Love this place. Everyone is very friendly and accommodating. I like supporting my local business community. I bring my friends with me to expose them to my favorite store. I like that they provide a space for classes. I've taken classes here and have been very happy with the quality and value. read more

Lovely people , good size store We need more normal Retail stores with real people who can answer your questions read more

Great prices and service and classes. Great for a learner or a pro. Great watercolor paper

Not a bad selection at all, despite being a smaller craft supply store. The employees all deserve a raise and a promotion, not only for their knowledge and professionalism, but also for their kind hearts and friendliness. Frequent buyers can benefit from a $25/year membership that gives you discounts from 10% - 30% or more on many items. Someone call me out of I've got those numbers wrong. AND they teach classes! I haven't joined one yet but I peeked around the corner and everyone at the table seemed to be having a great time sna learning a new skill. You won't regret this visit. Plus, there's a 7-Eleven right next door. How handy is that?! read more

They are community of artists. Serving artists! Excellent classes and excellent products. Very very helpful. I love to just hang out there. Thank you Art, central for always taking care of us read more

This is the second time we visited this art store. It is one of my husbands favorite art stores and was the main reason we booked my hubby's birthday weekender here. My hubby stocked up on all his painting supplies: brushes and tips. The kids even picked up some art supplies with their saved money. Paint pens and art kits. The staff even gave my daughter a little extra gift just to make her feel special. Last time we were here Eric specifically went in just to finally get his hands on a pounce, which they hand a bunch in stock. Great place to also go for drafting supplies. read more

Art Central provides excellent service and abundant quality art materials. They also offer many interesting art classes and have an art gallery with monthly shows featuring local artists. read more

Let me start off by saying that I'm not an artist! I love pens though. Yes, that's right, ink pens. Especially fine point. I enjoy and look forward to shop office supplies and PENS. Something about clean and crisp penmanship just relaxes me. As you know between SLO and AG, the office supplies store here are limited (at least to my knowledge). I was looking for a specific Japanese fine point (0.4mm blue)of gel ink pen for an assignment that I had. I could of ordered it online but the owner of Art Central offered to order it for me. I thought that was such a kind gesture. Above and beyond service if you ask me. The pens arrived in two days, and I was a happy camper. read more

Art Central - Great pen for note taking! - Art Supplies Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

Art central has a lot of personality, as evident through the employees and the decorations. I love the little gallery that they have to the side of the store, it's always fun to see the local artists' work. There is a wide variety of items and shopping local is always a plus! read more

See all

I enjoy painting when we visit the area and I always come to Art Central for supplies. They have a great selection of all types of materials for I think every level. Their products are certainly above Michael's! The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and it's a great place to browse. The staff is not pushy but helpful. I also appreciate their gallery room that showcases local artists. If you're an artist or crafter it's a great place to go! read more

My husband and I visited San Luis Obispo on a whim on Saturday afternoon. We didn't plan on going to Art Central, but I am so glad we did! They have a great selection of art supplies, however, this review is mainly about their watercolor supplies. They had so many different paint tubes, pan sets, brushes, and other watercolor paraphernalia. I especially loved their selection of watercolor paper! Hot, cold, and rough in so many different formats and weights. I felt like a kid in a candy shop! Also, the customer service was out of this world. The owner and sales associate were so kind, helpful, and knowledgeable. I recommend this store 100% and I will visit again the next time I'm in SLO! read more

Came in from OOS with my Cal Poly student to pick up her supplies for class. Appreciate the staff having the kit ready to go, especially during move in weekend. Love supporting local stores that accommodate your needs while adherence to Covid protocols. I'm sure she will be a repeat customer! read more

My husband and I recently visited Art Central to shop for easels and lettering books. We are both in our mid sixties. We were in shop for ten minutes and were not approached once for assistance. We were totally ignored. But when college students came in were greeted I did find a book (on my own) and my husband was looking at the easels and liked one. We however walked out because not one sales person ever made eye contact with us. I noticed them offering help to others. I hope this was an isolated incident, but more than likely won't return. It left a bad impression on us. I will tell my art teacher and fellow students Nancy P. Arroyo Grande read more

This is a great place in SLO, they have clays, paints, brushes, and even architectural rulers an much more. The people in the shop are supper helpful even when you are not sure what you are doing or buying. The prices might be a little higher, but the quality an help more than makeup for that. Recommended 100% read more

Art Central - Great selection of brushes :) - Art Supplies Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

I had a project that was dead in the water because I didn't have proper brushes. I emailed Art Central and explained my problem. Etty called me back and told me she would have some brushes for me to look at while following covid 19 protocol at the store. They have a table at the door; I stood on my side and she brought out a nice selection of brushes as well as some paints to select from while she stood on her side-good planning on her part!. I got exactly what I wanted for a reasonable price and without paying shipping and waiting at least 4 days for delivery from an online store. I'm looking forward to being able to shop inside the store in the future. read more

I'm from out of town, about 5 hours away, so I don't go to Art Central often. When I do I always get great service and have all questions answered. I have compared the prices of their oil paints to online prices and have found them to be at least as low as online prices when taking advantage of their $25.00 annual membership, which quickly pays for itself. The same low prices with their brushes and painting mediums. I wish there was an art store like this, with prices like this near me where I live in SoCal. read more

