Why I don't shop at HOBBY LOBBY or MICHAELS anymore
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- Опубліковано 20 сер 2024
- I used to buy almost all my painting and drawing supplies from Michaels and Hobby Lobby. The problem is they decided they would make more money selling their terrible house brands instead of quality art supplies. What happened?
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And as they file for bankruptcy the executives will whine that they just couldn't compete against the internet
EXACTLY!!!
@@Lachri The irony here is, the second commercial going in, is for Micheals. 😆😅🤣😂
And they will leave empty buildings along the byways.
As they sail gently to the ground on their golden parachutes.
And the sad thing is these stores killed the smaller mom and Pop art stores that were in our towns.
Sigh, yep ☹️
I stil use the small guy in my town and so do a lot of others... Michaels is terrible and way too expensive...
I agree.
@@aerialarboreal9005 Ben Franklin used to be the small guy in town until Hobby Lobby showed up. That's their taktik. Show up, put others out of business with quantity and cheap stuff then get rid of the name brand stuff. Ben Franklin's was a smaller store but they had name brand art supplies you were able to buy individually and in the bigger sets. I would be very happy if we had such a store again.
the walmart "crown-of-thorns starfish" merchandizing model. Move in, placing 2 stores just outside city/town tax-zone limits, make the creepy smiley face ads for price drops which underprice the local shops, put them out of business (town dies, residents move out) close out both stores and move on to the next victim, complain about expensive U.S. goods, force manufacturers to move overseas. repeat until they are the only source, offering substandard goods and jobs at poverty level wages, enjoy the $$$$$.
Hmm. I could have sworn the primary purpose of a crafts store was to sell art and craft supplies. But then go in one and look around. The edges have supplies… but the bulk of the store is ….. home decor. Yup. They somehow lost the plot in the worst way.
They went Progressive. They say they’re a craft store while not being a craft store.
@@jennifers8843 They went Republican-all that matters is their personal bottom line, to heck with the people
The only arts and crafts places in my area is Miachels and Hobby Lobby unfortunately, I just decided to get creative by looking at some of the gardening statues as some of them are pretty well made and provides a good and affordable way to somewhat practice still life or cast drawing, I found their portable drawing boards to be useful for providing a convenient surface to draw on without having to break bank on a professional studio rig, and if your creative enough then their home frames make for great ways to frame art and create a professional studio look again without breaking bank, but it's definitely not an art store. The art book selection sucks ass with the majority being a (how to draw a face in one minute) crap that would only appeal to little kids or your typical bored granny just looking for something to do, like where are the Andrew Loomis, George Bridgemins? even art of books are non existent. Worse yet I've noticed how they've started to really skimp on the quality of the sketchbooks. Five years ago they had variety, there was sketchbooks with porous surfaces for watercolor mixed media, smooth surfaces for sketching, toned gray and tan paper for those experimenting with chalk or charcoal, but I went in last week and now EVERY SINGLE SKETCHBOOK including the mixed media ones all have the look and quality of newsprint paper, WHY!? And for a while they were actually charging 44 dollars for those cheaply made Mini easels where the screws come out and they fall apart and can't even take a 15x11 clipboard without tumbling over, I can't even on that one. Although this next one isn't solely a hobby lobby problem, how come when they were doing so called classes nobody wanted to practice drawing, it was either oil painting for $25 or that horribly overpriced stained glass class at a whopping $75, and then I tried going to another hobby lobby only to find out that it was just more painting or calligraphy, but no pencil or charcoal drawing, like no one seems to respect the discipline of drawing anymore, or maybe it's just me. I remember trying to kind of encourage it in class and one of the fellow classmates straight up said in a dismissive way that they don't know anything "about that drawing stuff" even though they were willing to tackle oil painting which is harder and demands more then drawing 🤷 I don't know anymore.
@@Ransome1690 huh, I had no idea Hobby Lobby used to have classes. I know Joanns and Michael's did. But Michael's classes are for kids now and Joanns doesn't do them at all in my area.
@@SilverIchimaru Yep they did, that was before the whole Covid pandemic and quite honestly I think people really seeking to learn some serious art techniques would do better paying for courses online, I don't think two hrs for one day a week is enough for anyone to really learn anything. To be honest a lot of the students projects except for one woman who already had previous oil painting knowledge beforehand all looked subpar, I attended and I don't remember really even doing much of the work, class went as followed. Work on a small part of the painting, reach an area you didn't know how to really do, then teacher comes over, takes painting brush out of your hand and works on majority of area for you, then you finish up the area, rinse and repeat.
I learned practically nothing about oil painting that way, on top of that the teacher only wanted to work on 24x24 canvases, I tried once to use smaller canvas paper but she insisted that "we needed to go big" something about details being easier to fill in on bigger canvases? (I guess) not the easiest thing to carry around though when you don't have a car to put all that stuff in on top of trying not to smear your work, nice way to alienate people without efficient means of transportation. One thing I was always wondering about is if baby oil works well as paint thinner? because we were all using that and I was surprised when I started watching artists like Lena Denya on UA-cam and they were using stuff like Gamsol, I didn't even know what Gamsol was at the time.
15 years ago I would go to JoAnne’s, Hobby Lobby and Michaels for jewelry supplies. As the years went by, they stopped carrying name brands like Swarovski and Blue Moon, and high quality Czech beads. They began to sell mounds of Chinese garbage - cheap stones dyed to look like turquoise and other semi-precious stones, cheap base metal findings, and good brands replaced by store brands. I haven’t shopped at any of those stores for years. It was so nice to be able to go in and see and touch the things I was going to buy. Now I buy online, mostly from Etsy sellers, but it’s much harder to buy jewelry components without seeing them.
Same here in the UK. We have almost no actual craft shops you can visit. Hobbycraft is one of the few chains left but they are focusing on selling cricut now for paper crafts and very few accessories for traditional cutting machines etc. As for inks, stamps 🙄.
Very frustrating.
Fire Mountain Beads is good online place for higher end stones and crystals as well.
I have my own reasons for not going to hobby lobby anymore. Some may not like it,but it is totally political.
I know what you are saying and I'm in agreement.
I hate that blue line flag painting they sell. It screams politics.
I agree with you, Lisa. I shop online with "Blick", "Jerry's Artarama" and "Cheap Joes" mostly and also "Wet Paint Art", "Jackson's", "Madison Art Shop" and a few others. It's actually better for me because I can get my warm jammies on and sit with a warm cup of tea while I shop in comfort. Gone are the days when there used to be small Mom & Pop art stores where you could shop locally and keep the $$ in the community.
Yep! Bath robe and coffee for me while I shop lol.
