As an artist, one of the best parts of moving to Seattle was the sheer number and quality of art supply stores in Seattle.
Before Seattle, I’d had to manage with a tiny selection of professional-grade art supplies stocked by big-box craft stores in the suburbs or order my paint and materials online. When I moved to Seattle, however, it was clear that I had no shortage of places to find art supplies – including standard, professional-grade, and specialty products that I needed for my art.
Today, I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the best art supply stores in Seattle. Listed in no particular order they include:
Artists & Craftsmen Supply
4350 8th Ave NE
Open 7 days a week
Located not too far from Green Lake Park – that North Seattle recreational mecca- Artists and Craftsmen is part of a small chain of art supply stores- with a dozen storefronts scattered coast to coast. With the feel of a locally owned art supply store and the inventory of a larger organization, Artists and Craftsmen is beloved by, well, artists and craftsmen.
Stocking not just standard supplies but a number of supplies for various hobbies, this shop is a beloved storefront for many in Seattle. Artists and craftsmen supply also offers a fun collection of gift items ranging from puppets to novelty gifts, so if you’re looking for a quick gift for the artist or non-artist in your life, this store is a good stop.
Blick Art Materials in Seattle
1600 Broadway
Open 7 days a week
I was familiar with Blick from their catalogs far before I ever stepped foot into their Seattle store, which is not far from downtown Seattle.
Seattle’s Blick is located in the heart of one of the most artistic districts – Capital Hill- and it’s literally across the street from Seattle Central College and boasts its own art exhibit.
On the sidewalk in front of the Blick art supply store in Seattle, you’ll find a somewhat infamous statue of Jimi Hendrix. Find your way to this statue of this iconic rockstar via this pin on google maps.
Inside Blick in Seattle, you’ll find a dizzying variety of art supplies ranging from entry-level craft grade to super-premium professional supplies. I’ll confess, that it was this Blick storefront plus the influence of an art school-trained best friend that I was turned on to using professional quality in my own not-quite-professional art. The results of amateur art, it turns out, really are better when made with higher quality art supplies.
Blick’s Seattle storefront offers two floors of shopping, plus a framing shop. Don’t forget to ask for a student discount or sign up for a loyalty card, as the rewards really do add up.
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Daniel Smith fine art materials (CLOSED)
4150 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 9813
(closed Mondays and Tuesdays permanently on 11/21/2021)
Somewhere between a local small business and a chain, Daniel Smith fine art supplies has just a few storefronts. Their flagship is located just south of downtown Seattle in the SODO (south downtown) district.
The selection of art supplies at Daniel Smith rivals Blick, but also includes Daniel Smith brand exclusives which are generally of exceptional quality. In fact, Daniel Smith watercolor sample cards are what I recommend for water coloring travel journalers, as an ultra-compact option for carrying a small amount of high-quality watercolor pigments while traveling.
Northwest Art & Frame
4733 California Ave. SW
West Seattle might be an art supply store desert if it weren’t for Northwest Art & Frame. Locally owned in the most extreme definition of the phrase, Northwest Art & Frame has been owned and operated by the same individual (himself a West Seattle resident) for over 50+ years!
Offering a wide variety of art supplies as well as framing services, this art supply store is beloved by West Seattle natives and is made all the much more essential by the recent closure of the West Seattle bridge that links West Seattle directly to downtown Seattle.
Seattle ReCreative
seattlerecreative.org
8408 Greenwood Ave N
While I won’t deny being able to easily spend way more time and money than I should in any of the art stores listed here, Seattle ReCreative is by far my favorite art store in Seattle. Perhaps it’s the intermittent reward of never knowing what I’m going to find or the exceptional prices, but Seattle re-creative keeps me coming back as both a customer and a donor.
What is Seattle ReCreative? This art supply version of a thrift store is a nonprofit organization offering low-cost art classes and arts education. Their storefront, which supports their mission (but, arguably, supports local artists just as much) is a specialty thrift store where donated craft and art supplies are sorted, priced at a discount, and resold for a fraction of their list price.
At Seattle ReCreative, you can find both new art supplies as well as vintage or partially used supplies.
Final thoughts on shopping for art supplies in Seattle
As a mecca for artists and creatives, Seattle has a number of great art supply stores to choose from. While not every neighborhood in Seattle has an art supply store, you won’t have to venture far to locate a dizzying array of art supplies for purchase.
Lynli Roman’s unique approach to travel is informed by decades of experience on the road with a traveling family and, later, years spent as a solo international traveler. When she’s not writing about Seattle from her Pike Place Market apartment, Lynli writes on-location while conducting hands-on research in each destination she covers. Lynli’s writing has been featured by MSN, ABC Money, Buzzfeed, and Huffington Post. She is passionate about sharing information that makes travel more accessible for all bodies.