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!

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

A special thanks to the team at The Framing Room​ for helping me take a flag from an outstanding…read moreteam adventure and epic memorabilia item then transform it into this awesome long lasting celebration of achievement. I walked into The Framing Room off chance on the way home from work and talked about a few ideas of what I wanted to and they helped guide me through design ideas and choices. The final outcome looks totally fantastic and the whole team is impressed, it has pride of place above our work area so we get to enjoy it every day. Thanks again, will definitely return again to do business and would recommended to anyone looking for framing services. For more details behind the history of the flag see http://www.adaptiv.co.nz/event/high-five-0-challenge/ Regards Nikolai Blackie Adaptiv Integration

I needed to buy some presents before my recent trip to visit a nephew and niece under the age of 14…read moreand Smiggle was the answer to my calls for help. This store has a crazy cool amount of options to choose from for the young and hip kid. I loved that there was a different style and colour for every pencil case, folder, writing book, journal, and money safe. It did make trying to decide on a design quite hard at first, but with help from the really friendly and chatty sales assistant, I was on my way with a bag of Smiggle gear for the kids in less than 15 minutes. Smiggle has everything the kid would need for school. For example bags, wallets, lunch boxes, drink bottles, funky slap bands to swap with friends, writing tools. It's completely endless, and mind boggling what they have come up with, it's like they have entered the child's mind and asked- what would you want? Always a fun time shopping here, I get to be a kid for a bit.

I ordered a lovely classic notebook from Passion for Paper online - it was to be a very special…read morepresent for someone and when it arrived it was gift wrapped beautifully with a gift tag and string - all without charge, with a little note saying thank your for the order, and I might want it wrapped as it was to be a present. The order came quickly and the product is going to be well loved.

As a kid I used to be so excited for the day that we would get to go and buy stationary for the new…read moreschool year, And a trip into Passion for Paper is like the grown up version of the same excitement it's great. So much classier than typo or Kikki D, the items sold here are really well made. Indeed they are specialists in stationary and paper products. I often find myself buying little gifts for my friends and familia when I am in here. They do their own printing service for engagement and wedding invitations etc and if you so desire you can even choose wax seals as a finishing touch! Totes the real deal. If you want to check out the rest of their offerings, hit up their website. It has most of their catalogue online.

Looking for an anniversary gift for my wife, I was drawn to a floral inspired ring on display in…read morethe window. Enquiring about the price, the sales assistant was friendly and helpful. She allayed my worries about getting the right size, saying that it won't be a problem to get the ring resized. I enjoyed the fact that I did not have to ask for the extras, it was simply offered, and there was no cost involved. This good service already inspired me to get another ring fixed from them too, something I wouldn't have done if it was just a normal purchase. They were able to provide a quote, and also a date and time when I could collect again. In one word, the experience can be summed up as being, easy.

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.

Haven't been there as of yet but I've heard good things about them so am curious, most emporium are…read morevalue for money and stock little knic nacs and items you'd least expect to find and probably can't purchase anywhere else

I don't really know what I was expecting from this store when I walked in. Maybe a shop full of…read moreelephant crafts. Elephant shaped things? Are there any elephants in this store? The answer is no, I couldn't find any. On the bright side they do have some other nice things that aren't elephant related. Lots of little knick knacks and crafts all specially handcrafted by Homegrown artisans. Now that can't be a bad thing! It's a really good place to come if you are looking for a very 'kiwi' gift to send to friends and families overseas. And there's a whole lot of kauri/ wood ware. I mean a WHOLE lot. I think maybe they should rename it to something with wood in the title. It might be more reflective of the product they do actually stock.

An absolute nightmare…read more I was excited when I read the reviews and decided to visit. However, when I shipped over $500 worth of gifts it arrived poorly packed and completely destroyed. It has been months and they say they will reimburse me, but never followed through. Also found their exact merchandise for a fraction of the cost elsewhere. Feel completely ripped off. Do yourself a favor. Go somewhere else!

The Appliance Shed is a huge bright yellow building that boasts heavily discounted prices on…read morefactory seconds and showroom demo's, but half the stock was missing prices. The other half you could find new in another appliance store at the same price, if you shopped around. This may not always be true but none of the staff spoke to or acknowledged me to disprove this fact. Perhaps their garish yellow uniforms had caused some sort of irreparable blindness or corneal damage. Two staff members obliviously strolled past while another popped bubble wrap 5 meters from where I puzzled over my purchase. Because I was using the company card, I offered the bubble-popper a chance to up-sell me, taking the cheapest product and the one I was considering to the counter and asking what the difference was. And here again I would like to mention the uniforms. Perhaps it was supposed I had also suffered some sort of temporal blindness from the bright yellow shirts because the staff member obtusely replied "They're different brands". It carried on from there in this manner for some time before I gave up but lets just say that I'm glad I wasn't looking for any helpful service or an appliance bigger than a desk phone.

Always come back to this place for appliances. They are so…read morenegotiable on there prices. Good service and friendly staff when you get chatting.