Jerry's just opened a store near me in the Dallas Texas area and it is AWESOME!!!!!!!!! It's actually art supplies! Real art supplies!
I would love to shop at cheap joes but the Shipping to Canada is outrageous
@@margielee2088 I’m jealous. I’m tired of paying shipping fees and they have the best sales.
@@channelme2 Keeping my fingers crossed that you get one in your area soon!
Totally agree! I just told my friend…Every time I go in Hobby Lobby their stock of cheap Big Lots and Dollar Tree ‘decor’ cr@p keeps growing and their art supply aisles are barren and shrinking. So not only is the lack of art supplies discouraging, but the plethora of cheap plastic ‘stuff’ that no one needs is eventually going to the landfill never to decompose.
And, ironically, Dollar Tree now sells yarn and craft stuff, a whole aisle of it. Dollar General also has some craft items but not as much.
True about the landfills, but 99% of Dollar Tree crafts don't compare to HL.
I don't like Hobby Lobby for a variety of reasons. But honestly I buy the majority of my art supplies online. Thanks to the UA-cam art community who test, compare and review art supplies I have saved a lot of money and time.
I'm also super grateful for youtube reviews!
Good point.
What are the other reasons you don't shop at Hobby Lobby anymore, besides the disappointing quality of the merchandise?
@@PaulaBean Their public stance against women and the LGBTQIA+ community is well-documented. They have spent millions lobbying to carve out exceptions for themselves so they do not have to follow the law, but rather their self-appointed "religious" beliefs. There are ample reasons not to support them.
@@PaulaBean I'm not the person you asked but I have 2 main reasons for not being willing to shop at HL. The crap quality and their primary focus is actually on selling home decor instead of actual crafting/art supplies are more minor reasons. 1) Hobby Lobby got caught selling black market artifacts a few years ago. There have also been issues with the legitimacy of some of the artifacts in the owner's bible museum. 2) The owners are right wing christian fundamentalists who are actively working against freedom of religion by trying to get laws and legislation passed that forces people to live by the owner's religious beliefs. They don't just want to force everyone to be a christian but they want to force everyone to follow and live by the restrictions of their specific version of Christianity.
There are very few professional brands offered at either store. You are absolutely correct!
So frustrating. We used to have a smaller art shop in my area but they went out of business so the only place to go in person are those two. That leaves me with online shopping for everything now when it comes to art. The only thing I like from Hobby Lobby anymore are their generic paint brushes for acrylics and oils. Besides that I can get a better selection and better prices online.
By few I only mean the occasional open stock Faber Castell. It is very disappointing, and I have to travel across town to Dick Blick or only order online.
@@LachriI lived in a small town on the east coast for years and my husband and I would take a day trip over 3hrs away to support small local shops. It was definitely annoying not having a local art shop. I kept writing blick asking for a location to be opened near us because despite the small town feel there was a vibrant art community. As far as a I know that never happened though.
When I realized I wanted to try watercolor, I remembered an art store that mostly did framing, sold frames and stuff. But I remember going in there and seeing art supplies like paint before. So I tried to find them. Not in the building they had been in. So I looked them up. Kept getting referred to Michaels. Apparently the framing part is part of Michaels now, so, no art supplies.
I really miss the smaller bookstores too. So cozy I'd spend hours in there. Big stores put them out of business, then they went out of business too.
@@recoveringsoul755 Do you mean Aaron Brothers? I always got my Pan Pastels there and other art supplies, always had good sales in brushes too. They were a really awesome frame and small art supply store.I wasn't sure if they were always part of Michaels umbrella company or if it was something Michaels acquired to eat the competition. When Hobby Lobby came to the area they closed up. 🤷 Again not sure if it was Micheals that contributed or the onset of Hobby Lobby popping up every where or both. 🤷
This hit hard. I don't go into either anymore, because they don't have what I want. I can just go online to Jackson's and find everything i need in one place.
I just decided to start shopping at Jackson’s as well. Deserres in Canada is good too.
"This hit hard. I don't go into either anymore, because they don't have what I want."
The memo most retailers didn't get, leading to them going out of business and the rise of amazon and other online stores. Not just arts and crafts.
Every single thing you said about Michael's is correct! Michaels and Grumbacher had a falling out when Michaels went to the Anyroads model for classes and cut out the Grumbacher sponsored programs. I was an art instructor at Michaels and when I was teaching painting, yarn and jewelry classes, the store sales in the fine art department alone was more than 150K directly attributed to my classes! The instructors were paid based on student fees, so we paid for ourselves. I was there almost 11 years and watched it all go to down hill from bad corporate decisions. Also, fine art is always the top 3 theft department.
🙄 mmmk.
Fine art being high theft doesn't surprise me as much of it is student oriented. Our Jerry's maintains locked cages for the graffiti artists spray cans, with not much else, I can think of, being under lock and key. So is graffiti now "fine art"?😁
This is how overpaid CEÓs make their careers. Bad decisions that look good on paper…does not serve the customer, but the declining sales does not show up for awhile. This is what happened to Boarders Books way back when. They were doing very well until a new born again CEO came in, fired anyone “different” threw out any subject matter sections not religiously approved, and then the store closed. It was the best store in town until a fanatic ruined it.
That's crazy! I didn't know that happened!
Wild, I think HL is under new management as well, so that may explain the new and unwanted( this is a craft store not a home dec store) direction.
I didn't know that. I really miss boarders. ugh.
Not true, but go ahead and hate on Christians, it’s all the rage I hear.
@@darlalove If Christians behaved in the ways of CHRIST you wouldn’t get dumped on.
Stopped by Michaels for a set of liquitex ink and thought i would check Amazon while i was at the store. Michaels charging $12 more TWELVE DOLLARS!! I ordered from Amazon while AT Michaels…made me feel good
The ONLY reason Michaels and Hobby Lobby used to be able to get away with that is they used to have 40% coupons we could use on one item. But they got rid of those claiming they would instead have every day low prices...but never lowered prices. I can't believe they thought we wouldn't notice and would keep shopping with them.
I love this soooo much! ❤
I've lost count of how many times I was looking for a specific item in a store and they don't have what I'm looking for at all. If you ask someone you either get a blank stare and shrug or they tell you they can order it online for you. I always tell them, "This is why Bezos has all the money." Do I want to fund penis-rockets for gazillionaires with more money than sense? No. But when I need X item, I need X item and he's created a corporation that will deliver X item to my doorstep in 2 days in most cases.
Amazon is not the best choice for responsible shopping.
@@susanperry4177 I totally agree but brick and mortar stores don’t have what I am looking for most of the time.
