Staff knowledgeable and helpful in answering questions and making recommendations. Will be back due to the excellent customer service. Love that there is something for everyone in this shop to be creative. read more

Flax Art & Design is hands-down one of our favorite art supply stores in San Francisco. Their prices are refreshingly reasonable--especially when compared to big chain stores--and we always find great deals on printmaking supplies and imported paper. The selection here is top-notch, and it's clear they really cater to artists of all levels. Whether you're hunting for specialty tools or unique paper stock, this place delivers. Plus, the store has a creative, welcoming vibe that makes browsing a pleasure. If you're an artist or maker in the Bay Area, Flax is definitely worth the stop. Support local--you'll find what you need here, and probably something you didn't know you needed too! read more

Love this store and the selection of unique wrapping paper for gifts. Has a free kids coloring section while parents are shopping which is a huge plus. read more

Cute, homey art store near Fort Mason! They offer classes and demos--it really seems like a community spot. Staff is very thoughtful, knowledgeable, and sweet. Love the views and location even though it's a bit out-of-the-way (depending where you are.) read more

See all

Came here to take a look at the fountain pens. Had a much smaller selection than the Oakland store, but my partner and I were still able to leave with pens that we really liked! Despite how busy they were, we were still able to get great service. Gabby was super awesome and helpful! Really happy with our experience here. Reasonably priced as well. read more

FLAX art & design - Art Supplies Near Me - San Francisco, California

Another reason to take a walk through Fort Mason, to find this wonderland of art supplies. The place isn't as huge as the previous location on Market St., there isn't a framing service, but it's way more fun to come here. There's lots of gifts items here. Stuffed animals, puzzles, socks, notecards, wrapping paper, paints, markers, tie dye kits, containers, canvas, bags, much etc. You can park right in front, but it's no longer free. I'm guessing the parking police won't get to you if you're doing a quick stop. If you have time, park farther away in the endless parking lot hugging the bay. Lots of luck on weekends. Anyway, the path leading to Fort Mason has a view of Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the Marina, boats, flowers & birds. Destination shopping read more

See all

Best art store(s) in the Bay Area (Flax Fort Mason's my #1, but Flax Oakland is my back-up). Friendly, long-time employees who are materials pros, and who also recognize me, making it a social call in addition to a restocking mission. And Keith in particular is the best! It always feels good to go there. Support your local small businesses, folks! Friends don't let friends shop at the big corporate chain art stores. I've lived here long enough to watch them put so many of the little guys like Flax out of business: Flax is well worth supporting, not as a sympathy gesture, but just because, well, they're so much better, cooler, and more human than the big chains. For folks kvetching about paid parking at Fort Mason, hello, it's SF: you'll have to pay for parking almost anywhere. (Also--I've never paid for parking while shopping there and have never gotten a ticket during a 20-30 minute shopping mission. YMMV, of course.) read more

I had only a few minutes today to grab something quickly on the eve before Christmas Eve and the staff was SO SO helpful. the woman working on the floor helped me find all the items I needed and helped me find things for a really reasonable price point. I was impressed by the selection and layout of the store making it super easy to find the things I needed (gel medium, acrylic paint beginner set, canvas boards). thank you flax for being so wonderful. it was my first time there! it was a night and day experience to those big box stores and I definitely will be back when I need something for my painting class. also super cute kids and gift ideas there too!! read more

I love Flax, I love their staff, I love their selection. I especially loved the former location on Market Street. Since that closed down, I'm still really happy about this location. I only deduct one star because I hate that really the only option to park here is paid parking. It's even worse on Sundays when there is a farmer's market. The reason why I say parking is important is because you don't always walk out of an art store with the smallest, easily-carried items. Anyway, I still highly recommend this place and often times, I just like going just to look at all the fun knick knacks. The store has pretty average prices but considering it's in a high-rent space and in the city, the prices are probably just above average from other art supply stores in the Bay Area, read more

