These guys are great and have lots of quirky unusual art supplies that are great for anyone with some creativity or does mixed medium art. One side of the store has a variery of items where you can fīll up a paper bag starting at $8 and change and the items are always changing. You can find things like ink stamps, feathers, beads, jewelery findings, marbles, gold leaf, various papers and boxes, stickers, Sew on patches, vintage pictures amd magazines, fabrics, paints and brushes, and much more. Friendly staff, great store, I love this place! read more

This is one amazing art supply store. They make scrap into an artist paradise. yes they have the most interesting things you can imagine and wonder why people would throw them away. Useless into Useful things. I like the concept. read more

See all

These people were very kind and helpful both over the phone and in person. I really like their collections of old postcards.

Visited this shop for the first time today and I was really impressed. They really do have a huge variety of eclectic crafting materials and the staff are very helpful. Found a great deal on an ink pad. They didn't have another item I was looking for but took the time to suggest other stores that might have it. I really appreciated that. read more

Stop here before ever setting foot in a dollar store. I don't give out 5 stars often but this place is a Vancouver treasure. As a place that recycles waste into inexpensive craft materials for those with creative minds,.. this place is a win-win-win. People can come here and find all sorts of papers, plastics, and metals - only the most boring humans on earth could not feel inspired here to make SOMETHING. It is a great place to go if you have to cobble together a card, a trophy, a costume,.. what I really like is the buy a bag and stuff it. Awesome for kids (ages 4-65). read more

We needed wrapping for some last minute holiday gifts we'd bought (a lot of stores on Main Street don't seem to offer it) and walked by here. At first I said we shouldn't go in because it looked like one of those really expensive specialty paper stores where each roll of wrapping paper is a ridiculous $15. But we noticed some unique stuff and decided to give it a try. Turns out they have all these alternative art sources at a great price! The thing that had caught our eye were these hand-drawn architecture blueprints (in pencil, with light coffee stains and everything!), for only $2 each. It was plenty big enough to wrap a large box. There were some that were newer and printed if you don't want it to look so rustic. We also got little bit of twine for about $1. I like that you're not forced to buy a giant roll for a higher price that you're never going to use up. read more

This place is a GEM!!! I could spend a good hour in this little store just looking at all the things they have available. Perfect for anyone who likes to do crafts!! I love the bagging system where you basically pay for a bag (smallest is 7.95 and it can still fit a ton!) and fill it with whatever you want! Super affordable and also the store is basically diverting waste from the landfill. Last time I was there they were selling all these vintage pins for $2! The stock is always changing :) It is a crafter's heaven. read more

A cute little shop with a rotating stock of fun surprises. There is a little bit of everything in this place. It's a great place to find materials to make your own cards as well as super cool art projects for kids. This store makes me wish I was a kid with hours to play with all these fun supplies, a glue stick and some scissors (forget those stupid safety scissors). Some items are a wicked deal. Like the bike reflector I got for 15 cents. Hells yes. But then there are other supplies you have to wonder why they are so pricey. Mostly this is in reference to the beads, wire and metal embellishments for jewelry making. Otherwise, the prices here are pretty awesome. Come check out and be creative. Excellent place to pop in on a lazy Sunday afternoon. read more

It's been six months since my last review of this little spot and all the previous sentiments ring true. But after my last two experiences, this review was in need of a quick update. Last week, I set out into the world seeking: Stamp Ink. Seashells. Tiny glass vials. Anchor charms. Blue tags. Gift bags. I made one stop. Event planners take note: this place is a saving grace. They have bailed me out of more Amazon fails then I can count and usually come in under even Eddies Hang Up and online prices. For instance - I ordered two bags of seashells off Amazon for $6.99 a piece. They came in smaller then anticipated and required a trip to Point Bob. The following day, I wandered into Urban Source and took home a kraft bag FULL - for $3. Over the last few months, this place slowly evolved from a craft hobby wonderland to a work place necessity. The service is still brilliant, the prices rock, and from here on out - they are my first stop for party essentials. read more

