Artist & Craftsman Supply Baltimore — Attraction in Baltimore

The two stars honestly only reflects the vast supplies this store has. I along with two other friends, who are artists and were patrons of the store went in on a quiet Saturday on 1.29.2022 around 11:30-12:00pm. At the time there were no customers in the space and three employees. If you have been here, you know that the views from the upstairs area are beautiful. This was after snow so we decided to go there to get some sketching done. We were very respectful and spoke when we entered. We proceeded upstairs. We sat on some buckets that were near the windows, softly played classical music, and sketched. Now granted we did not know this was going to be an issue…artists in an art store drawing. But, artists making art was an issue in an art store.

On two occasions employees came to tell us that this was a private business and that this was not allowed, but it was done in an unmindful and patronizing way. Person one: “Are you here for a class? There are not any customers here, but for future you can’t do this, but enjoy the view.” Not 10 minutes later another person came up that was not nearly as pleasant, “This is a private business and whenever you go to a private business you need to ask permission to do something like this. You can stay here for now, enjoy the scenery, but you really need to ask private business for permission to do this.”

Now, either their team has terrible communication or the employees were committed to making three individuals, all people of color, feel uncomfortable and unwelcome in the space. The back to back interactions of the employees to tell us of the fact that it is a private business was excessive. Of the three of us, I was the only African American in the group. Neither of the employees acknowledged or made eye contact with me rather directing their communication to the two non-Black POC. With the messaging, the frequency of interruptions, the avoidance of speaking to/acknowledging the Black person in the group with the same level of recognition as the other members of the group, and just the general feeling of unease will be why I will never go back to this store and will encourage others to invest their money elsewhere.

I am a Chief People Officer of a multi-million dollar company. I do not say this for any other reason but to share that I understand policies. I create them as a part of my position. HOWEVER, there is a a manner in which you can communicate these policies and enforce them with out it being an experience where people are not being respected. All that to say…DO BETTER ARTS AND CRAFTSMAN SUPPLY or just...

I love this place!

It was a horrible night in December, 2019. I was looking for a place to park right down the street on North Avenue around 6pm. I pulled into a space that didn’t permit parking in that space, I realized, although the space ahead did, and there was a car parked there. So I put my signal on to merge into the lane and checked traffic in the side mirror. It appeared this guy was gonna let me merge, but that was not the case. Instead, he stepped on the gas and hit my left fender. According to the officer (and any reasonable person) it was a “Hit & Run” Geico, however, claimed I was at fault. So be really careful when choosing car insurers. The economic repercussions and emotional distress are far greater than a damaged fender. But though shaken, I was determined to get supplies.

I was totally frazzled when I walked through the door. That’s when I met William and he’s been helping me ever since. For example, on that night, I had no idea my bag was open, until they told me. I was completely disoriented, so William walked me through the list in my head. But here’s the finest example of service. It was time to get a large canvas. But the one I chose was too large for me to hold, so William carried the canvas to where I had parked after being hit: the McDonalds on North Avenue. But even worse, however much we tried, it didn’t fit in my car. So we had to walk it back to the store, so I could select a smaller canvas, and William carried that back to the car. Now I don’t know how to adequately define that type of experience. It’s beyond good service. Guessing it’s more like «π».

I’ve been a regular since 2015. Great place to buy art supplies and...

For god's sake people, if you stop in and have a good experience with a business, don't just plop on the internet and leave a 2 star review! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? If you have a good experience and nothing went wrong that is a FIVE STAR review. People's lives and local businesses are at stake. I see people like "found everything I need and the people were helpful" -two stars. TF is wrong with you, do you not understand how numbers work? This is my favorite art store in the city, its got cool vibes and nice people and a great selection! Oh, the people outside are "sketchy"? That has NOTHING to do with the business (also check your bias). If you are on google giving stuff a 2 star review because it adequately solved your problem but wasn't a magical transformative experience YOU SUCK. Shop here! The last thing anyone wants is for them to close and some s*thole chipotle chic-fil-a soulless-a$$ chain restaurant to move into the space. Y'all are gonna 2 star review your way out of having an...