Gwartzman's Art Supplies — Local services in Toronto

A Toronto institution. This one location only store beats all the chains stores hands down in terms of stock and in terms of price. You might find that hard to believe when you step in to the store. It is much smaller than its chain competitors, however, whereas the chains stores always seem to be out of stock on items I want, I never have had this issue with Gwartzmans. So not only do they have what I need when I walk in, but they are less expensive overall than those chain stores, especially the one that starts with a C...... The staff are always helpful and even when its busy, the wait is unnoticeable. Unlike walking the isle of the competitors hoping to find help. Also, when you do need advise I find the staff to be extremely knowledgeable in all disciplines and materials. Their canvas are hands down the best priced around and are of very good quality. Shame they are an hour drive away for me, however, its worth it in overall savings and the knowledge that they will have what I need when I get there. In the past I have also ordered large quantities of materials in advance. Some had to be special ordered because of the size of the paints I needed. When I arrived on the scheduled date, everything was ready and I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. The only drawback is the parking. They are on Spadina which is a busy street with limited street parking. So if you have a lot to carry it is a problem sometimes. I find it best to get there when they open, that way I am almost certain to get a spot right in front of the store. If you are a professional this is the place for you. If your are an amateur or a student or an aspiring professional, don't waste your time anywhere else. Get to know this store and its staff and they will be there for you as you progress in your discipline. Also, when they have a sale as they do the weekend I am posting the review, it makes it a no brainer. Unfortunateky for me I cant take advantage of the sale as I am not in Toronto this weekend, otherwise I would...

The staff is very nice, however customer service and the manager are not great. I purchased a can of spray varnish in the store to seal a painting on a window. I knew I can do that since I researched a bit. In the store, the associate suggested vinyl instead to ease (which they don't even carry). We discussed a bit that varnish is hard to remove and I assured her it's fine since my customer said he will be responsible for that. However, once I used the spray, white stains appeared. It's the first time I use that on a window, not the first time generally. So I was pointed by the store to the customer service. Once I explained the situation, they began to drop ALL the blame on me as I was supposed to do a full research and go by their suggestion (again, of a product they don't carry) and that I was supposed to read the label. I did. Label says to work in an area 12c to 24c, not humid, and to try it on a small part of the painting. All was done. Room was 24c, slight door open, dry air, window not frozen. Not once on the label was mentioning of such outcome or that weather will affect it from the outside like that, and not once the person told me that could happen. However, when I came to the store the day they pointed me to customer service, a nice associate did check that for me and explained it can happen and pointed me to a different varnish to use instead. I just wish that this warning would happen the first time I came. I thought the whole point is to help the customer and point them, at least mention something can get wrong and not demend from me to come with all the knowledge and all the research. My research told me I can use a spray, and follow instructions which I did. Otherwise what's the point in sales associates if I do everything by myself? I had to outsource the varnish elsewhere since customer service simply vanished from the email two days ago. Maybe I have a little part of the blame but don't drop it all on me and dissappear, as this is very...

To be honest, I don’t know how to feel about this place.

I purchased some gilding supplies from this store after deciding to give them a shot. They appeared to be one of the few Canadian stores that sell Manetti leaf.

I guess I judge places based on the customer service I receive through communication, which is why I’m writing this review.

I placed the order on a Tuesday. At the time I didn’t realize their shipping takes 2-7 business days. I believe it was on the Friday when I called and asked if the items shipped.

Having never dealt with this store before, I called because it’s happened to me a few times an item ships and the company forgets to send me a confirmation. It’s no big deal, I just called to see if this was the case. It was the response I received which made me question dealing with this store.

I told them I thought I ordered it two days ago. Over the phone, the representative corrected me with an attitude and said it was actually 3 days ago with a tone of “why are you calling me?” And then dismissively told me they would send an email if it shipped. She then, very annoyedly told me they’re having a sale and were very busy.

I never really understood why it should take longer to ship out a guaranteed sold item over preparing for prospective “for sale” items. I’m pretty sure I paid full price for the leaf too. In any case, it was a terrible first impression. The item did ship, and they definitely took their 7 days to do it.

The whole experience just left a bad taste. I was a prospective customer who took a chance on this store, so I didn’t think asking if my order shipped warranted the ire of their...