If you are in the market for acrylic sheets, especially ones that are custom-cut, Canal Plastics is pretty much the only viable game in town. I went here on the recommendation of a Home Depot associate. Until then I would walk past their storefront wondering who goes into their store location. Soon as you enter you will see 2-3 Asian women on the left. A couple of them take orders while one handles payments and also coordinates pickups. They have a mind-boggling variety of options for acrylic sheets--clear/frosted/opaque, etc. and also colors. Visit them in person or at their website. Note that this is not the place for design advice. Come with a clear view of what you are looking for and Canal Plastics will make it happen. Most orders are processed within an hour, but allow an extra day if the edges need polishing. Finally, on price--they are quite expensive, but that speaks to their product quality and also pricing power. read more

A great place where the artistic spirit finds what it needs! Nice location, wonderful service, and the widest selection of acrylic products you will ever find in New York City. Canal Plastics is a staple of quality read more

I'm a DIYer who needs various acrylic items at various times, usually custom. Living in Manhattan, I always order and go in person to pick up. They always do an excellent job in terms of accurate measurements, polishing edges and radiusing corners (at extra cost), speed, and packaging for transport. I'm not sure how good their prices are, or even what that really means, given the lack of options for such, especially for customization, in Manhattan. I say, don't worry about it - not worth the hassle. Just order, you'll be happy. I always am. BTW, they have much more variety online than physically in their store. But the store has lots of off-cuts and scraps you can examine and buy - just the thing for prototyping and experimenting. Reminiscent of the old Canal Street, when it was lined with surplus and junk places that were the delight of any tinkerer. Canal Plastics Center is pretty much the only such left. read more

Came in on a Saturday morning wanting to order a 74"X24"X24" plastic box to cover a large fabric sculpture piece I recently acquired. I was in and out in 20 mins flat and paid 2/3 of the lowest price I could find online. No clue what the nasty remarks about the employees are all about. (But I do notice a lot of racist tinge to the negative reviews such as: ' ... the evil mama san at the desk' REALLY??) Walked in the door. Observed a couple of customers browsing around, a half-dozen employees all concentrating on tasks at hand. No five-star hotel concierge to greet me. Oh, wait: this is a plastics fabricator on Canal street - no welcome cocktails being handed out either. I took stock of the various people milling about, picked one, went up to him, told him what I wanted. He pointed me to another man who was very nice, took my specs down, waited while I called a friend to triple check the measurements, and wrote up my order. It will be ready in about the week. Highly recommend!! Here's the sculpture I need to protect: . read more

Canal Plastics Center - Art Supplies Near Me - New York, New York

I remember going to Canal Plastics Center when I was a kid with my mother. She would buy plastic shelves to put knick knacks on. Back then, Canal Street was still full of shops to purchase office supplies, art supplies and more. Nowadays much of "old" Canal Street is fading away to give way to "Flagship Retail Opportunities". However, Canal Plastics Center is hanging in there, even still with the same signage they had from my teen years. For any business to hang on this long, they must be doing something right. Recently I needed some plastic sheets for some photography I was doing and I figured Canal Plastics would be the place to find it. The store looks like an extension of a factory, which it kind of is. There are stacks and piles of plastic goods everywhere. Some are thin sheets, others are thick sheets while other items shaped into items like shelves. I found the sheets I wanted in the colors I was looking for (clear and black). The prices were very reasonable. Less than $10 for a sheet about a foot and a half wide. While I was waiting to check out, I noticed that there was a customer trying to plan the construction of something for his apartment, and they were really were taking their time to help him plan out how strong the item would be (I suspect it involved a shelf). I was impressed that they were working with the customer to think something through and not just take his order at face value. If you need plastic goods such as sheets, panels or even shelves, give Canal Plastics Center a visit! read more

EXCEEDINGLY good service, price, shipping, delivery and ease of online execution of the order, my first time using Canal Plastics Center and will again, Absolutely. Thanks, Richard read more

They do not close at 5:30 like they tell you on the phone or on the hours listed online. They will not Let you in the store at 5:20 or 5:25 when you need to just get something. Terrible customer service. read more

Provided what I needed very fast with fair pricing. Decent selection of lucite colors and thickness.