I’m a paper crafter, and I rarely go to Hobby Lobby anymore. They did the same thing with paper supplies - got rid of all name brands and only have store brands. Eliminated most supplies like punches, etc. If I want home goods, I’ll go to the real Home Goods!!
It's interesting, I didn't realize how bad this was in other departments, but now that you mention it, when I went to HL for acid free double sided tape, they didn't have ANY anywhere in their store. I found some at michaels for double what it was on amazon. It's insane!
If they don’t get it together they will lose so many customers that the store will go under because your right who want cheap home decor and honestly who buys home decor daily ??? I .DON’T
Boy, do I agree with you!!! It's sad really
And … OMG!!! … the SH!7 LOAD of S T I C K E R S !! 😵💫 🤮
@@libbyzg6611 Those who can afford to “play dress-up” for their homes I wouldn’t think would want H.L.’s versions of bling. And those who don’t have extra funds, or are not inclined to run up credit card debt, really wouldn’t be interested either! Soooo … where’s the logic??
I think I’d better check to see if I own stock in them!!
The home decor items aren't meant to last. As soon as the trend changes most people buy new stuff. Why manufacture stuff that lasts? If they made things of good quality it would cut down on their profits. I hate that so many don't give a thought to the resources that get dumped into a landfill.
Sigh. You're not wrong. It's like the fast fashion industry. I hate it.
🎯🎯🎯
The only places I don't hate to shop is art supply stores, hardware stores, and book stores. I love to see, touch, and compare. Sadly, Blick is really starting to go the way of selling their own brand in some areas. I pray they stop, I would rather travel the 40 minutes it takes me to get to their store than shop on line. Plus, do they realize I spend more when I go to the store than if I buy online!
I love book stores too, but I’m guessing they’re not going to be around much longer. Our Barnes & Nobles have pretty much all closed down. We have one Books A Million left.
Fortunately, we still have an actual art store (and framing shop) where I live. It's independent and run by lovely people. The chain stores are not the way to go.
There are SO many things wrong with Hobby Lobby!
You're not wrong.
This is the LEAST of it.
😂
I think it's fine for amature artist & hobbyist. Let the professionals buy the high end items we need our inexpensive supplies.
I don't shop with Blick anymore. The last few things I ordered from them arrived in blister packs and were damaged. I really prefer to shop for art supplies in person but the closest true art supply store is an hour away. I order from Jerry's Artarama when I do buy. They pack their supplies carefully and I appreciate that. Art supplies aren't cheap to buy!
Jerry's is good too! With either company when stuff arrives damaged, contact them. They had me send photos and then replaced the damaged items without any issues. They also let me keep the damaged stuff! I've gotten free art paper (damaged so I can use it for tests and studies) a few times! I'm not even mad about damaged stuff, it's just free bonus items at that point... Although the delay in getting what you needed can be annoying.
Jerry's is pretty awesome. There is one about an hour from me. I love that place
I prefer to shop in person too, but that is not possible. MT does not have a Dick Blick, Jerry's Artarama, Cheap Joes. But really I find from all 3 it is more often Dick Blick with the best price when comparing set sizes or even individual prices. But hey, Portland gets two. That's an 18 drive away.
In my area (NJ), Michaels and Hobby Lobby started to really trim down their art supplies section and reduced quay when Michaels bought out their competition…ACMoore.
I love Dick Blick and have been so happy with them that I've bought all my art supplies from the over many years. I only had one item arrive damaged. I called them and they immediately sent a replacement. The man on the phone said I could do what ever I wished with the damaged product and that of course I didn't need to return it.
Even when they carried good brands I rarely bought them at craft stores. With the best coupons you could get a couple of tubes/whatever a time at a reasonable price, but it would take a long time to collect a set that way. Blick and other online stores always had better prices so you could get a selection of what you need immediately. I imagine that as more and more people become comfortable with online shopping fine art supplies really haven't been profitable for them. But you're also right that removing the stuff I even want to look at means I rarely go in to a craft store at all anymore, so they're not getting any impulse add-on shopping out of me, which often happened on my browsing trips.
My local fine art store usually has better prices, and way better sales. They also have try-it days and demos with brand reps that are really informative and helpful. Definitely support a good art store if you have one!
We had a great small art store but they went out of business. They had two or three locations and were doing well at one point. They were really the "go to" spot for good supplies. Sadly, they kept running the store like they did before the internet and it just didn't work out. They could have done so well if they had more in person demonstrations and classes and got those on social media or youtube. It was frustrating to see how much they could have done but ignored. Even their website when they had one was TERRIBLE! It should have showcased demos so people knew when to come in, sales, highlighted supplies. Nope, it was a PDF list of things they carried. You couldn't even tell what most the listings were for. Eventually they upgraded that but it was impossible to use. Nothing was ever in stock, the prices were HORRIBLE. Like they had a projector for double what it cost anywhere else. It's like they didn't realize people can price check now.
I was super-exited that Michaels AND Hobby Lobby recently decided to open in a nearby city, but seeing Michael's stock has put a damper on things. Its exactly as you say. There was ONE brand name oil paint and ONE brand name watercolor (not in the colors I wanted). All the others were store brand.
And the cheap-to-make decor is ridiculously overpriced! There are UA-cam channels that show how inexpensive the supplies are to make these fragile items - and how you can make your own.
Yes. They are almost complete in replacing all of the quality products with their cheap stuff that still costs as much as the better stuff. There are many other reasons to not shop there.
That's the really crazy part. Their generic crap costs as much as the good stuff! It's not even a good deal for beginners like many claim.
I agree! They are more of a craft store than art store. I do like Hobby Lobby's Master's Touch watercolor brushes. They're pretty nice for the price 😊
I've not used their watercolor brushes but I like their oil and acrylic house brand brushes. That's the only thing I go to that store for anymore. And that's like once a year or so. I stock up so I don't need to go back.
I used to impulse-buy a ton of beads and crafts for my son whenever I went to Michael's to get supplies, but now they hardly have anything professional-grade at all so I never go in. On one hand it's been better for my bank account, on the other it's frustrating when I need something for a job rightnowrightnow and I have to wait 2-4 days for it to arrive in the mail instead, or drive to Atlanta.
That's exactly what I'm talking about. They miss out on so many sales like yours because of it! But you're right, I buy less other stuff that they have that bigger markup on too because of it.
SO agree!
Been a loyal Blick shopper for decades! And now that Im in California and no longer near a brick and mortar....im a loyal online Blick customer.🥰
Same here I’ve bought from Blick for more than 2 decades. 😊
Ohhhh yes Blick got some super cool iridescent acryllic paints from them.