Urban Source is the shit. Recycled crap becomes art supplies as you fill your fit-what-you-can paper bag and dream up all of the excellent things you'll make with all that crap. Paper, foil, plastic nubbins, bike lights, stencils, fabric scraps, you name it. There's also a decent selection of new craft supplies for making everything from gift boxes to earrings to giant animal sculptures. I have so many paper bags full of craft dregs sitting around my house. Just because I can dream it doesn't mean I'll do it. I hope you are a bit more dedicated. read more

Top off the parking meter and check your left brain at the door. This is a right brain kind of store that you can spend an afternoon in. Consider this the anti-Michaels. They have enough materials to make a lifetime of craft projects but no instruction book or craft kit in sight, just a glorious medley of this and that with endless possibilities. The best part is the fact that these are materials that have been diverted from a trip to the landfill and gathered for us to buy for ridiculously cheap prices. Although you can buy materials by the piece, the most fun is to pick up a fixed price small, medium or large bag and see how much stuff you can possibly fit into it. You might consider warming up a bit before coming to the store by packing a suitcase or playing tetris to maximize your packing potential! Vicky, the helpful and friendly owner, limits the quantity that you can get of any one individual item for the fixed price bags, but there is no limit to the total number of different items you can pick out. The shop also has a nice selection of fancy papers and the supplies you might need to build your craft masterpieces. I will be a frequent visitor as the inventory will always be changing. read more

Urban Source is like every great idea I had as a kid, actualized. Buckets of leather scraps, bins of neon buttons, swatches of vintage fabrics, beautiful old keys lined up in a row -- the rotating stock of material is an endless source of craft inspiration. But it's even more than that: the walls are lined with practical tools like pens and glue, and from the ceiling hang the most amazing handmade scrap sculptures (built by the owner herself!). This craft/surplus/thrift store carries a little bit of everything and I have yet to leave the shop empty-handed. Urban Source is my go-to place for cheap, slightly irregular, and entirely unexpected craft materials and supplies. read more

As other Yelpers have mentioned this is a great craft place to get inexpensive supplies for teachers, students, and the kid at heart. If you're looking for something very specific like 5 by 8 photo frame, they might or might not have it. The magic of this store is the randomness of materials. With some imagination, you can turn the scraps of leather into covers for handmade journals or the rolls of shiny paper into a robot. Go play, I highly recommend it. read more

This is a great place to find things to get u inspired. Random attack!!!! Prism paper HELLO!!! And I love the buttons and tacks and the pretty paper. If you want a chinese food takeout box...here it is. The "fill a paper bag" deal is absolutely what you should do. Make crafty magic out of stuff you never thot possible! Go for it! read more

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Urban Source!! Scraps of paper, tissue, card, postcards, old photographs, nick-nacks, mini bottles, stamps, letterpress pieces, glass viles, wood, swatches, and all the craft supplies you can imagine ever needing (or not having realized that you needed them beforehand) you will find here. It's so much fun rummaging around and filling your paper bag with fun materials that spark crafty ideas. There are different sizes of paper bags and which vary slightly in price, but are nevertheless very cheap considering all the stuff you can fill it with! Just mind the limits on each item. Definitely check out the sculptures the owner creates and hangs around the store and on display by the windows! So eclectic and creative. Great for kids crafts, or anyone's crafts for that matter. Love it here! I can spend hours rifling through the bins. read more

Teaching Resource Heaven. Maybe others come in here and find a little something here and a little something there - but I wanted it all. Oh, okay, not the smallish things that are choking hazards. Everything else was fair game. Oblivious to the giant poster with bags underneath as I entered, I wasn't sure what "bags" all the signs were referring to. I asked a girl working and she was more than helpful. Reminded me when things were "bag worthy" and when things weren't. The idea is that one half of the store has giant bins of random stuff (film slides, reflective circles, glass eye droppers, and so on) and you can get a bag (sm, med, lg - all priced differently) and fill it up to the brim! Some things are a free for all and others have it stated "3 in bag or 45cents each." The other half of the store isn't a bag zone, prices are extremely fair and marked accordingly. I am very happy with what I got. I have some film strips and film slides for the light table, giant topographic map, tear off coupons and medals for dramatic play. Lots of tiles, swatches of leather, and a whole whack of reflective and translucent materials for new sensory experiences with the toddlers! I am excited and glad I finally visited this place after having it bookmarked for months! read more

