I love going to the Berkeley Blick Art Materials store. It a pilgrimage for me. I remember crossing the Bay from SF when I was young going to a "giant" artist supplies store on Univeristy Avenue. This is the next best thing to that. Now that I'm relatively speaking "Old" I take my joys where I find them. If you ask me to go out for a good time, first take me to the Berkeley take me to 10th St. Blick and then to Berkeley Bowl West to pick up something great for dinner. You think I am joking, but I am not. I had a wonderful time and got loads of goodies. I would say the real value at Blick is immediacy. We old school folks like to touch the merchandize. We have respect for the time saved, finding what you want when you want or need it. The people that worked there were very lovely and helpful. The were probably humoring us. Three old ladies touching everything, laughing having some kind of celebration at the Art Store. It was a sort of special occasion and my choice was to go to Blick. It isn't far from home but it can be a challenghIt is a beautifully equipped establishment The only problem I had was at the colored pencils. The font size on the labels was so small could only guess. My.only difficulty at home was am individual Prismacolor green pencil. Broke so many times during sharpening it left the beloved Color just slightly over half the size. read more

Prices are high. Variety on hand is low (much easier to Buy online ) Staff at the cash register was nice, the older gentlemen , the one younger floor attendant was short with us and not very helpful. Bad shopping experience. read more

Blick Art Materials - Art Supplies Near Me - Berkeley, California

Everyone is always very friendly and available to help. The store is mostly well stocked (some online things only ). Yesterday I had excellent service and help from artist and employee Tyrone. He took a lot of time with me discussing different mediums for oil paint, and helping me find some items that were not on the shelf. I like supporting brick and mortar , small businesses when I can. Also, contrary to popular belief, Amazon is NOT the least expensive choice ~ check those prices! read more

Friendly workers, clean aisles, large selection of goods I love walking around and seeing all the different products! read more

Large collection of art supplies from trusted brands. They have pretty much everything you need if you want to start coloring, painting , sketching and other crafts. There is also cute stationary at the register. read more

Incredibly massive selection first and foremost. From spray paint to custom canvas sizes. The quality of said supplies are impeccable. It was incredibly hard to decide on just one thing I wanted/needed from there. Everything there was of incredible quality. Luckily the staff were there to help. As they were diligent in their assistance. Great people. I'd recommend this place to just about anyone looking to get any sort of art supplies. Incredible store. read more

With 50% off, still paid $600+ for 2 framed prints. For that price, the service should be pro, but after 3 weeks, 1 print came back framed upside down and 1 print had fingerprints on the mat and the inside of the glass. They took another 5 days to fix the errors. Will not return here for framing. read more

Excellent well stocked art store. Everything is easy to find and the staff is pleasant.

Blick is Awesome Because the staff are so awesome and nice and blick has all the art materials I need they've also helped me with finding art materials! And I just love blick. read more

Great selection and wonderful customer care. They also often have parking right up front.

Pros: They have an excellent selection of supplies and their store is at a convenient location. Cons: Most of the staff is either new, or they can't afford to use good supplies, so they aren't very knowledgeable about merchandise. I'm a watercolor teacher, and there is a lot of really poor quality, cheap watercolor supplies. I've had students tell me that staff have told them that brand doesn't matter. Today I went in to buy a fountain pen that is a special deal at Blick, and the staff person tried to answer questions by reading descriptions for the pens on Amazon. I felt like I could have done better research on my own. I ended up purchasing a pen at Flax in Oakland where they have staff members who are passionate about fountain pens and know everything about every brand of pen they carry. It was like I was taking a private class from an expert. read more

The person I worked with at the Berkeley location was so incredibly helpful. I've been painting on my own and decided that I should go ahead and enroll in a beginning painting class. I switched from one local community college to another. Unbeknownst to me that also meant I needed to go to the Berkeley Blick location instead of the Oakland one. They took it in stride and looked up the materials that I needed. I brought in what I'd gotten for the other class at the other college. I returned a couple of things, checked on what I had, and bought the things that I didn't have. The person helping me took a lot of time, and I really appreciated it. It makes me more secure to know I have what I need in my bag. Now all I need to worry about is the assignments. Thanks for the help! read more