I went to a Hobby Lobby for the first time in years a couple months ago. The main reason I stopped shopping there was because I could almost always find what I wanted cheaper online. I decided to stop in one day and lo and behold, they have NO name brand sketchbooks/paper. NONE. And the selection of art supplies overall was poor (and still overpriced). Michaels is slightly better, but their art supply section being delegated to one sorry corner in the back of the store is insulting enough not to bother shopping there. And now where I live, it's a minimum 30 minute drive to get to either, so it makes no sense not to just order online
Here in the UK we have stores called the Range which sell everything under the sun and have very good art and craft departments. The art dept sold all Winsor and Newton products in all mediums watercolour etc, student and professional grade, brushes etc, I went in last week and its all gone, what they sell now is their own cheap made in the back end of nowhere products branded 'Art Studio'. It was nice to pop out and get what you wanted there and then, only about 2 miles away but now its has to be all online shopping and no art stores around here anymore 🤬
I totally agree. I would rather drive the hour and a half to go to my nearest Jerry's Artarama than go to the Michaels and Hobby Lobby that are less than 5 miles from my home because they don't carry any name brand supplies other than student grade.
I noticed this too going to Michaels after I moved back to the US. I miss the art store I had in Canada because they sold higher quality canvases, like structurally sound ones and professional ink markers. Michaels sells student grade and throw away material. I can't even get the good markers here anymore like Prismacolor and Windsor & Newton because it's only Artist Loft brand now..
I’m glad to hear that the whole world hasn’t gone the way of the GREEDY TOP 3% !!! Not too bloody sure what part of the world they’ll move to to be safe when the hungry rabble take to the streets, but it’s a chinch they can’t close stores and manufacturing, and still have a viable society.
Exactly! I very seldom ever step into HL anymore since they discontinued carrying Strathmore journals. I call it the Made in China store. I did find some FaberCastell markers (German product) and one American made product the other day. Otherwise, I'm like you. Nearest Blick is over 200 mile trip, so I shop on line.
They *do* make quality watercolor paper in China (Baohong, it's up there with Fabriano and Arches), but I don't think you'll find it at Hobby Lobby 🤪
I was stunned a while back when I went into Hobby Lobby. Where they used to have a full row of quality paper they had one small shelf of cheap crap. Dick Blick it is!
Crazy right?! I remember the first time I went to a hobby lobby, their paper selection was the thing I was most in awe over. Not anymore!
I told my family it won’t be long before Hobby Lobby will have to change their name cause they’re taking all of the hobbies right out of their store. Art, paper, fabric and yarn are what I go in there for, and they’re clearing out most of those to concentrate more on seasonal apparently, except maybe fabric. I’m not sure about that one. Let me just add, when I say clearing out I’m speaking of all except their house brand which I typically won’t buy for the exact reasons you gave. So its same as gone for me.
The new name should be "Overpriced Generics".
@@Lachriyes! Perfect! 😂
I don't even go for yarn there, because Joan's including all they have are Acrylic and Polyester blend yarns, and both of those are plastic. I don't know who wears that stuff. It dies not feel good even handling it for me. I want real real 100% sheeps wool, mohair, angora, Al Paka etc.
When I ask for wool, that is what I am looking for . Not yarn. Why don't people know anymore what wool is?
@@ladyinblack3398 People do know what Wool is and a lot of us buy what we can from indie dyers but we can't always afford it, especially in sweater quantities. Acrylic yarn is affordable while also being easily accessible. Also Wool allergies exist as well.
@@ladyinblack3398 I don't really have a choice when it comes to wool as no matter the price, most is unusable due to the chemicals they use in processing it and the other animal fibers made me sneeze incessantly, not fun. Acrylic and washable cotton/cotton blends it is, bamboo as well when I find it reasonably priced. Usable wool for me is almost always so out of my price range, it's not even funny, add in that it is high maintenance because it needs handwashing and I hardly ever get wool, which is sad cause it's nice and warm. I also tend to make high use items that need to be low maintenance and most wool doesn't play nice for that. I will say this though, some Acrylics feel nasty no matter what you do with them, while others only feel that way between the washer and the dryer.
As for the "wool" issue many countries use wool no matter what kind of yarn they are speaking of.
Thanks Lisa! My son works at Michael’s and he told me that is exactly what’s happening! Blicks is not far behind, though.
That's sad to hear. I wonder if name brands will have to start selling direct to the customer. That's what I do with most of my beauty supplies now. I skip ulta and go straight to the source. I get way better deals that way too.
Our Michael's here still has brands that I purchase, but I did notice they downsized; however, I could not figure out what they sacrificed until you mentioned Grumbacher. But I love Liquitex and Winsor and Newton and will still purchase that from them if I need certain colors ASAP. But for the most part, I purchase online now and find it's more inexpensive, especially purchasing in bulk.
I'm super lucky to have a physical Jerry's artarama about a half hour from my house, so if I want, I can easily go pick it up. I like the way the brushes are stored as well since more specifically Michaels does a terrible job at keeping them from being destroyed. Also thanks to your videos I bought one of the round fredrix canvases and it was so fun to work with!
I'm so jealous! I've seen that too with brushes and markers being trashed. I watched this one kid when I was at hobby lobby taking the winsor and newton pigment markers back when they carried them (so like $7 each), removing the lids and JAMMING the exposed tips into the little diamond metal shape holes in the shelves. The mom stood there doing NOTHING! She was pretty pissed when I told the kid to knock it off.
Hi Lisa....I just came across your video.....and thank you thank you for sharing this info! I stopped shopping at Hobby Lobby and Michael's for the simple reason you are sharing! Yes, you're correct their stuff is crap and they stopped carrying the things I like and need....plus their prices have gone thru the roof! I, to buy online now or I shop at antique stores, garage sales, estate sales even salvation army to remake what I want! I just subscribed to your channel to see what you're all about! 👍🤗🌷
I like how you painted a bigger picture of the way things are connected.
Weirdly enough, I have found some of Job Lot's paints and canvases to be of higher quality at times.
Thanks for making this video and let us know what to watch out for in this art world 😮.
I told one of the employees at Hobby Lobby that the seasonal stuff was a bad idea. Small town, so I'll keep going because I like their fabric(my store just rearranged not downsized) and the yarn I buy from them they still have. They have some other things that are good deals as well, like Minwax topcoats of all things. It's a small town, good deals are found in funny places. Micheals I only bother with if I want something like caron cakes as it is for me anyway cheaper to go to the physical store. But since I don't have a business, am on a budget, like to touch before buying and craft as enjoyable stress management I'm perfectly happy with cheap most of the time.
I do not shop at Hobby Lobby. It's the only local source of art supplies so I order online or buy from an art store 80 miles away when I have a chance to stop there.