** The following review reflects my experience prior to the shelter-in-place order currently in effect. ** Having traversed Market Street an innumerable amount of times, naturally I was saddened when that cavernous space of a store closed. Back in the day when I was sketching or doing DIY art projects, FLAX was my go-to spot, and I have to admit that I haven't followed them to Oakland. Now Jamie W. and I discovered the smaller outpost at Fort Mason. Such a nice find for those in the city in immediate need of art supplies. When things come back to some sense of normalcy and they re-open, I'll come back and maybe pick up a paintbrush again. Hey, it could happen. RELATED - Strolling the Marina? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2HyFdzC read more

See all

Great location, easy (albeit fee required) parking in San Francisco. Wide open aisles makes for relaxed shopping experience. Friendly staff read more

FLAX art & design - Art Supplies Near Me - San Francisco, California

I called ahead to ask if i could get one sheet of grey paper. As soon as I came in and the employee who I had called with heard my voice he directed me right to the material I was looking for. This was so helpful because I was in a rush. I think his name was Kevin. read more

It's definitely a little bit out of the way to be buying art supplies, so make sure that aside from Flax, spend some time in the area and enjoy the views and fresh air. I've gone twice to pick up some beginner art supplies for oil painting, and they were very helpful in telling me which brushes to get (and other future brushes I should get in case I get really in to it). I also love how spacious it is, and you really feel it when there aren't a ton of people in - you can definitely look at stuff peacefully and take your time. read more

Fun store , beautiful selection . Much smaller then market street location was , but well stocked . Staff always so sweet and helpful . Fort mason is such a nice spot to stroll . Check it out !!! read more

See all

First time at the new location. Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to come back. The new location is one of the big problems. It is in Fort Mason, so the parking is crowded, and your odds of getting hit by somebody pulling out of a parking space are pretty good. Also, the space is a lot smaller than their old place on Market. So, that means they had to adjust their inventory. In other words, they don't have as much stuff. if you happen to be in the area, and don't need anything too special, it's probably worth it to pop in. Otherwise, I would look at other options. Sorry, I was a huge fan of the old location. I don't even make trips from out of the area for it because they generally had whatever you need. The new location is okay, but it's just okay. read more

FLAX art & design - First time at new location! - Art Supplies Near Me - San Francisco, California

Where else can you purchase hand made paper? I do lots of crafts and this is my go-too spot. Don't be deterred by the parking, there is both street and private lot parking. I went on a weekend and found street parking! Amazing store, nice staff, they have it ALL. read more

Website for placing orders could be a lot better, I placed an order, logged in to see the status, and it says I have no orders. My credit card was charged though. I call to find out more information, to get a message saying all associates are busy and to leave a voice message. MAILBOX FULL. Don't know who the manager is, but...... read more

FLAX art & design - Art Supplies Near Me - San Francisco, California

My friend and I just finished going to the annual art market and stoped by this store. There were some mobiles hanging to demo. The kind that have a ball and cord to pull to make the mobile move. My friend pulled on the cord and out of no where an employee yelled at us not to pull on the mobile. We were shocked to be yelled at as if we were kids, I'm 43 btw. Than as the employee started to walk away he turned and said there's signs that say not to pull on them! As if he was taking out his bad day on us. Note there are four mobiles and a two had a sign which from our angle we could not see and the mobile we touched did not have a sign. The attitude was so RUDE and condescending. If you don't want people to touch something how about put it behind the counter. I'm sure we are not the first to accidentally touch this display and I'm sure we arnt the only ones that ever got yelled at for this stores poor unintuitive display with rules no one can understand. I'm so upset and angry about being yelled at like a child that I'm writing this review to tell everyone this place needs to wake-up and treat people better and find new ways to make displays that people shouldn't touch. I will never ever step foot in this shop again for making me feel so hooting and for being spoken too so disrespectfully. read more

Spacious and nice array of art supplies. The one and only time we visited, we were the only ones in the store, and the four employees continued chatting socially amongst themselves, at the front table. No welcome or hello, no offer to help. When we eventually asked one of the staff for help, he was quite unhelpful and grumpy. The experience was uncomfortable and a disappointment. Won't be revisiting this place. read more