I ordered some acrylic over the phone, completed the payment and order form via email. I was able to pick up my 15 strips of acrylic (5"Wx8 feet long) within 1 hour. Very friendly and efficient place! It's in a sorta sketch area, so if you go at night go with a buddy like I did read more

So incredibly disappointed. They really DO NOT care for their customers. The woman that "helped" me was so rude and dismissive as I was telling her what I needed. She literally walked away from me as I was explaining the size. Standing there stunned, I asked another person to help and she too was dismissive, telling me the other woman just went to the bathroom. REALLY?? I really wanted to tell them to F off!! Consider this a warming if you decide to go read more

Their costumer service is the worse. They did a material and didn't explain well since I was clear about it. They didn't even care about fixing it and wanted to charge me again. Clearly they don't need costumers and it's a shame. Never will get anything from this place again read more

One of the worst most dishonest places I have ever done business. Did the job wrong packed it. I took it unpacked it, saw it was wrong, took it back, and they said it wasn't the order they made. Absolute lie and fraud. How they've been in business this long is beyond me read more

Amazing customer service and products. always ship same day and the quality of their products is superior

Needed to order some plexiglass for some painting that I was putting in a gallery. Cut to order very quickly and the price was right. Efficient online service. read more

Pretty rude staff. Their site says they close at 5:30. Got there at 4:55, plenty of time to browse as the store is small. At 5:10 they told me they were closing soon so I needed to hurry up, which seemed weird since they were still open for 20 more minutes. Then at 5:15 someone said they were closing in 5 minutes, then a second later another guy came up and told me they were closing right then. I said "what about the five minutes?" And he replied "No, we're closing now." So I said "Five minutes?" And he said "Well okay, but it's not me, it's the computer, it stops working." What a blatant lie and insult to my intelligence. If you have some magical computer that stops working at 5:15 then say your closing time is 5:15. I bought the acrylic samples I already had in hand but I won't be coming back here. (And for what it's worth, the film was peeling off of one of them, so the quality isn't even good. Trash service, trash product, trash prices.) read more

Such terrible services ! SO RUDE I waited for 30 minutes to get some help because they were all having lunch. Didn't look at me, Didn't care. Unacceptable !! Once I finally got some help and got to describe my project, the rude chinese lady said NO! without looking at me and said "too much work" !!!! The price are never the same, they are thieves !!! You need an acrylic work to be done .... DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE !! There iare other places in NYC that will be welcoming and helpful. BUT definitely not CANAL PLASTIC CENTER !!!! I am still chocked! read more

OK - an update and a downgrade --------- From repeated dealings with this place - yes, they are a pain. I make a big groaning noise now whenever I have to call them. They have fast turnaround, they get the job done, but ugh, dealing with them is a headache. ____________ I don't get it - such scary reviews. They made me reluctant to even call this place. But when I did, sure enough, they were professional, and fedEx'ed me a sample that matched exactly what I needed. We are preparing what is probably a medium sized order and they sent me a detailed PDF quote for a fair price. Much quicker then anyone else too. I felt this place needed an ally in Yelp land. Let me impart some wisdom and perhaps the strangest stereotype known to man: plastic people hate wishy-washiness. I have learned this in several years in dealing with multiple plastic vendors. Perhaps it is the fumes but they can't stand indecision! Tell them exactly what you need and, if they can, they will work with you and make it happen. Never walk up and say you're not sure what you're looking for. Instead say "I need to see a sample box of all your colored acrylic", or something like that. There, you have been decisive. You've communicated exactly what you need. Also, never say you want a piece "about yay big", this will enrage your average plastic salesperson. Give them a number. Be decisive. This may seem like strange advice but it will help you! I'll update this review if anything changes, but with Canal Plastic Center, so far so good. read more

I overheard a woman say that Canal Plastics is cheaper than Plastic Land, which is two blocks down on Church. I came in search for 12x12 plexi. The store seemed huge, so I decided to wait on line by the counter like everyone else. This woman and I waited a long time in front of two counter ladies, looking at each other with confusion. I was getting no attention or recognition of existence from the counter lady in front of me. Finally the customer woman basically asked to the counter lady in front of her, can i go to you for help or do i have to go to him, pointing to the only guy behind the counter who was helping anyone. She got no response. She asked again, and finally the counter lady declared, I'm unavailable. So the customer woman was like, so all you had to say was that I had to go to him for help. well my quoting is off, but my general feeling was.. plastic women are moody in this place, and all the guys were pretty helpful, even for strangers coming in asking for directions to other places. And especially when I finally got up to the guy and he told me what I needed was already prepared and in the back. So all that waiting for nothing. Well I got my plastic. read more

DON'T GO THERE!!!!!!!! I have been treated really poorly, whats wrong with this guys... im not going to spend over 500 dollars in plastic sheets wheyre they cant explain or be nice. i came back to find a diferent plastic store and found one very close. really nice guy attended the phone. T&T plastic., had bigger sheets. 6x8 and 5x8 in 1/8 clear plexi. and he was very nice. i would never ever go back to canal plastics. Go to T&T Plastic! read more

