are able to find anything and everything suitable for a party, or if you're after something on the cheap. Located on Cavendish Drive in Manukau, it's only really convenient if you're in the area. There is plenty of onsite parking available. I have been here a number of times to pick up bits and pieces with my boyfriend, who is really in to art. He finds that they always have great sales on their canvases, sketch books and cheap paint brushes that he might need for touching up. Here I have managed to purchase lint rollers and a foot exfoliator, both of these cost next to nothing, I was very impressed.

What a way to run a business!!!! Hoping to buy some supplies for my upcoming art class I rang your…read morenumber several times but all I got was the answerphone, so in the end I left a message asking for the location of the shop. The day later there was a message left on my phone, so on Sat. I made the trip from Pukekohe to Howick only to find the shop closed and no explanation why ,even though the web site still said they were open. The girls in the shop next door said that several people had been enquiring but they had no idea why the shop was closed. Please keep your web-site updated and leave a message on the door. I shan't be making that trip for nothing anytime soon. Joan A

Paints, brushes and canvases galore, Art supplies is filled from top to bottom in the best array of…read morecolours you've seen since that HP Inkjet Printer advert. I'm not much of an artist, but I know good paint when I see it. They also have some great gifts, including face paint, glass and mug painting kits to colour the hours away. If they don't have what you're looking for, then they'll order it for you. Their website is really useful too if you want to take a look at what they have before visiting. It also has some artist tips for those determined to master the talent. Tucked away in the Meadowlands Shopping Centre, you may be travelling out of your way to get there (unless you're a local), but I doubt it will disappoint.

Wow. Last week was…read morethe first time I set foot inside one of these shops. I always thought the chain of Look Sharp stores were just another cheap dollar shop type place selling random junk. I went to look for helium balloons for my son's 1st birthday & I definitely went to the right place!!! The Albany store is massive from floor to ceiling with everything party related. I was really only there for balloons but was blown away by the size of the place & the amount of different products they had. For balloons alone there were probably over 100 different types of hellium balloons to choose from. Definitely worth a look, this store is amazing!

A fabulous shop with everything for artists of all abilities. Quality products, friendly and…read morehelpful, and with staff that know what they are talking about! What else would you want?!

Super helpful staff, a great array of things that you just don't find anywhere else. Takes me back…read morein time which is fun. Always my first choice for materials, wools, sewing notions, so the list goes on. I am a repeat customer and will stay that way. Cheers to Ikes! Lin.

Sure they sell a wide range of homewares, sewing supplies, dress up costumes and everything in…read morebetween. Ikes used to be the place to go if you needed a proper sized flag of your home country. For $10 they had a huge selection of international flags behind the counter. When I was there last week I couldn't see any indication they were selling these anymore. The place looks quite run down and messy, I'd rather shop at the Look Sharp Store in Albany for costumes, party & craft/sewing supplies.

Art Stores are so much fun, and Gordon Harris is the crème de la crème of Art Stores. The Symonds…read moreStreet store is usually packed with all sorts of goodies because it needs to supply loads of art students at AUT and Auckland University. The staff are usually actual artists who have a really good understanding of the products and also what you are trying to do creatively. I used this store to buy pens and paper for my Advertising papers. It did get rather expensive but their products are such good quality I'd always regret it when I didn't buy them from Gordon Harris. They also have loads of Moleskin notebooks which are the prized possession of many creative people. This store is great for anyone endeavouring to make art or if you just like the thought of doing it and want to have a squiz.

I hoped I wouldn't end up in a Robert Harris café when I was looking for this small art supply…read morestore. Over on Symonds St, in a handy location to Auckland's university students, is Gordon Harris. They acknowledge their target market by offering you a student discount on purchases. Sadly the staff are also part of this target market, so the service is lacking, virtually non-existent. I'm sure it doesn't take 3 staff members 15 minutes to choose the shape of a minor display sign. The friendlier staff of Whitcoulls, Queen St were happy enough to bring this shop to my attention when I couldn't find what I needed in their store. And really, the only reason for visiting Gordon Harris would be if you can't find what you're after in your local stationary store.

Thank goodness for Arthur Toye: yes, you can buy fabrics from a giant barn, or from a cheap…read moreend-of-lines place, but there's only a few places where you know that you'll get a good range of fabrics and someone who can answer your questions, no matter how basic, on everything from how much fabric you need for a ballgown, through to the best patterns to look through if you're a beginner and want to just make something. Their fabric range is best described as solid; there are a few high end, beautiful fabrics, but mostly it's the type of fabrics you need for everyday items, and at reasonable prices. If you know you definitely need 2.5metres of navy wool blend, don't waste your time rifling through the emporiums; just come here; you'll be in and out in minutes. Arthur Toye also have a big range of patterns, and will order them in for you if they don't have them in stock.