Urban Source is unbelievably wonderful, it's always adorned with beautiful creative pieces. There are staple project pieces accompanied by new stuff now and then. Staples include acrylic paints, brushes, gift wrap, a variety of different kinds of boxes, little trinkets and an assortment of paper. Urban Source is especially good at making gifts look absolutely spectacular with colourful gift bags, tissue paper, and ribbons. My favourite part is taking a large paper bag and rummaging through the bins of miscellaneous crafting ingredients. Another plus is that the people behind Urban Source are super friendly! read more

This place has lots of little trinkets and treasures for any art lover or collector. From paper bits to the tiniest test tubes ever, you can find everything for a low, low price. Some items are very unusual, such as pieces of CD or old music books. I personally wouldn't have a use for them, but I'm sure they could be incorporated into some interesting pieces. I recently bought some small bottles and a cameo necklace backing for a very cheap price. Their tins and tags are also great! This is the kind of stuff that you can find on Etsy, except you can get it without waiting or paying for shipping. They regularly change their stock, so every time you come in you'll find new pieces. read more

I love this place. I really do! I come here for ephemera and collage sheets, and for all my mixed media supplies. They have tiny tiles with letters, papers of all sorts, notebooks, takeout boxes galore, and trinkets for all your needs. The only problem is ensuring you have enough change to keep the parking meter running, or ensuring you can transport your newfound finds home on your bike! Fear not though, the third option is to hop on a bus - the store is conveniently located on Main Street! read more

If you're visiting from the US and you love Re-Store or SCRAP in Portland, OR - i.e., you like buying 2nd hand supplies for crafting - this is your stop. If you are a crafter - you really must come here...Urban Resource is amazing. This place specializes in selling cast-offs from local businesses & manufacturers that can be used to realize your artistic vision: scraps of wood, big color chips from a hardware store, hard cardboard shapes, the edges of diecuts to use as stencils, foil, sponges, keys, tons of paper, containers, string, etc. etc. etc...it goes on and on. You can buy by the piece or - BONUS - you can buy a bag, stuff it with everything you possibly can, & get it for a flat price. One side of this small-ish store front is dedicated to the recycling, the other side sells the things you need to assemble or finish your project: different adhesives, stickers, envelopes, letters, etc.... It's amazing what they fit in here. The examples of items created at Urban Source are very cool & inspiring. The space itself is laid out like a boutique and feels kinda fancy compared to other stores of its ilk. If you're into funky crafting, Urban Source is a must! read more

If you're crafty then you have to get your butt over to Urban Source..it's a crafty/artists treasure trove of..well..crap really...but what only looks like a bunch of garbage and crap can have the potential for greatness if in the right hands... They sell tons of stuff that is normally just thrown away..it's like recycling for arts sake..if you need..let's say...10 feet of telephone wire...80 CD cases...4 pieces of clear Lucite and 90 buttons...them Urban Source would be your one stop shop of choice! It's truly a creative minds utopia! read more

i miss the black kitty cat that used to wander around the store. I'm told that one day the kitty just left and decided to start a new adventure. not much I can add to what others have said before. lots of leftover stuff that needs to be recycled by future crafters! Other than this kinda stuff, they have nice small boxes for gifts (that are new), very pretty and unique ribbon and the prettiest pretttiest (wrapping) paper! so pretty that I would buy a sheet just so I can frame it! Sometimes I come in here for inspiration when card making or just looking for some cool ways to wrap presents. They are also really helpful with ideas! read more

Urban Source - Dear Diary - Art Supplies Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Urban Source is this crazy little Main Street shop that somehow takes unwanted industrial scraps and similar junk and turns it into a crafter's dream. You can always find things here that you've never even thought of, and that you will never find anywhere else. My only complaint is that I find that much of the store is full of the same stuff time and time again, otherwise I would go more frequently. Disclaimer: unlike Michaels *choke* or the like, this place will actually require you to get creative to come up with new ideas for what the heck to do with the stuff you find... It's like cooking from scratch with whatever you find in the garden rather than popping in a TV dinner and calling yourself a cook. Enjoy the process! read more