Ready to be profiled and followed around the store by various employees? Yes. Shop here! I had my handbag in the crook of my left arm, 4 pieces of thick poster board and another product in my left hand, reached for something with my right hand, one of the products in my left hand hit my purse first then the floor. African American (or not but he is definitely a POC) male worker with facial hair saw this and accused me of trying to put the item in my purse. He then alerted almost every staff member of the store to follow me during the rest of my time there. I'm a customer with an account. The Berkeley location barely has what I need in stock to begin with. Last month i went there to get something that according to the website was in stock at that location. It was not there. I ended up having to drive to Oakland to get what I was looking for. The young lady that helped me said that I should call first even if the website says a product is in stock. What? That means y'all's website is useless for this purpose and y'all need to fix it. WTF???? Terrible customer experience. Oh and I put the product he accused me of trying to steal right back on the shelf. That's where y'all can find it. Y'all lucky I bought the poster board. It's the only place can find the thickness I need. The employee will know exactly who I am as I was wearing the same shirt as in my profile pic. read more

Great place to get your art supplies quick. The workers offer help but also give you space to think, shop and be inspired. Whenever I'm in line and there's a few customers starting to queue, they call for more cashiers which is always helpful! The workers went out of their way to help me find what I was looking for. In store they did not sell the canvas size I needed, and I told them I can't order online because deliveries for large items are hard for me to receive where I live (due to porch thieves), but they told me they can order it to their store for me and when it arrives they'll let me know so I can pick up the canvas. read more

Blick Art Materials - Entrance - Art Supplies Near Me - Berkeley, California

Came here for a framing job on a tight timeline and Kai was super helpful! From the very beginning to the end, Kai took time to understand what I needed and work with me patiently and quickly. I love coming here because the supplies are always high quality and everything is in stock. People who work here are very helpful. Thank you Kai and thank you Blick Berkeley! read more

I had a great experience at Blick. Employee Alex was so helpful! I am new to painting and he helped me pick out the right materials for my new project. He took the time to explain what I needed for acrylic and for oil painting. The store is a lot bigger compared to the Broadway location and has a larger variety of products as well. Parking was easy to find. Will come back. read more

My recent experience with the "Design Center" (section where they do framing) was poor. I called to confirm they were open and was told by Tiffany that she was free until 5:30 pm. When I arrived, there were two walk-ins. I proceeded to wait, expecting it to take 20 minutes by asking the customer ahead of me about her projects. Tiffany never gave me an ETA. An older male customer appeared while I was in line and began asking several questions about spacers. She proceeded to wait on him, taking another five minutes to run back and forth to get him spacers, as well as answer multiple questions (not just one-offs "Can you get me x?" etc). I finally asked her how long it was going to take, and she replied "a few minutes." Neither she nor the older man acknowledged that I had been waiting in line before him. I found this unprofessional and a further waste of my time, as I had already waited 20 minutes. Finally, when she was free, I told her that she should have told me on the phone to make an appointment if she knew that walk-ins could happen that took up to 20 minutes. I told her that would have helped me avoid wasting time, as well as be more OK with another customer cutting in front of me. She didn't have much of a response. As we did the intake, she told me that the store no longer stretches work over 72 inches due to lack of space. At this point, I was pretty fed up. I brought in two large canvases, both almost the length of my body, which I showed Tiffany when I left them by the design station for safekeeping while I shopped/waited. It's obvious from looking at them that they may have been too large to stretch. Early last year, I had two works (over 72") stretched and delivered with relative ease. The customer associate I worked with was professional and efficient. I didn't see any significant changes between the space then or now, so I'll have to take Blick's word for it. I have shopped numerous times at this location, and even have my resale certificate with them (although the process to get it verified was a challenge in itself, as one of the employees kept asking me for my license instead of the seller's permit). I had to look up the documents I provided to Blick online to find out it was the seller's permit that was needed, but not before one of the employees insinuated I had wrong documentation - when they didn't even know the actual name of the document needed! There's an older manager, Cesar, who micromanages the younger employees. He's insisted on giving me Blick cards a few times to the point of extreme discomfort, even just pushing one towards me after a transaction. I actively avoid getting rung up by him - although, it appears he's no longer working there. Things have changed between 2022 and now. While the store has a decent inventory and associates can be helpful, my overall poor experiences here mean I won't be back. read more

Stopped by here on a whim and ended up purchasing a pad of watercolor paper with the help of an employee who was quite knowledgeable. I did a quick price comparison and the ones I purchased were around the same price as ones sold at Michael's, but only because of the sale Blick had going on. If you create an account with them, I think they do a price match with their website which seems silly since most stores have matching prices with their own website. Overall had a good shopping experience here. read more