That reminds me of my early days as an artist. I remember driving that far to find small shops to look for weird sized canvases or random art supplies I had never seen. There was no internet back then so it was fun to go explore stuff like that. I was SO excited when I found an oval canvas at one shop lol.
Couple that with them basically getting rid of the 20% off coupons that brought so many people in to the stores and they are definitely heading the way of the Dodo bird. I always spent way beyond those coupons since they didn't cover sale items, but not having the coupon keeps me from going in. I mean I don't do Hobby Lobby anyway but Michaels now is just down to the buy one get one half off sales they have or the clearance racks. It used to be my main source of art supply shopping.
As an acrylic pourer, I still use Michael's as a source for my Liquitex pouring mediums, varnishes, Golden Paints, some Artist loft paints, and Buy on Get 2 free canvasses. I use my 40% off coupon. I use the canvasses for practice with newer techniques, but i always lay the canvases flat on the floor to check for warping first.
Not to mention HB’s anti-women’s health and anti-LGBT stances
Regarding house brand paints; years ago, I bought one tube of Artist’s Loft acrylic from Michael’s. It was ivory black, and had such a low pigment load it barely covered. I have bought Utrecht’s house brands of oils and acrylics, and have been quite pleased with the results.
The ad that played at the end of this video was a Hobby Lobby ad. Hysterical! 😂
My Hobby Lobby stopped supplying W&N oil paint and synthetic hog hair brushes. Yeah, I’m done.
Luckily I have a Texas Art Supply store near by that I’d rather give my money to - they have amazing, knowledgeable people that work there.
OMG HAHAHAHAHA!!! That's perfect!
Hello, fellow Houstonian! I LOVE Texas Art Supply! I didn't realize how blessed we are to have it. I visited Austin last year and was shocked to find they don't have their own art supply store! They do have a Jerry's, at least.
@@ritawilbur7343 Hi Neighbor! I’m so glad we have TAS here. I love being able to go in and see art supplies vs buying online. Although I can get in a lot of trouble with them being so close by. 😬 😂
@@emmaleewalters9312 Haha! I hear you on that!
I too have Texas Art Supply and Jerry’s Artarama. Very blessed. TAS also does online sales.
They will regret it! It’s a really bad decision on their part. 🤪🤪 I’ve been buying from Blick, and Jerry’s online for a few years now. You are exactly right. 👏👍
Hopefully they figure it out sooner rather then later. Or just stop carrying art supplies all together to make room for a smaller art specific shop to fill the need.
I have SO many reasons why I never shop at Hobby Lobby and they have little to do with art supplies. Michaels is just not the same anymore. I used to work there for a short time and they are renowned for their false "sales". Putting an item on sale and grouping much more expensive items with that sale and people getting overcharged. I couldn't be on board for that.
UGGG! I saw those false sales when I ran their classroom. The floral department was the worst. They would go mark everything up right before a 50% off sale started. SUPER illegal. The store manager and floral department manager were in on it so the store was always at the top of the district statistics on sales. They were doing that right before I left. I was shocked, and they would brag about it like they were soooo smart.
Besides the reasons you state,(i.e., no artist quality art supplies), I stopped shopping there because both stores treat their employees very poorly. For example Hobby Lobby fired any employee that came down with COVID, because one of the owners "prayed" on the issue, then said that's what God told her to do, and that the employee got COVID because they were sinful. Never setting foot in any business that uses religion to exploit their workers.
Ok, now that is not just crazy, it isn't even a little biblical. WTH!?! I hope she reported that person, that is just straight insanity right there! And not legal! Not that I want to stick up for Hobby Lobby but I can say first hand they are NOT all like that.
@@Lachri I found myself needing one specific item in a hurry. Went online and only found it at Hobby Lobby. Never go there normally because of their political stance, but I was desperate. Walked in the store and immediately was hit with tons of religious propaganda in all forms! I turned around and walked out.
Hobbycraft in the UK is ridiculous. They charge some 40% or more for their products compared to whats available from a plethora of art stores online who all offer £3 delivery on orders over £25. Skipton Art Shop, Cult Pens, etc ... all knock Hobbycraft into a cocked hat.
Oh wow!! It's similar with prices at michaels or hobby lobby vs blick. Michaels and hobby lobby have always cost more, but they used to have coupons that brought them down to a reasonable price. They got rid of the coupons saying they wanted to have everyday low prices...but they never lowered the prices. Now they're just overpriced with no discount to even it out. Hobby Lobby also stopped having sales years ago on liquitex and only ran sales on their house brand crap. So even with liquitex it's not worth buying from them anymore.
@@Lachri It's these huge corporations. Imagine the trade discount they are getting from suppliers and having feet all through the supply chain - yet they don't pass those savings onto buyers.
I always support the smaller shops, and it's insane how Skipton and Cult can still stay open and do well - while operating on such a small scale - and while offering much better prices.
For the last 5 years or so, there were so few customers in Hobbycraft it was a ghost town. Three huge floors of the finest art stuff, but ridiculous prices. You'd find the odd upper middle class family walking around, husband earns £100k+ a year and his wife has taken up card making etc, buying a small £300 trolley of glitter and card and glues and crafting gear. And you'd find me and my little girl, wandering around admiring everything but usually leaving with nothing except a small treat for her. But every now and then they would rid themselves of old stock - I got a huge selection of sable brushes (worth between £20-£80 from riggers to number 10 rounds and washes) for a few pound each beacuse nobody had bought them in so long, after so many customers had fingered them, their hairs were slightly out of whack. I just remade them at home and they were all perfect. So there is that, I guess...
I'm not American, but I wouldn't shop in Hobby Lobby because of its religious fundamentalism, and their bad habit of trading in illegal looted artefacts (I used to be an archaeologist 😅) Have they really gotten so bad? I hate it when a business forgets who their core customers are.
We have some very tiny art stores selling quality art supplies but mainly have to go to Nashville, Birmingham, or Atlanta to shop larger stores ... or order online. Our HL and Michaels still have some quality supplies but just barely.
The same thing has happened in Australia. Lincraft and Spotlight were originally mainly fabric stores. Then they moved into art and craft materials and were great to start with. But Lincraft went down the track of stocking their own brand, Makr, which is cheap rubbish and Spotlight, while they didn't go down the home brand trail, decided to stock more and more rubbish brands. Both priced themselves out of the market in art supplies, charging more for the rubbish than the good stuff from Jacksons. The only problem with Jackson's is that although they have set up a warehouse in Australia, it doesn't stock everything, and it is often cheaper to get it sent out from the UK than pay local postage. Paper pads don't seem to be stocked but the large sheets of paper are, and those cost an arm and a leg in postage because they are oversized, more than the sheet costs. So, unless you are ordering a lot of stuff, it's still not worth it. The warehouse is near Adelaide, several thousand km from Sydney, so you can't just go and pick it up. At the moment, Lincraft are selling out a lot of their art and craft materials, apparently to replace it with more homewares and last time I went to Spotlight to get a couple of things they said they had on their website, they didn't have any of it and I left empty handed. Having no local art stores is an issue, particularly with the cost of postage having gone up another 25%.