I don't know what their problem is, but the people work at this location are extremely cranky. We drove pretty far out of our way so that I could buy some supplies at what was once my favorite art supply store (and ONLY art supply store I'd use) in SF... when they were on Market. Listen, if your store only has a couple of customer an hour, try being nice to the ones who show up. In the end, i needed something that someone had to retrieve for me. I was wearing a mask. Dude obviously misunderstood what I asked for and came back with the wrong item - when I told him this, he put the item down, stared at me, rolled his eyes dramatically, and sighed loudly... then went back to get the item. Weird. The woman running the checkout was also rude in a really special way. The people who worked at Flax on Market St. were always super nice and knowledgeable. Not so in the Marina. Maybe it's just Marina Attitude. I don't know. I ended up buying the rest of the items I needed at two Blick locations (Market, and Van Ness) and people in both stores were ... you know, just regular-style nice to deal with. It's a huge disappointment having spent so much time and money to go out of my way to try to throw some business to Flax, only to find that the place turned all surly and cranky since moving out to the Marina. I'll just keep buying from Blick - the prices are about the same or slightly higher, but the locations are easier for me to get to, and the people who work there have always been nice. read more

The new location isn't exactly central to my daily life but I can see myself stopping by when I'm here for something else. The new store locations definitely serves in need for art supplies at Fort Mason. There are already art classes and a huge present art exhibits in the area. While the new store is not as large as the Market Street store the selection is still amazing. They have a wide variety of paints, brushes, easels and a ton of paper. As always they have a great selection of gift ideas for people of all ages. For the size of the store they were able to jam in everything they possibly could. read more

I checked the website before leaving my apartment today and it said they closed at 6:30. I walked over at 5:35 and arrived at 6:01 pm. The door was locked and a tired-looking man with glasses just looked at my crestfallen face and pointed to a sign on the window that said the store closed at 6 pm. I and another customer there couldn't believe they wouldn't let us in, we were so close to 6 and thought the store was open to 6:30, but he just kept pointing to the sign. As I walked away I thought, don't worry about customers because you won't have any in a few years, and bought what I needed on Amazon. read more

Flax is unparalleled. Period. I love this new location! It is in a fantastic area (Fort Baker) with tons of things to see, food to eat, and the SF Public Library Friends bookstore across the way. Basically this is home base for the start to a great adventure in SF. This location is smaller than the anchor Market store, but they have a bunch of great standards - stickers, pens, pencils, paints, canvases, paper, fun items, and that fabulous wrapping paper that we love to buy, but can never seem to commit to wrapping a gift. Instead we have a lot of "wall hangings". The building is wonderful in the repurposed Fort Mason Center. The shop is full of wonderful natural light and the views are naturally spectacular. The staff is really friendly and super helpful (as one would expect in any Flax). read more

Revisiting my love for arts and crafts for my upcoming nuptials and I'm not embarrassed to say I spent almost 2 hours here looking for supplies. A good hour was spent trying almost every pen they had- pens are a SERIOUS business for someone who loves paper. Their selection is that good and the prices are very very competitive. Supplies for all sorts of crafts and just because (journaling) are available. The staff is super friendly, quite knowledgeable, and very helpful. Aside from trying out pens before you buy, they also have a kids table so they can be entertained. If you check in through the YELP app you get a free 4X6 notebook. You pay for parking $2 an hour, $3 for 5, etc. I took a walk around Fort Mason and then had dinner at the "Off the Grid" food truck extravaganza that takes place every Friday from 5 pm to 10 pm...I'm going to post about that next! read more

I didn't come here looking for anything in particular. I've been to this location a few times and it is always dead and the staff look kind of listless, chatting amongst each other or playing with their phones. I don't understand how they are affording to staff so many people. Maybe I am just showing up at unusually slow times. Whatever. They have a varied selection, it is a very fun store to wander in, and no one bothered me. Hope you guys can stick around. read more

