Joy & Company — Local services in Grand Marais

Overall the store and items are fun and very useful and beautiful- if I didn’t have the experience i had I would financially invest into the store. However if you are a professional artist of color or coming from a different area (I.e metropolitan) I do not recommend selling your artwork here or investing your money. It was very unclear directions, lack of professionalism by showing up to meetings on time and unwelcoming environment with too much midwest “niceness” not the “charm”. If the process was clearer and a system put in place would really be helpful but I ended up crying and feeling highly uncomfortable. I do not think they are rascist at all however have an opportunity to be more culturally competent and sensitive towards people not from the area.

I really hope eventually they get some diversity training because everywhere else in grand Maria’s did not make me feel that way even when I experienced micro aggressions which I could tell was just lack of exposure.

Updated response from message from joy and company:

Hello thank you for responding- it is not a specific culture ma’am it is having some competency as it can be seen in your response is an opportunity for you. None of this specific information of what you wanted it to look like was provided. For example creating a simple checklist that you send over once you approve artists that way they know what you are looking for and communication was clear- if you thought my artwork didn’t fit your area you could have also just told me that then to agree and it’s not what you wanted.

I wish you the best and hope others do not have the experience I had because it was a really beautiful store just clearer professional...

This place is an artist's dream.

Their selection easily outmatches any of that in art stores in the Twin Cities, both in terms of variety in things sold/variants of those things. Think walls and walls of every kind of pen, brush, marker, pencil, paint, sketchbook, paper, and specialty artesan tool you can think of.

I personally use a variety of professional level tools for my art business, including Jaquard Lumiere paints, Tombow brush pens, and Japanese Micron pens. I have never been to a store that had not only all of these tools in those high-quality brands, but every single kind of them, en masse, and in good shape. I have found stores with my obscure Jaquard fabric paints in the Twin Cities, but only in less than five colors and they were dried up husks. Joy & Company had an entire rack of every imaginable shade, in variants of metallic, Neopaque, and other shades. Add on to that an entire wall of more paints, all them clearly not dried up and well-kept.

The dream doesn't end here either. Relive younger days of drawing in satisfying colors with their huge and varied rack of Gelly Roll gel pens. Delve into the walls and walls of markers and Faber Castell products. Flip through the large variety of lined, watercolor, and other sketchbooks. Drool over the college-class quality acrylic paints. I could go on forever. Did I mention there is also an antique shop within this artist's haven?

They have an online shop, which I know I'll be taking advantage of.

Don't let the perhaps unassuming look of this shop on the outside fool you. If you're either a fledgling or professional artist, you will...

My favorite store in Grand Marais. It has just about anything you could need from gifts, to crafts to a complete supply of artist needs. They sell so many local artist items and affordably. If we had target, Michael’s and hobby lobby in town (which we do not) I would still shop here first! Jill and everyone are so helpful if you’re looking for something specific. Also, the Thursday afternoon craft sessions are the best kept local’s...