I used to go into Michaels here (Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada), for their great posters of classic movie stars, like Marilyn, James Dean, etc., but they stopped bringing that in a LONG time ago. Shame, because that got me in the store and I'd also get framing materials and so on. Haven't been in there in ages! Not sure if we have Hobby Lobbys in Canada, but *THANKS* for the heads up!😊👍
OH I remember when they used to have those! It's been a LONG time!
I already refuse to go into a Hobby Lobby. They went all the way to the Supreme Court to avoid paying for contraceptives for their employees. Rather anti-woman for a craft company.
100% agree! I used to run to Michael’s frequently when I needed a quick supply refresh and either wanted it right now or only needed a tube or two of paint. My Blick is far and parking is a challenge there, and ordering online takes quite a bit of time, so when I needed it immediately, I would run down to Michael’s. I always left with more than I went in for. Always.
I still purchase art supplies, but almost exclusively online now.
We are so lucky to have a Jerry's in our town. They purchased the locally owned art supply store that I frequented while earning my Interior Design degree, 40 years ago. How much has it changed? About 10 years ago I needed a few sheets of the chip board I used frequently in school 30 years earlier for an upholstery project I was doing. In a hurry, I parked, ran to the right of the back end of the store, grabbed my boards and took them to the register, hardly thinking about what I was doing - running on automatic. Cashier asked, "Did you find everything you needed?" I suddenly was pulled into conscious thought and exclaimed, "OMG! The Chip board is still stocked in the same spot it was in 30 years ago! I didn't even have to think about what I was doing!"
Yeah, that store is that cool. I enjoy driving the extra 12 miles just to get there, passing one Michael's and 2 Hobby Lobbies along the way. Best part is - when you get there, no mountains of hideous Chinese junk to have to navigate around, just more really cool art supplies!
I went in a Hobby Lobby and two Michael's stores looking for art instruction books. There were none compared to two years ago. How can they sell art supplies if no one knows what to do with them and when?
I actually have a great comment about Hobby Lobby. I ordered something was slightly cracked. It was the first time i ordered from them . The customer service was excellent. They just sent me a new one and I didn't have to send old one back. have
I've had the same experience with DickBlick... only they actually carry the things I'm looking for so double bonus for them lol.
Excellent and I 100% Agree!
Its bc of this that my 2 artist friends and i do a road trip once every 3-4 months and go to BLICK. The closet one is an hour away so we carpool there and shop for what we need for the next couple of months, alternatively we shop online but going into BLICK and shopping together is nice.
If people bought the high end supplies, the stores would keep stocking them. The people who shop at those stores want cheap and easy products to make hobby grade crafts.
Yeah, I'm sure that has something to do with it, but on the other hand, they're often selling their brand for the same price they used to sell the name brand materials.
I would say fire mountain gems for beads and findings but I have seen a decline there too
What you are saying makes a lot of sense.
I stopped shopping at Hobby Lobby quite a while ago for SO MANY reasons. The last time I went
in was around Halloween time a few years ago. All they had were Christmas decorations, and
I made the "mistake" of asking them if they had any Halloween decor. Their whole staff looked at
me with this frozen, dark, cult like stare and just "vibed" me for asking. It actually felt like there was
more hate and "evil" there in that store than any Halloween shop I've ever walked in to.. That was the end.
I definitely go to Michael's for crafty items as we need to have some resource for those things
around locally. And they definitely fill the bill.
But as for getting quality art supplies, again, you are making a very good point and it seems more and more online shopping is winning over. Thanks for the video.
The Michael's in my area (Pittsburgh) are reasonably well-stocked on good quality paint and other art supplies, but they also have a brick-and-mortar Blick to compete with, so maybe that motivates them. IDK.
That's interesting! What brands of canvas, paints and open stock colored pencils are they carrying? Maybe more brick and mortar Blicks are what the world needs to fix this problem!
@@Lachri I haven't bought colored pencils in a few months, but I'm 99% sure that's where I got my Derwent watercolor pencils and several varieties of Faber Castell (a quick check on their site shows both of those in stock at the location closest to me). Pretty decent selection of Winsor & Newton and Gamblin oil paint, too, though Blick definitely has more. I go to 3 different locations regularly, and the acrylic sections are mostly Golden or Liquitex, and I've picked up a LOT of Winsor & Newton watercolor tubes. A lot of stuff is hit and miss, but it's enough to keep me going there instead of Blick most of the time (parking at Blick is a NIGHTMARE here, so I don't go there often).
OH! And the canvas isn't great. Store brand, though I've had surprisingly good luck with their store brand as long as I check for warped stretchers first. It works in a pinch for an amateur!
You are missing the point of how art and craft items aren't selling and HL is doing what they can to keep the stores going during the recession.
Our Hobby Lobby carries Winsor & Newton paints & brushes, but they charge twice as much as Blick 🥴. I'll wait for delivery from Blick thanks.
I have been complaing about this for over a year when Hobby Lobby in Helena MT pulled all brand names and replaced EVERYTHING with their store brand China junk. Which I do not want. They do not care, i have told staff each time I was looking for things and could not find the things I was searchng for, I have told the store manager numerous times why I have no reason to come in the store anymore. I told them I want the brand name art supplies and not this. They don't care. So now I have to order everything, even a Pencil, because Hobby Lobby came to town and drove out Ben Franklin's which was a smaller store but they did have all the name brand things, and not only the small sets. They had full sets of FC and Derwent, Windsor Newton etc.
I am so sick of Hobby Lobby. There is nothing for artists in this town.
I agree! I order most of my stuff online too because I can't find what I want in the stores.
So frustrating! Thank goodness for online shopping to save us from the crap choices some of these companies make!
Me, thinking about my own gripes with Hobby Lobby's art supplying in recent years: Yes, rant with me!
Lachri: same gripes.
Me: Yeah!
I don't have a local Michaels (though I see that there's a regional distribution center that has name brand supplies), but after Hobby Lobby went only-generics, I tried Joann's. They have a smaller art section, but at least they have name brand paper, pencils (besides small sets of Prismacolor, which HL still has), pens, watercolors, and...I finally got an OttLite! They had an aisle of them, not just one.