Fantastic little shop. Full of fun and frivolous objects with which to inspire your inner artist to transform industrial trash into amazing treasures. Barrels of off cuts from old vintage photographs to scrap leather, scrabble tiles to thousands of origami stars. Fabulous for scrapbooking, crafts and art projects.The possibilities for creativity are endless. There's a regular turnover of new and exciting things so good to check in often. Amongst my prized finds were Braille pages which I use for jewellery props and vintage copies of National Geographic. I also bought a couple of mat samples with which I created a neat and unique tote bag. A great 'go to' for gift packaging. Boxes are sold in all shapes and sizes as well as ribbons, gift bags and and embellishments. Such a cool place to explore. read more

I was expecting more from this shop as per other customers reviews but was a bit disappointed coz I find a lot more stuff I can use for crafts from other places like the thrift shops, garage sales and even value village. There are some items that you can't find easily from other places but not much. I like the items they have like the scrap leather, tiny test tubes and laces. Some ribbons that you will not find easily anywhere. Staff were friendly and helpful. read more

It's like a crafter's paradise! I'd like to think that if I opened my "fantasy" craft room to the public it would look a lot like this place. Bins and boxes and shelves perfectly organized and everything in its place...lots of inspirational projects on display. This may not be your typical craft store, but then again it's not meant to be. It's a place to come and feel inspired and maybe buy something you never thought of using in a project. Can't wait to visit again. read more

Cute store! The owner was very sweet & helpful. I purchased a few things. I was able to discover her store through Yelp.

If you're a crafty type you'll love Urban Source. This place has art project goods galore! The most nondescript and unusual items can be found here form cardboard, to bangles, to pieces of laminate. They have sparkly things, tactile things, colourful things, and sticky things. A friend of mine comes here to collect bits and pieces she can use to make her Christmas cards with - a great idea. If you've got children and have run out of babysitting ideas, head to Urban Source and let them run wild. Take a brown paper bag (one of three sizes), and let can fill it up with whatever takes their fancy. The price per bag is fixed, so they can run amuck with what they choose to put inside. This is a great place to feed yours or your children's imagination and creative qualities. Another great Main Street original. read more

This place is so small but it somehow always has exactly what I need! The other day I had a crafting emergency and I realised it was already 5:05! Oh no -- Dressew was closed! Michael's sucks and is overpriced! What was I going to do? Once a person gets a crafting itch, it's not going to go away easily! I dashed over the Urban Source, and sure enough, sitting on the shelf was the most perfect, glorious bottle of Mod Podge I ever saw! The selection here is eclectic, random, but most importantly, inspires creativity! Unlike places like Michael's which I am pretty sure are designed to suck all the creativity out of you with their pre-packaged crafting sets *puke*. Come here and explore the selection - you won't regret it! read more

Such a fun little place! A great place to get all sorts of funky and unusual craft supplies. If you are looking for a place to get a gift box along with some pretty wrapping paper and gorgeous ribbon, they have a great selection. Their varied supply of all sorts of crafting stuff really gets the imagination going, this would be a great place for kids as well. I also really like that they are reusing things that would otherwise get thrown away. The lady who runs this place is a ray of sunshine, I always look forward to visiting with her when I am there. read more

This is a great little spot for any artist. So much fun in a rather small space. The decor is really unique and inspiring, they use and sell the coolest materials. The staff are very friendly. I've been in this store dozens of times and never had a bad experience. Only area for improvement would be in some of the prices. Not the most competitive but as a consumer i don't mind because they make up for it in their decor. read more

The bad review is specifically for the passive aggressive customer service from the older lady with a blond bob who I assume is the owner. The other employees are incredible and go out of their way to help you. But today when I asked for help in finding paper with particular dimensions, and for an opinion of what paper would be suitable to print an illustration on, this particular lady barked that I could find what I'm looking for myself, & that she wasn't sure what I meant with the dimensinons....ok then. read more