As others have noted not the largest selection however I got everything I needed & had a great experience being helped by Calvin. He was incredibly knowledgeable about paper and guided me to quite a few different options, explaining his experience with different types and answering any questions I had. He also gave me time and space to think about it and wasn't pushy at all. Packaged up my paper and all my other items for me too! For those who have a flexible schedule I do recommend going during the weekday (the only other times I had gone were when there were Fort Mason events and it was way too busy then, but I went during the late morning on a Weds and there were just a few other customers.) read more

It's a shame that one bad experience here outweighs all other experiences. And it's also a shame that I'm forced to shop at this location so often due to its proximity to my school. That being said, I stopped in here to purchase a piece of watercolor paper for an upcoming commission. I headed to the checkout line and was being rung up by an older gentleman with glasses. Next to him was another gentleman, kindly rolling up a woman's piece of paper, which he offered to do. Meanwhile, the man helping me handed me my paper after he rung it up, not offering to roll it. I handed it back to him and asked if he was able to roll it up in newsprint, which he rudely questioned and said "you mean craft paper? That's all I've got." I said yes, I'll take whatever, as I didn't want to ruin the paper. He sighed and rolled it up (sloppily, might I add) and handed it back to me. I thanked him - very kindly - regardless of my feeling as if I had just hassled the heck out of him. Every other art store I go to offers to roll up paper - seems like second nature, right? Anyways, this man seemed so bothered by my request to NOT RUIN MY DELICATE PIECE OF PAPER. Maybe he shouldn't be in the service industry. It also doesn't help that no one ever offers assistance. You have to seek someone out every single time. read more

Still great service even during this quarantine. My ordered was delivered via local delivery service way faster than I expected. I ordered outside of the timeline listed on the website for delivery by Tuesday and was expecting to wait a while for my order, possibly a whole extra week. But I was pleasantly surprised to find a flax bag hanging on my door on Monday afternoon, just 2 days after I placed my order. Got to continue work on my current project way faster than expected. I will say it would have been nice to have gotten a notification that my delivery had arrived, or that it was going to arrive. I wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't by chance gone outside today; luckily we don't have any issues with package thieves here. read more

I love coming in to this Flax and don't mind paying a little more than online retailers because I get useful recommendations. I can also see/feel the quality of their products before purchasing. I highly recommend this store for gifts and art supplies. They clearly have knowledgeable buyers and experienced artists working there. This store and the independent art store in Jackson Square are my favorites in SF - but this one has parking, 3 cafes close by, bay views outside, and amazing staff. Thank you! read more

Flax has been a special place to me since they were on Market Street for many years. I have my BA in Fine Art and used to use them for my studio supplies often when I was in college. Now, many years out of school, I still love them for little painting projects. This new location is amazing. Easy parking and I would recommend coming during the Sunday farmers market. It's not too busy and what's better than new art supplies, fresh cut flowers, food trucks and your weeks produce from local farmers?! I especially love their section for children. My daughter goes bananas for all the cool non-traditional projects. Also stickers and sketch books galore! The staff is always helpful and they even have a Yelp check-in offer! Thank you, Flax! read more

What a horrible experience! I was shopping here at Flax last week (Wednesday, July 18 around 3:45pm) while waiting for my son to finish his art class across the way at the Children's Art Center. As I wandered through the store, I found several items for potential purchase. While trying out the markers in their tryout section, the person behind the register (white guy with beard and glasses) came over and accused me of stealing a marker. Even though I didn't need to, I opened up and showed him my waist pack since I had nothing to hide. Inside was my phone with which I had been checking the time since I don't wear a watch. The Flax employee made a half-hearted apology - "my bad" - which didn't seem sincere at all. Plus, he was still hovering nearby. He eventually went back behind the register, but at that point I was so upset and disturbed by the interaction, that I left. It's too bad because there were items that I would have eventually purchased. I (and now my family and friends) don't plan on ever going back either. Maybe Flax has had some shoplifters at this location, but I don't think accusing their innocent customers of stealing is a sound business practice. read more

I was pleasantly surprised by this little store and I fell in love with their products and definitely will come back any time I'm in town