That's interesting about Joann's. I gave up on them a long time ago. Back around 2005 they started cutting back on art supplies. I remember getting a bunch of canvases on clearance when they did this. They cut down to this tiny maybe 5ft wide art supply display. I will have to check them out to see what's changed.
Only shop online at Dick Blick & Jerry’s for this very reason ! Great video !!
Those are my go to stores too! I've never needed to contact Jerry's but I have been quite impressed with Blick's customer service so added bonus there!
I purchase almost all of my art supplies from Blick, however I hate the way they ship color pencils. Jerry's always ships color pencils on a piece of firm card board with shrink wrap around them to protect them from breakage. However, Blick just throws them in a padded envelope. I agree with you on Hobby Lobby and Michaels. I never go in them these days.
Thank you for voicing my rant!😉
Thanks for the heads up, haven't been to Michaels or Hobby Lobby in a while & didn't realize this. I have a Blick's & a Jerry's within easy driving distance anyway.
Oh I'm jealous! We don't have anything else near us so I just have to order online now.
Hobby lobby has some good paper that goes on sale a couple times a month. Which is fine. But nothing you can’t get off line. Only worth it in an emergency if I need paper now. Otherwise their art supply selection is very minimal at both stores and they’re always out of stock on stuff! Especially Michael’s. I wish there were more art supplies available locally for me but I get better prices online with Jerry’s and Plaza.
I worked at HL for 5 years, and it's getting worse. Now they are bringing in more kitchen and bath items and seasonal has more aisles to cover as they got rid of aisles in numerous departments. I know it seems that they don't know what they're doing, but the fact is that there are not a ton of real artists buying the expensive stuff. It sat on the shelves and gathered dust. Or got stolen. They are a business and it always comes down to the bottom line. They make more money off their own brand stuff, and sell more of it. And most sales are in home decor, seasonal, and floral. As an artist your points are definitely valid, but the bigger picture for them is that if every artist stopped shopping the stores, it will barely affect the bottom line. Maybe mom & pop stores with the name brand supplies will start coming back.
In my area...Fabric, floral and yarn were the big sellers. Why? HL was the only store we had to get quality supplies for our craft. Walmart fabric and yarn suck..and I am seeing shift with HLs materials too. So...while what you state may be true for your store, it is not true for all stores.
Im sure the fact that they started selling the few good brands they still carried for 60% over what Blick and Jerry's sell them for was probably a large reason for them sitting on the shelf. Which isnt an exaggeration... a Copic marker (the best on the market) at Michaels sells for WHOPPINNG $9.19 per ONE MARKER! And Hobby Lobby was selling them $8.99 right before switching them out for Master Touch which they sell at $5.19. Well for the same price as the crappy Master Touch at HL I can just go to Blick and get the damn COPIC. Sure is there short term profit Yes. But as JcPenny found out when it went to cheap in house brand...there is a long-term price to be paid.
Just went in yesterday, I buy paper crafting supplies SOMETIMES, to use in mixed media or for card making. They have reset my store, again, and are discontinuing the few things that I actually could use. Even the paper selection is reduced, wasn't great before. So I got a couple of things on clearance and probably won't go back into the store again. My Micheals store closed during the pandemic. It's just sad. I already did most of my shopping on line, and now will just have to do all of it online. It's really frustrating to not have things available within any reasonable driving distance. It's so nice to be able to hold something in your hand and feel it, the weight, heft, balance, textures, see accurate color, etc before you buy it. Makes me less likely to try something new if it's not a brand I'm used to and have confidence in. The internet is winning.
Our paper selection is the same. I'm thinking that you're not giving HL a chance because it's easier to gripe and complain especially without any other craft store in town?
@@beckynelson-tr9zt Wow, you know nothing about me, but go ahead and judge my motives. Hope your day is as pleasant as you are.
I wasn't judging, I was just saying the paper selection did not change, so I'm wondering why everyone is complaining instead of going to see it.
@@beckynelson-tr9zt I DID go there and see it. I SAW what they have, and what they no longer have. I didn't just make something up. Maybe it's different in my town than yours, I've no idea. I just stated the facts as they exist in MY local store.
You are absolutely correct.
I'm glad you said you shop at Dick Blick. They have been soooo good to me that I've always been happy over the years. One time I got a stretched canvas that was very floppy and I called them. The man on the phone apologized and said he would immediately send a replacement and that I didn't need to bother returning the defective canvas I was unhappy with. I have always received the highest quality materials just as I had imagined they would be. Plus one can call them with any questions about any materials or art techniques and they have a department where you can speak to an expert on your subject. I LOVE DICK BLICK!
I've experienced the exact same thing with their customer service! ❤️
I have stopped going to all three of the hobby stores-Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and Joann’s. Why? Number one reason is that Hobby Lobby stopped their 40% off coupon, Michael’s only offers 20% off regular priced items and do the “buy-one-get-one-50% off” sale (not the 50% off they used to have on items), and actually Joann’s is really the “best” of the three in terms of sales and a 50% off coupon-but their prices are crazy high, too. Hobby Lobby shot themselves in the foot because I lived for that 40% off coupon…..I went in to get my special 40% off item and then proceeded to purhcase $150 in merchandise along with that item. Usually I went in more than once a week. Nope. Not anymore. Thank you, Hobby Lobby, for curbing my impulse buying. I win, you lose.
LOL I like your attitude, you win, they lose! I save a lot of money for the same reason!
Literally the only reason I go into a Michael's is because my local ones carry a semi-reasonable selection of Strathmore 400 papers, and every other week has them on buy one get one free. Oh yeah, and their relatively inexpensive plaques, which make for nicer bases for my larger scale miniature pieces.
Most of my purchases are done from my local art store, not just because they're a short walk away (nearest Michael's is an hour by bus), but because they have a very wide selection of artist grade products, carry open stock for most of the brands I use or am considering, and most importantly have staff that have been there for some time and that are extremely knowledgeable. Bonus point is they're usually same price or cheaper than Michael's, have stock, and if there's a question a staff member has probably already spotted me wandering the aisles and what I'm looking at and is more than willing to help out. Oh yeah, they also have a nice online store, so I can purchase, and then pick up on the way home from work, which is incredibly handy as well.
But yeah, for Michael's, I've been wanting to go there less and less, because I've noticed the same thing here in Canada, where they're slowly phasing out what I actually want for low quality products, which makes me then go "and what's the point in making the trip here?", because the other thing that's extremely annoying is if they do have something I'm looking for (and/or have it on sale), it's almost always in a cage, and you spend a bunch of time trying to get someone with keys to get the product for you. Local store does have some things caged (like say larger pencil boxes, most spray cans, etc) but there's almost always a staff member nearby who can get such for you, AND open stock is there to let you try things out beforehand.
