Super friendly! Awesome collection of local art and crafts . Wide price range. You will meet one of…read morethe artists as they take turns working in the gallery! Loved it!

I'm always intimidated to go into art galleries. I don't know much about art, except things that I…read morelike and don't like. I don't normally have a vast interest, but sometimes it's nice to look. I walk by this store quite frequently and one day bravely decided to go in. I was right. It was uncomfortable and I felt out of place... at first. After a while I forgot where I was and just really started enjoying all the paintings. Everything was very beautiful and unique. I was amazed at how long I spent in there. It was like I was in a mini museum. Since I'm not a connoisseur, I don't have a wild understanding of art prices. I couldn't tell you if they are high or low. What I can tell you is that the work was beautiful and being in here was an experience all in itself!

The Artists' Quarter Gallery and Studios is a new "concept" space where artists can rent studio…read morespace with the added benefit of a street-level gallery as part of the studio rental. The gallery can also be rented on a daily basis by anyone who is not renting a studio in the building, and there is a meeting room that can be hired out for business meetings or group events. The building is also home to a cafe and rental apartments, so its owners refer to the space as "a place for social and cultural creativity, and a new concept of affordable housing in Halifax." That all sounds like a great idea to me.

A small shop situated in the Fisherman's Cove in the Eastern Passage…read more It's a great spot with almost too much in the way of local artist's work. Beautiful postcards, prints and originals available for you to pick up. The couple in the shop seem to be artists, classically trained as well. They were both sharing stories with a shop visitor of their past expoloits and training. It, like most shops in the area are tourist priced, but you won't find much more authentic Nova Scotia artwork. A cute little shop with boatloads of charm and beauty in it.

I have gone to the Art Expo quite a few times for several reasons. Now admittedly they are the only…read moreones within the downtown core...or really all of Halifax to my knowledge, that do what they do. BUT comparing them to similar stores in other cities, they still do it quite well. Customer Service - Always friendly and real. Not overly friendly/fake and never grumpy. I believe the owner runs it half the time and he's a really nice person. Selection - For the space, it's as much stuff as they could cram in there. And the variety is really good. They try to cater to every age demographic. I went to get my poster mounted. They were definitely the cheapest in the city. I called around. The end result was perfect! A few minor problems with the poster were ironed out in the mounting process as well. It was exactly what I was looking for. If you need a poster or need some mounting, I believe also framing done anywhere, they should be your first phone call. :)

Art Expo is a store if you are looking for cheap wall hangings. Walking through Park there was…read moreCrammer hanging on the wall for $59.95 I have not seen this print for a long time. This caught my eye and I decided to pop in and see what else I could find. Now I can see my son going and grabbing a few pieces from this store for this apartment as the prices are reasonable for what he might consider something to hang on his wall. Scarface who does not love that and $19.95, as well the famous pose from James Dean. Now am I saying that everything in here will be hanging in your living room no, but it is a perfect stop for those young ones starting out and need some great wall mounted art for a good price.

If you want a unique artistic gift & friendly service, this is the place! My wife loved the…read morepainting and earrings and I felt good that I shopped locally and bought Canadian! I will definitely return!

Inkwell is carved out of my artsy print and font-filled dreams. Or maybe letter-pressed out of my…read moredreams would be more accurate since the place is filled with insanely gorgeous prints, stationery, gift cards, calendars, notebooks, tote bags, and so much more. This is one of those boutiques that is just going to make me poor. Why? Because after my first visit this morning, all I can think about is who I can send gift cards to...which is soon to be just about everyone. Maybe I'll just slowly work through my entire Yelp friends list? The interior is a heavenly white with gorgeous painted brick walls, an open feel, round showcase tables, and a clean storage system that manages to keep a shop of small products looking both tidy and whimsical at the same time. I'm not sure if it's all the cute animals, trees, and nature prints, but it kind of feels like stepping into the world of the Fantastic Mr. Fox in all the right ways. I managed to keep myself on strategy today, buying only the four thank-you cards that I immediately needed. But I'll be back...I just pray for the strength to refrain from a purchase of nursery room prints that I'm in love with. You know...'cause I might accidentally give birth over the next few days. But guys, it was a family of elephants holding tails in a row! ELEPHANTS! HOLDING TAILS! WITH A BABY ELEPHANT! I've heard of worse reasons to have a kid than that...