Have been buying art supplies from Blick for many years. Yes, it's cheaper online but sometimes it's nice to go to the store and see stuff in person. When in the area I'll swing by this store, even just to look at stuff. They have a big selection of stuff so if you're looking for a specific type of paper or media, this is the place. There are not a lot of art supplies stores around anymore so it's good to have this place still kicking. The staff is knowledgeable and good folks. They have custom framing if you're looking for that (since that framing chain store went under) and this store is bigger than the other Blicks so you can really walk around and check out stuff. Beware, parking on the weekends can be hard and you're going to pay for that, look around if you can. read more

Be very aware that their online pricing is SHOCKINGLY different than their in-store pricing. I got 6 items and my total in the store was $70.14 before tax and would have been $52.14 online. That is just an unacceptable difference especially considering I drive up from San Jose to go here (and Zachary's pizza). Edited to add: I compared my receipt to the last receipt I had from Blick (the San Francisco store) and the one from Berkeley did not do the web retail discount program even though I gave the clerk my info. Mystery solved. read more

Last week I bought two table top easels and two 20x30 black plastic frames. I have two portraits of my husband I wanted to frame and display on the easels at a celebration of his life. I had a very hard time framing the poster size prints using the frames I bought. I made an appointment with the Blick framing department and worked with a young woman named Kayley H. With her experience in working with such frames and her extraordinary patience she was able to frame my prints. She couldn't have been more careful. Kayley's expertise and outstanding customer service are the reasons why I shop at Blick and will return whenever I need supplies. read more

A tagged this spot for a check out of the snazzy cards and pens the have for penpalling and scrapbooking. On a lunch appointment, I figured I'd partake in exploring just what this Blick was about. Parking on the street does cost, but minimal. The staff was nice and friendly, pretty busy during the lunch hour. I found the tomboy brush pen sets I was missing for a complete 120ct set- so pretty happy about that! I also snagged some lovely cards and stickers- a bit costly than your traditional store, but you're paying for quality of a local purveyor. I'll for sure be back! read more

Blick Art Materials - Solid haul from Blick today! - Art Supplies Near Me - Berkeley, California

This is hard for to write because I want to support local art stores, but not Blick. This location in particular is absolutely worthless. The staff was not knowledgeable or able/willing to help. They were unable to answer questions regardless of how many times I rephrased and repeated myself. I am also bothered that their systems don't communicate with each other. In one day I went to all three Blick locations because they said they had something in stock and they didn't. They misread their own products. I will solely support Jeff Bezos and Amazon for all my art supplies and materials in the future. I also want to highly recommend Flax art store. They have incredible customer service and in stock items. Connect with them for help and advice. You lost me as a loyal 10+ year customer. read more

I love this store. Whenever I am stumped for kids gifts or need supplies for my own needs, this is my closest go to store. They have consistently covered my needs. Staff is friendly, helpful, courteous. Store is well stocked. If you are a serious artist or hobbyist, they have everything you might need - and things you didn't know you did. Although I never think to check in here, I am most definitely a repeat customer! read more

Love this place, it's like a candy shop to me. Oh, love the new location, spacious. And though it's street parking, it's definitely better than the parking from the old location...tiny and shared with other businesses. I love bujo and all I need are in this store; no need to hop to different art stores! (Though, if you want good Japanese pens, go to a Japanese art store, their pens are superb and wide selection!) Staff are friendly and approachable. Don't forget to sign up for their membership, it's free :) read more

Blick's has a very nice selection of art supplies, better at this location than at the smaller Oakland Blick. I usually find 90 percent or so of what I'm after. Paints are often missing for a particular brand but if you're okay switching (and I am) then I pretty much always find the color from a different manufacturer. Nice specials and they run how-to demos pretty regularly, which is a nice touch for people looking to get into a different medium. Parking is usually easy, although on weekends it can sometimes be iffy. Their pricing is a little weird. The price on the item isn't the price on the web and the price when they web match also isn't the price on the web. A guy tried to explain it to me but it didn't make a whole lot of sense. Regardless, it's close so I don't worry about it. read more

What a rad store! I wanted to pick up some clay and glaze, and of course Michael's was out of both. I decided to check out Blick and was not disappointed. The shelves were fully stocked, they had covid safety procedures in place, and the employees were actually knowledgeable about the products. This will def be my new go-to for all my arts and crafts needs! read more

I came in today to buy some paint markers and a new sketch book. I was being helped by Toni at the register, I asked her to get the paint markers for me and we got them and came back. She proceeds to ring up the white man that was behind me.. She didn't even tell us to have a good day. I was shocked at how quickly her customer service changed after asking her to help us with a simple task (getting markers that are locked up??) I was going to walk out without my items as I usually would when dealing with shitty customer service but we came all the way from San Jose to look at the selection. Needless to say, we will not be returning. read more

The employees here are extremely nice and helpful and the shop has excellent selection.