Really nice space, encouraging to artists and dabblers alike, great gallery, is on the Art After Dark tour, and excellent help with the use of new supplies if one is not conversant in all the media. Etty's been great at getting me hard to find supplies. Always a cheerful moment when looking forward to using new stuff, and finding someone like her who really knows her stuff! read more

Highly recommended. Great products & A+ customer service. I was looking for a specific product which they helped me find by calling other stores in the area. Etty went beyond excellent customer service. read more

Art Central filled a void left by the closing of Law's. It is a REAL art supply store-- the owner is an artist, and as far as I know, everybody who has worked there since they opened is an artist-- so they know their stuff. Very accommodating and helpful-- if you don't see what you want, ask. If you buy a membership ($25 for 1 year) you get big discounts on just about everything-- between 20%-40%. (35% off of mat board, 40% off watercolor paper.) If you need a special color mat board, they'll order it for you (you'll need some lead time, though). Great place to do business and talk to other artists. If you're having a show, they have a rack where you can leave your postcards. Art Central has an adjoining gallery as well and they always have a show hung. They also use it to do a variety of workshops. And... they offer it as an Open Art Space-- totally free. You have to reserve it advance, of course. Art Central is a real asset to the SLO community! read more

Today, I biked from Cal Poly to this store and was greeted instantly as i walk in. A woman came up to me and i showed her my list for art 101 and just went around the whole store and got what i needed. she didn't tell me to get any extra and helped me find the cheapest materials. At the end i couldn't find a way to bike my large18"x24" pads. so the lady thought a bit and she made an awesome rig to strap it on to my bag and i was on my way back to school. If thats not service then I dont know what is. Plus there was a 20% off deal for students, so it was great. read more

This place is the only "real" art supply store in San Luis Obispo. It is well stocked and, more than that, It is run by people who are accomplished artists themselves. The best deal of all is that a $25.00 yearly membership entitles one to substantial discounts all year long that really pay off and make local shopping as good as buying online. read more

This felt so good to walk into. This is a store with supplies for real artists. Not to diss Michael's but it is so nice not to have to wade through a ton of Kitch to get what I need. More than that, Art Central carried something that I have not been able to find since Law's closed. When I spoke to the owner she said that her plans are to make her store more like a Law's. She was also hosting the Central Coast Watercolor Society show when I was there. A store that supports her customers was another plus for me. Parking is also free. I can see this store doing very well in our community. I'm so happy that it is here. read more

I came in with a time constraint and was instantly greeted with a warm welcome from the staff who helped me find my items and showed me alternative items. There is also a student discount which was great! I couldn't recommend them more and will definitely be going back soon! read more

Great art store with so many things for my creative urges! And the staff is SO helpful. You have to visit.

Great to link with the creative arts. I know those who attended your 1 year anniversary were filled with great inspiration. See you at the next First Saturday: Wine and the Arts in Paso Robles. read more

I came today in the morning with my friend. The girls working there were very friendly, made sure to ask if we needed anything and were finding everything that we needed. I like the varied art supplies and the fact that the watercolor section is right next to the register haha. I had a very good first experience and will definitely be going again, soon. read more

I just completed a 3day painting workshop at Art Central which was outstanding! Jason Mayr's workshop on oil painting techniques added new information and practice to my brushwork. Finally, someone explained the value of gel painting medium. So worth your time. read more

This is exactly what you'd hope a local art store to be! Etty and her staff special ordered an oversized matte for a wedding photo that my husband and I wanted to blow up and diy a frame for. It'll be a special piece for us in our new house and the responsiveness and kindness that they showed will make it that much more fun to make together. They're clearly genuine in their desire to help! read more

Art central is a high level and growing art store new to San Luis Obispo. Etty knocks herself out to get the odd ball things that I need at prices that I can afford. Join as a member and enjoy the excellent discounts that you will get. Very often better than on line! We are so lucky in San Luis Obispo to finally have a source like this! read more

Why didn't I come here earlier?! I drove past this place all the time, but never had a reason to pick up some extra art supplies. When I finally took an art class I had my chance. I was greeted right away and the sales associate happily showed me where everything was located, which made my trip much more efficient. They have a great selection and employees actually know what they are selling (unlike some major chain craft stores). Not to mention they have a discount for students! read more

I love this place. I don't know who exactly owns it, but they really like community and they really like people. First of all, they have an extra art room where local art of all levels is -- to my delight -- displayed and celebrated. I believe I heard at one time that the room is also offered for "come as you are" art sessions, so that artists can sit and work together. I went in the other day just to see if they had any cool supplies which would help in my recent foray into watercolor painting. "Margaret" saw me standing, stumped, in front of the array of brushes and helped me out, not only showing me over to the ones in my price range, but later --- even though she had already rung me up --- correcting my selection, since I had chosen both watercolor and oil brushes. Who knew? (I guess Margaret did.) I felt so happy that she had cared to spend this time on me. Go visit them! Help them stay around! And say hello to Margaret for me. read more