I popped in here quickly to grab a last-minute Christmas gift and the staff were very nice and helpful - not pretentious at all. I needed a specific brand of paints and the guy behind the register quickly brought me to where I needed to be and offered helpful info in choosing the right medium for the artist giftee I had in mind. Check out was a breeze and I was in and out in less than 10 min, though I am sure some artists could spend hours getting lost in this large, airy space! Love the new location as it is close to my work. Looking forward to coming back soon - perhaps to dabble in some supplies myself. read more

Great art supply store with plenty of parking at Fort Mason. They have an especially goog selection of block printing supplies. read more

FLAX art & design - Block and screenprinting supplies. - Art Supplies Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Who Doesn't Love Flax? I love the May 2016 Pop Up Outlet Discount Heaven Sale Hours at 1699 Market Street are May 25 Wednesday - Saturday, 9:30am-6:00pm, Yipee! The $1.00 Papers are great - the paint brushes, frames, pens, art supplies...terrific! Will greatly miss the SF Market St Store - Am good with the Presidio Branch~~ read more

So here's the thing- I go to the art store like other people go to the grocery store. Being a professional artist means that your art stores and their staff must have a level of professional expertise that is able to inform your next move. Materials and technique are paramount. Robert and his team are exceptional people and have in-depth, working knowledge of the materials they sell. Attentive and responsive, The Flax staff has been there for me for decades. There is always parking at fort mason. I find everything well-organized and stocked. read more

The Fort Mason store is huge, and has a great selection of artist supplies. I'm always on the hunt for quality painting and illustration supplies, and they have a really great selection and affordable prices. I've been back a couple of times and always find everything I'm looking for (and more)! Very helpful staff and a clean, well-organized space. Tons of parking too! read more

What a great new addition to the Fort Mason Center. I've gone a handful of times and never left empty handed. They had things that my little artists could ever need. Staff is super friendly. Will definitely go back! read more

I don't understand how this store gets anything but 5 star reviews- this place is AMAZING! I have come in many many times for various classes and projects, and have always had wonderful experiences. The staff is lovely, and always take great care of me. The two managers, a gentleman and younger girl, will bend over backwards for you, making sure you get what you need. The other employees are also stellar- and they seem to know everything about EVERYTHING! And if they don't know something, they don't just talk out of their butt- they'll grab someone who DOES know the answer! They never up-sell you; they'll tell you if a product isn't necessary for what you're doing or if there is a cheaper option. (Students and teachers get a discount, too!) Often times, if you spend time with them workshopping, they'll remember you next time you come in! They always seem to be having fun, and that makes me smile. Lots of laughs over here!! And let's not forget THE SAMPLES! They have a BUNCH of samples they're pretty liberal with. I have never asked for samples, but the girl manager always loads me up with similar products I'm purchasing. Watercolor dot cards and sample sized acrylics; love it!! Once I asked one of the employees (an older gentleman with a beard and glasses) about the Caran Dashe pencils and they gave me a full sized sample pencil to try out! These pencils are almost $6 each, so getting to test drive one first is a huge help! Another thing I love about this store is that the staff willl not bug you asking if you need help every 3 seconds, but if you ask one of them for help they drop everything they're doing to make you their whole focus. Sure, it's smaller than their downtown store was, but if you need anything they don't have here, they can get it for you from their big store in the East Bay! Really the only complaint I have about Flax's is that you have to pay for parking, but after speaking with a (very tall!!) girl about it, I learned that even if you work for Fort Mason you STILL have to pay to park- NOT FAIR!! The paid parking is not Flax's fault, and there is free parking down the water a bit if you're up for a small walk! She told me if you're only going to be in here for ~20 minutes, you should be fine not paying for parking, depending on the day. All in all, I cannot say enough good things about Flax's Fort Mason. Staff is wonderful and EXTREMELY knowledgeable, products are very competitively priced, and you can't beat that view!! Next time you stop in, talk to one of the employees, even just for a few seconds to comment on the weather. You'll get a feel of how genuine these people are, guaranteed. 10/10! read more

I could spend hours perusing FLAX. Great selection. Kind and helpful staff. Someone else recommend to go during the Sunday Farmers Market at Fort Mason - I definitely second that! read more