I LOVE the new space! I think it's smaller than their old location, but it feels bigger - and…read moredefinitely brighter. There is so much natural light, which makes the whole browsing the beautiful art even more lovely. I want to buy everything in the store. They have gorgeous prints, cards, scarfs, key chains, tea towels, cat toys...yeah, just about everything. A huge amount of their stuff is locally made (anything with a little blue dot on it) which I really appreciate. I love supporting local businesses that support other local businesses. Inkwell is the reason I started buying cards again. I would much rather spend $5 on a locally made card than on something mass produced. And it's always a little piece of art too, so it's a two-in-one gift!

In spring of 2008, I headed to Calnen in order to have grad photos taken…read more I was impressed with the reasonably low fee for the photo shoot (around $20 as I recall) and the availability in terms of times I could choose to come in. I didn't like the prompts I was given in terms of the photos. "Lower your chin, more, more... look up... turn your head slightly to the right...and... SMILE." Yeah, that's going to be authentic looking. As a result, I wasn't terribly impressed with the photos. I didn't end up actually ordering any of them. I could have gone back for a free photo session, but I had a feeling my experience would be pretty much the same. Just a so-so experience at 'Calnen.'

Graduating from Dalhousie, I was recommended by the school to take my portrait shots with Calnen…read more Naively, I didn't research the other options available. I arrived at the studio with a friend who also wanted portraits, and the staff were awesome at accommodating us both. We were able to sit in the room as the photographer worked, instructing the model on how to pose. He was friendly, honest and genuine, telling us what did/didn't look good on camera. The shots came out very well, and both of us were pleased! I opted to go with the larger package (+$4 I believe) allowing me thumbnails of 16 poses to take home and review. We were told that we would receive the thumbnails by email within a few business days. After a week, we called the studio curious as neither of us had yet received the photos. They quickly sent them along, attaching the order form. Packages begin at $59 and range up to $306 depending on desired sizes. It was only then that I realized it would not be possible to order prints of more than one pose within one package. For example, my family only wanted three 8x10 prints, but I would have had to purchase three separate units. 1 unit = 1-8x10, 2- 5x7, 4-4x6, 8-2x3. I would have also liked full-size digital copies of various unedited photo proofs (as opposed to the provided thumbnails), but again when requested, I was told that this was not available. An edited, print-quality digital file of one pose is $200 unless added to a package ($75). Although I liked the quality of service provided by Calnen Photography, I was left disappointed by their lack of flexibility in ordering prints.

This decorative little shop has some neat ideas, i'll give them that…read more Interesting items to be found: *'We're at the lake' wooden garden signs *Repurposed old door knobs turned into towel holders *Wooden garden signs in general with sage, tulips, etc written on them. Generally a wide range of gift ideas. Most products in the shop have been created by the owners themselves so that's pretty neat. I would have preferred to browse on my own however, as opposed to being given the run down of each item I picked up. Eager sales people, that's for sure!

Rusty Hinges is my kind of store. Like others have said walking in here is like walking into a…read morechild hood memory of a weekend at the cottage. The smell of the soaps and candles places you in a relaxed mood to browse the shabby sheik store. I love this style of furniture old style with a modern twist to it. Bird houses seem to be a big thing in this store but these bird house are more of a decor thing. Various colours that you would use and an accent piece apposed to hanging in a tree. Bath salts and lotions fill the shelves with straw baskets in a way that you need to touch. I would love to design my house with everything in this place. Now prices are a bit higher then an average wear house stocked with but the character of each piece is filled with conversation and years of falling in love with your piece over and over. Beautiful hardwood floors with great wear can tell you that this store has had many visitors walking through and this is a place that I will visit again.