Blick Art Materials — Local services in Cambridge

I hate to post a one-star review, but I feel like it’s worth warning people that the prices advertised on the floor are completely different from the prices when you’re rung up at the register.

I was recently at Blick to purchase some supplies for oil painting, and happened to pick up some products that were on sale for 40% off “list price.” There was no indication that this “list price” was not, in fact, the price displayed on the shelf. It was only after checking my bizarrely high bill that I realized that, even though the posted price was ~$50, the list price was $80. A thirty dollar difference between the price that is advertised vs. charged is HUGE and a very shady business practice in my opinion. And this was the case for every single sale item we purchased, and several others - we ended up paying close to $100 more than we would have expected to based on posted prices.

When I mentioned this to the employee at the register, they basically shrugged and said the floor prices were a little old, but the “list price” was the true price (even though the list price exceeded even the price online??).

Anyways, the moral of the story is to be wary of sales at this store, and be careful in general - the experience left such a bad taste in my mouth that I don’t think I’ll be back, which is a...

Would give this place 0 stars if I could. I came in looking for a specific illustration board, with the website showing the info and the sku. The illustration boards in the back are all disorganized, the slot for this product had something else in it. I had two employees help me who seemed very frustrated with how specific my request was but I was following instructions for a class. They basically ended up going through piles of unsorted materials. Also, if you sell a product it’s not my fault your store is a giant mess. Finally the person who seemed to be in charge said he found it and since it had been over 10 minutes I said ok. I came home to find out that it wasn’t at all what was requested. Before I left the store I checked twice because the sku was different asking “are you sure this is the same as what I showed you on the website” and the guy said yes. Also the woman who checked me out told me I should have bought them online because it would have cost less (?). In reality she was right because a computer can do a better job than the folks...

I have recently rediscovered Blick Art Materials after several years and have been very impressed with their customer service and inventory. This store strikes a fine balance between professional grade artist supplies and fun, exciting materials that make me want to dabble in something new.

The staff are helpful and friendly, with a special shout-out to Joss and Aubrie (hope I spelled your names correctly) in the framing shop who went above and beyond on two separate occasions in helping me with an oversized and extremely precise bit of glass cutting.

I look forward to returning to this store with more time to browse the extensive and enticing selections and introducing our young daughter to the excitement of unbridled creative possibilities displayed in...