DO NOT BUY THERE. They are very MEAN and they basically stole from me. I asked for a product and one of the employer gave me the wrong roll !!!!!! , since it was rolled and they were pushing me to get out of the store because it was closing i paid and left when i got home i saw that that they gave me the wrong product because I needed the non adhesive and they gave me the adhesive one , impossible to see the difference when its rolled. I had a very important project that started at 9.30am the following day and i couldn't work. Then THEY REFUSED TO REFUND ME!!! gave me the wrong product took my money and were , oh sorry if you bought the wrong product while it was one of their employee who sold it to me. THEY HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST IN HELPING YOU, they would tell you anything to make profit without having any consciousness for their customers . They are terrible people, they got their money and left me there. ASSHOLES !!!!!! read more

Just DON'T GO THERE!!!!!!!! Go to T&T Plastic! I wish I could give no star to them! Though the one star might be fair because they have good collections. Anyway, I read the reviews here and I thought "well, sometime yelpers are just too harsh on some places!" So, I went there, and ended up leaving the store upset without buying anything. The ladies over there are just bunch of rude people who seems that are being paid to ignore customers! They are just unwilling to help you! It's unbelievable. I left the store and no one cared a bit! I ended up going to T&T Plastic Land which is 100 feet away in Church street. They were super friendly and the prices were better too. What it was $59 at Canal Plastic I got $46 at T&T. read more

I needed an acrylic sheet for my desktop keyboard to match my new bright red desktop speakers. Canal Plastic Center sent me a splendid 12"x24"x ¼" sheet of opaque red. I placed a non-skid mat beneath it. I am very happy with the results. Canal Plastic shipped my order and I received it in 2 days. It was well packed and flawless. I was impressed with their website for the variety of its inventory, including shapes, sheets, stock colors and custom order availability. read more

This place is great. I needed a custom piece made for my audio receiver. I gave them dimensions, they gave me a Quote my piece was made the following day. Quick and painless. Very professional. Thanks Tony read more

Canal Plastics Center - The custom plexiglass piece fabricated for my receiver - Art Supplies Near Me - New York, New York

3.5 stars... The service may be non existent, the prices may be a tad high, and their website is certainly lacking but if you're looking for plastic materials for any sort of project, Canal Plastics is the place to go. I haven't found a place that can beat their selection. My suggestion would be to start at T&T plastic a block away because of their prices and slightly better service but if T&T doesn't have what you need, you'll be right back at Canal for the selection on hand. They do custom fabrication work as well but I have no experience with that side of their business. They do take cards (it would be weird if a plastic store didn't take plastic don't you think?) and do have a 10% off for students. If they were better at communicating and giving better customer service and their prices were 20% lower I would definitely have given them 5 stars. read more

Always go there since I was in school, I'm sure a lot of students like me would say that. It's like our project official spot

This place has been here close to a million years. Even with the iffy service, that means a lot. I started coming here in the 80's... They have everything you need if you're trying to build something, and they have saved many a project of mine. Their selection of pre-cut pieces and remnants of large sheets gives you plenty of options without having to resort to custom cutting. read more

I do not recommend this place at all. First of all, they are very expensive, twice the price of other plexi distributors. Second, they are unhelpful and dishonest. I purchased a large piece here out of convenience sake, and was given the wrong color coding. When I discovered that the color was wrong, I returned it to the store within an hour. Although they finally acknowledged their error, they did not commit to giving me a refund. I have filed a dispute with my credit card company and the Better Business Bureau. On the other hand, I found Plexi Craft on 24th to be the complete opposite. read more

Got some cool material but the staff is very mean, disrespectful, and unhelpful. Price is pretty expensive for the quality. Also pretty much all things there are not eligible for refund. Paid the price to learn that. Manager made an analogy of buying and no refund with breaking the law and get caught and argue... read more

Never going back! Go to TNT Plastic Land nearby (close to NYU). Canal Plastics is rude, they don't take returns, and they are completely oblivious to any and all basic human-to-human communication skills. Been there a half dozen times before I discovered TNT. Never going back! read more

I love this place more than life. Any of your plastic needs they are there for you. Every time I come here I spend so much more money than I need to. The materials will inspire you more than you realize. Even though they seem off coming the people who work there are more than willing to help you. It's actually my favorite place to buy art materials anywhere and I couldn't possibly recommend it more! read more