Hubby and I are on a supply trip to the Art Supply Warehouse in Westminster, CA tomorrow only because we are going to the beach. If not we would order online
Nice! That sounds fun!
I have had great service and love the frame department at Hobby Lobby.
I also am a textile artist. Do you know how many stores cater to textiles?
I teach art to children and need this store for my parents to be able to afford materials.
These stores can’t financially support themselves unless they are moving product their customers want.
You need to take a breath.
No kidding! She's broadcasting her frustration and apparently lacks coping skills. There's no reason a pro artist should expect to find their supplies at a big box crafts store. Hobby Lobby is serving the requirements of enough people to be doing well financially. Hobby Lobby doesn't market itself as the professional artists' store, LOL! The comments here are hilarious.
Well I gave news for you after having been at JoAnns dabric and Walmart I went to Hobby Lobby to try and find peach-skin velour fabric (for my watwrcolor tins to wrap in, because not all of them came with such a cloth.. These three are the only stores having fabric here and non of them gad it. And I remember a time when JoAnns fabric did not even exist when I lived in Portland, they gad something called Fabric land, a well sorted and clean store that was well visited. Then JoAnns came out of nowhere and bought them all up, then the stores turned to shit. They were not kept neat and clean and there was never any staff to find for help. Same thing in Helena MT.
After they discontinued the 40% off coupon I stopped buying on a regular basis.
Yep, that coupon was the only thing that made their overpriced items reasonable compared to blick and jerry's. Now, why bother?
I noticed several years ago that Hobby Lobby was reducing their name brand products and pushing the store brand. They still had W&N Professional water color tubes, so I would take the 40% coupon and buy one tube at the reduced price. Usually I would purchase another tube at a normal inflated cost. They got rid of the 40% coupon, so now I don't go into the store for that product. Yes, they did at one time have a selection of the Fedrix canvas products. But now you can't find them. They have streamlined themselves away from my choice of stores. I know you can do online orders, but sometimes I want it now.
Yeah, that's why I normally have excess of everything now. I'm like a art supply prepper. I'm paranoid about running out of anything knowing I have to wait for it to be delivered lol.
I too enjoy coffee.
I have to agree with your analysis here. I used to buy the tablets of Arches watercolor paper, but now they don’t carry it anymore. Also, at Michael’s, the coupons they have put out in the past, never applied to their books. I thought they were missing the big picture here, because when you buy an art or craft book, you usually buy supplies to make the things in the book. So if they don’t make it desirable to buy their books, they loose out on sales. It’s a lot like the classes. They really need to think these decisions through better. I now buy watercolor paper from Blick or from an independent art store and I buy paint and often brushes from these places too. I don’t often go to the big craft stores, but I used to shop there frequently. It’s sad, but true.
Exactly. I placed a HUGE order from Blick this last week. That was a lot of money these two stores could have made. AND they could have probably suckered me into buying home decor while I was there but nope!
I get my liquitex mostly from Hobby Lobby and their Master’s Touch paint isn’t bad. Lately I have been getting art supplies off amazon.
Absolutely correct! I like Grumbacker for the last 25 years and I MUST buy USA! I'm the one always posting comments like...Check the label, if it doesn't say Made In USA', put it back! You really don't need it! Yes USA is more expensive but the quality is there! Grumbacker made in Brooklyn, New York! Or M. Graham to show a few!...Check the label, if it doesn't say Made In USA', put it back!
I stopped going to Hobby Lobby a long time ago (sometimes not hard. Some places I have lived don't have one.) I used to go into Michael's now and again. But lately it's a been a wasteland where they never have what I want in stock, and whatever is there either is a big mess or isn't worth the time in the first place.
I just bought recently art supplies in Michael's, handcraft materials in HL and crochet and fabrics in Joanne's. Prices are cheaper in HL for crocheting. I can say I go to M for art supplies, to HL for handcrafts materials and to Joanne's for crochet materials.
I agree but I'm a paper crafter. They've gotten rid of their dies. Therefore, I also no longer need to go into HL. I rarely need to go into Michael's. It's even more rare for me to buy something. I don't buy their brands unless I know I'm ok with the cheapness. Which is why I'm going online as well. Joann I can sometimes get get what I want. It just depends.
Just a different crafting genre's basically same experience.
I use Cheap Joe's a lot. And their American Journey paints are excellent and they have a new line of oil paints as well.
About once a year I might buy yarn or crochet thread on sale at Hobby Lobby but nothing else because their prices are too high and they discontinued their coupons. At least Michael's has Arches watercolor paper and professional paints (at a much higher price than Blick or Jerry's) Michael's silk flowers are more affordable than Hobby Lobby or Joanne Fabrics & Crafts. I am still mourning the buyout and closure of all of the AC Moore stores by Michael's.
I went in to a Michael's recently to look for some EK Success paper punches and Daniel Smith watercolors, but they don't carry them anymore. There's not much that entices me to go in the store nowadays. It's easier to order online.
Exactly! When Michael's does have a good quality art supply, it's only one of several things I need, so I still have to order online to meet the shipping minimum. I have the same issue with food stores. I have food allergies and if a store carries my specialized products (think goat milk, etc), then I will also get lettuce, beans, etc. there. I only go to stores that have the specialized items I must have. When they discontinue the goat milk, I go to their competitor. A top-down large bureaucracy is rarely going to make good decisions.
It's a shame that beginners are being sucked into getting poor quality stuff, too. They will likely just give up due to poor results (inferior watercolor paper, for example). So, their future customer base is also going to dwindle over time. There are a couple of ok Chinese brands for beginners that cost less than these stores' home brands and work better. They should carry them, at a minimum, for beginners.
When Hobby Lobby discontinued their 40% off coupon that could be used on most things is when I lost incentive to go in there. Of course I always picked up a few other non-sale items. They say oh we have plenty of good sales, but maybe not on the item I need. So I might as well buy my crap at Walmart and pay less.
Agree! Same thing here.
I am hearing the same thing about the yarn section too.
The people who make the decisions on whether or not to cancel classes usually don't even work for the company in question! Senior management brings in consulting firms full of freshly minted MBAs to make decisions like that. It's a bunch of kids inflicting this on us, which makes it all the more surreal. I'm in total agreement with you on the state of craft stores today. I made my first ever visit to a Hobby Lobby while traveling recently. It was like an American flag factory exploded in there. I was horrified at the complete lack of selection in terms of watercolor paper, and the patriotic elevator music put the icing on the not-so-palatable cake. Never again.