I gave them a couple of stars because the actual work was done well. But the customer service has a lot to be desired. I was told my picture framing would take 2 to 3 weeks and probably closer to three weeks. So at three weeks and one day I called them. The person who answered the phone looked up my order and said "I see this was due yesterday, I have it here but I haven't started it yet. Is there a reason you need it now?" They hadn't started yet? Seriously???? I assumed the reason it took three weeks is that they had to send it out. So that means it was just sitting there for three weeks and they didn't bother with it and acted like it was no big deal. The correct action would have been "we are very sorry that your framing isn't completed on time we will have it done ASAP." And maybe even the offer of discount for their mistake and lack of follow through. None of that happened, and it took them two more weeks to do a simple frame that cost three times with my painting cost. I just remodeled my house and I'm putting up all new artwork. I won't be returning to Blick for any of my needs. read more

I go here with my husband when we go to Whole Paychex, and honestly, it's pretty good. I like that they have real art supplies and my husband, being an artist can find what he needs. I like the way the store is organized, much better than when it was on University (I think). It doesn't look so cluttered when you go in. But I think that's because the space is much smaller, but it works for them. And most importantly I can find my husband when I go in. The employees are knowledgeable and very helpful to the customers and that's a definite bonus. read more

BUYER BEWARE! Requested an item for curbside pick up and wanted to pay in person but they would not honor the price on their own website! How is that even possible?! The order print out given to me with the item even had the web price on there. Do yourself a favor and just order online or from another retailer. read more

Blick Art Materials - They would not match the web price on their own site and forced me to pay full retail to pick up the item. - Art Supplies Near Me - Berkeley, California

My friend who is a trained artist took me here on her errands run. Oh my do they have a great selection of paint brushes, paints, canvas and more. What I was interested in is their custom framing. I want to do a cool floating effect with one of the photos I took when I was in Bali. They have the paper I want to print on. And they can make the frame exactly as I want it. A bonus is that they have 50-60% off sales every month (higher around holidays). I've been back since my friend took me there and the staff were totally friendly every time. So I can't relate to what Yelpers are saying about that. read more

Great store! The general manager "Ceasar" assisted me. He is so funny!!! LOL.. definitely general manager material. Thank you... made my day. Thank you Ceaser! The entire staff very attentive and very intelligent with the knowledge of products. read more

Their prices are way higher than on blick online. They lied to me when I asked if their prices would be the same as the ones online.

A little further out for me than their old location on University, but as always, a great selection of supplies and friendly, knowledgeable service. In fact, I had hit the Blick store in North Oakland first, discovered the item I wanted was out of stock and they called the Berkeley store for me to see if they had it. Considering my alternative is the blasted wasteland that is the Michaels at Alameda Landing, Blick is worth the trip. read more

When Utrecht closed on University Avenue and then Blick closed a few blocks away also on University Avenue, I thought that I would have to find a new store for supplies! It turns out that, Blick, a family-owned store since 1911, had moved across town to a MUCH better location, where street parking is easy to find right in front of the store (the other parking lot was tiny and it was tough to find parking due to the yoga studio!) This location is laid out on one floor with the cash wrap area to the right of the front doors. It's easy to browse the aisles and discover sale items hidden among the regular priced goodies. The sales associates are friendly, welcoming, and helpful. If you cannot find something in-store, they will look it up on their website. They carry everything under the sun for art supplies: pencils, pens, brushes, paints, pads, canvases, portfolios, easels, frames, etc. etc. -- and within those categories they have a variety of brands and styles. Their sale prices are GREAT and they seem to have promotions every few months for different items. *Note: Sign up for their e-mail list to receive coupons. read more

Got some great help. Alex and Marina were very helpful. They have a good selection of spray paints.

I was sad to see the one closest to UC Berkeley campus go, but it's okay, it's a tad bit of a bus ride to go down University for all the great deals they have. When they have a sale--IT'S A SALE. Like, cheap for college artists which is ideal for a town like Berkeley. A lot of times it's only this location with the deals (SF's locations suck and are much pricier). read more

There is a stark contrast between the older Oakland store and Berkeley. I was in some ways lucky Oakland didn't have the products their online menus showed as having in stock unlike Berkeley. The knowledge of the staff with multiple mediums and willingness to describe, and I appreciated these qualities very much. The entire store is a contrast to Oakland. They had the specific products I needed that no one else in the east bay carries. And staff were familiar with them. If you need help or have questions about mediums this is where to go. Parking is readily available vs. the Oakland store tiny lot or street parking. read more