I had a corporate account with Canal Plastics for a few years. The company I worked for spent upwards of $100K during that time. Not their biggest customer, but substantial. I'll just say that they treat ALL their customers like crap no matter how much business you give them. Having a plastic related question answered is beyond the capabilities of these morons. They will see you as the obstacle standing between them and their profits. Their "website" is hilarious, and reflects their overall shortcomings: http://canalplastic.com/ Anyway, go to Plastic Land 2 blocks down on Church Street if you want to deal with humans. read more

I was looking for a custom cut piece of plexiglass and I was able to find it here! I'm HUGE on customer service so can not give 5 stars. The other reviews about customer service not being on the top of this company's list was pretty accurate so I was not going in waiting to hear " Hi, how can we help you?!" from all of workers behind the counter that looked my way as a strolled looking very much like I was in need of help. Lol. I just mentally prepared and went in for the goods! It took a bit for me to get assistance but when I did, the women was pleasant. She answered all of my questions and got me exactly what I needed. It was a busy Saturday and I only had to wait about 30 minutes for the cuts. It was exactly what I ordered and the price was very comparable to the other plastic place near by. I will try the other location next time simply because they were nicer and seemed to appreciate their clients a little more. None the less, I got a great product in a nice amount of time and I'm happy. read more

I read all the bad reviews before I went here, and I decided to make the trip regardless. Please keep in mind that this place doesn't give quotes over the phone. They will only quote in email and in person. In order to get a quote, you need to know exactly what you want. If you are unsure or wishy washy, they can't help you. They have a huge selection and everything is a different price. It's not their job to help you pick things out. This isn't the type of place that is going to kiss your butt or try to get you to buy something. I needed 10 different sized pieces of plexiglass. I knew what I wanted for the most part. I had the woman at the counter run quotes for a few different types of plastic. I picked the one that worked best, paid and was told to come back in 30 minutes. That's it. To my surprise, my order was ready in 15 minutes. I love this place. It's awesome. read more

Horribly rude and condescending!!! They mislead me in what to buy, and when I came back to explain myself and try to exchange what I had bought one clerk was so horrible and rude and would not listen to what I had to say. I was shocked how rude he was. Don't go here,beware! Awful people!!! read more

terrible front desk, tried to hide from customers! pretending not hearing questions! I went to another one on Church st close by...so much better there...Prices are about the same! read more

I'm going to do it! I'm writing a 5 star review for a Canal as I love Yelp and I love this place. I believe in the power of a good review and usually I just review restaurants but I have been coming here for 10 years. Small scale things, rush items but they are very accommodating and if something isn't perfect--I just wait and they re-do the job. All you need to do is... ask nicely! Sure everyone there seems busy and not into fake customer service but you know what--ask them their names and smile and you will see results that have made this place into an awesome place to work with. Ask for Tony, or Jesse or anyone--remember their names and they will remember yours. read more

I echo everything I read here, and I wish I had looked for a review ahead of time! Alas, too late. I went in ahead of time and asked about prices, came back with exact measurements and a template. When I came back to put in the order, the woman behind the counter was exceedingly rude. I ended up having to close the order with her boss because she wouldn't answer my questions when the price doubled from the original estimate that I was given. When I came to pick up the finished pieces the boss man had me check out the measurements. They were off. He blamed me, said the template was wrong, and that I should have given them the measurements alone without a template. He said he could refund me if I wanted but that he wouldn't accept the job from me again. If I took it though, sale was final. I decided it was close enough and took them home. Well, big mistake, once I got home I saw there were scratches all over them, deep ones. I couldn't see them until I peeled off the protective paper. $424 dollars on clear tabletop protections wasted. Do not go to this place. They are mean and unprofessional. Never again. read more

I'm surprised at all of the negative reviews - I've been buying plastic here for the last few months, and the employees have always been polite and helpful. I can't comment on the competitiveness of their prices, since this is the only plastic store I frequent, but they do have a 10% student discount if you show them an ID. read more

they've been completely wonderful . i advise for a first-time customer to go in on an off-hour when it's not super busy. investigate/read about acrylic and have an idea of what project you're making BEFORE you go in . the people best served by the store would be self-directed and need a minimum of hand-holding . it's a unique store and perhaps the staff can come across as aggressive or impatient. they're besieged by tentative customers with mundane questions they've answered countless times before . the many querulous reviews here are in large part i think due to the cultural barriers being overcome . look beyond the plastic surface and you'll find an exciting beautiful place ! read more

Canal Plastics Center - every window is a masterpiece at canal plastic - Art Supplies Near Me - New York, New York

Been going here for years; great selection. helpful, friendly staff. Please R E M E M B E R - that competing businesses often post bad reviews about their competition ! read more