I sometimes find Michael's to be uninspiring when it comes to crafting unless you know what you're looking for. I got to Urban Source if I am in the Main Street area and even though the stuff is 100% recycled, it's a great source of inspiration that has made awesome Holiday and B-day cards for under $1, unique 'zine covers and awesome party art. I am all about crafting, however, I am all about waste management and recycling material and making it new. I get the small bag which is $6 and you can fill that bag with more than enough material, my last bag lasted around 4 months and I do some heavy crafting. Extremely awesome selection of materials. The trick is to squish the stuff down as much as possible down in the bag. I have also been guilty of ignoring their min requirement selection which often they don't seem to really care about if you're honest. read more

This is a great store for inspiration! It's well-curated and full of items I wouldn't normally find at a generic craft store. The ambience is Anthropologie meets Oak and Fort, if they ever collaborated in the crafting world! I walked away with some scaly web-like ribbon, a few fabric swatches, and some tempura paints. I want to come back and grab some leather pieces, and check out the sheepskin! Great for anyone who is into costume design and bullet journaling. read more

What a treasure trove. I LOVE coming in here and getting inspiration for a new project. The little signs they put up with suggestions on how to use the materials they sell definitely help get the ideas flowing too. I'd say 50% of their items are nifty little things you wouldn't know where to find otherwise, and 50% are more common items you see fairly often, but never thought about it a crafty context-- until you stepped into Urban Source, where everyone can get their Martha Stewart on. Seriously. Makes me want to quit school and just glue things to other things all day long. read more

I was here in 2014 for the first time and I absolutely adore this place! I'm very fond of craft/office supplies in general, and as an artist ans crafter, I felt like I was in paradise. There were so many little things I couldn't find in other places that were like little hidden treasures. Such a nice, organized store! Prices are great too. I really love it here and can't wait to visit again. read more

I LOVE stores like this. The most random assortment of craft project pieces all in one place. You can look for hours and still feel like you've missed something. The cashier was incredibly helpful when I asked her about shopping along Main Street. I was looking for more craft / knick-knack stores with similar items (washi, pins, patches) and she suggested a handful and gave me a helpful locally owned shop newspaper to guide me on my travels. read more

Half the fun of going through this store is discovering strange items that you just have to have for an art project, even though you've never seen the thing before and have no idea what it is! The main focus of the store is industrial waste that has been rescued from the landfill and holds myriad craft opportunities. You buy a bag and fill it up with what you want. The bags come in 3 sizes; for 3 different prices, of course. This is a really good deal. You can get a lot of stuff in those bags. Items sold separately, outside the 'bag' section, tend to be a little expensive. I agree with one reviewer, that sometimes it's rather repititive and one would think Urban Source could find some different 'waste' to offer us, rather than the same thing, over and over. The limits on how many pieces you can put into your bag is also annoying. If you are a teacher, you will never be able to get enough items for your whole class, which is too bad because I think this place could be an incredible source for cash-strapped teachers. All in all, though, this really is one amazing store. If the service wasn't usually so rude, I would have given it a higher score. Sometimes the staff simply chat amongst themselves, even while they're ringing up your purchase, never even acknowledging your presence. Good note, though: The last time I went there (about 6 weeks ago) there was somebody new working and she was fantastic! First time, in 10 years, anybody really tried to offer good customer service. Maybe the tide has turned! Never mind the lacklustre service, though. Visit it for the surprise treasures you're going to discover. read more

If your ever in need to do a multimedia project, collage, art or crafts project Urban Source is the place to go for cheap materials. Items are on the cheap, and you can get a bag and fill it with items for around $6. For $6 you can't really go wrong. The will often have fabric, speciality paper, wood pieces, vinyl, film canisters and an assortment of almost anything you can dream of. read more

Such a neat little store - definitely one of a kind! I grabbed a bunch of specialty crafting items and for a very good price! The staff are very friendly, and the prices are great. A lot of unique items as well. Will return next time I am in Vancouver. read more