I'm happy to support this local, family-owned business, not only for the aforementioned reasons but…read morealso because their employees are both knowledgeable and helpful. I tend to come in to have prints matted and/or framed. Archival materials are the norm. The staff will also mat to ready-made frame sizes or custom. Their training also makes choosing mats easier. "Do you want bright white or eggshell white?" "Let's look at them together." Additionally, they offer to amend things that I didn't notice. A print I asked to have matted and framed was slightly curved. I was assured the print would be flattened prior to being matted and framed so it would sit more snugly. I'm sure most customers would appreciate that attention to detail. Here's to hoping this establishment continues to provide goods and services to this community for a long time to come.

This store has been around for years and always has a great selection of products. My mom loves…read moreadult coloring books and comes here to stock up on assorted color pencils. They sell the pencils individually so she can selectively restock the ones she runs out of most. Apparently, green is the most frequently used color for all the grass in landscapes so she can buy individual ones here very reasonably instead of buying a whole new package of pencils. They also have a nice selection of gift items like small pouches, reusable bags, socks, cards and assorted small art themed things. The selection of easels is extensive and includes table easels and standing easels. Tons of canvas, paints and paint brushes. Prices are reasonable. I found the staff a little overbearing (they greeted me multiple times) when I entered the store but were friendly at checkout. Highly recommend.

Wow! What a gem of a place to have arts and crafts! I love the program here, and I wish I had found…read moreout about it much sooner. They offer a lot of classes, from small children to adults! The staff are all incredibly friendly, and they are very flexible in accommodating to your needs. I took a pottery class for three weeks, and I had a blast! It was incredibly fun, and the instructor was super awesome! I really loved it. I wish I had more time to work with the instructors, but my schedule did not allow. Love the friendly atmosphere, and I got to meet so many creative people while practicing during the open studio hours. I do wish they had longer hours so it was more convenient for me schedule, but I understand this was mainly fitted around school-going children. They have a lot of cool workshops for kids, and the instructors are all very amazing from the art that I see the kids produce. There are so many different things they offer! They also allow adults a lot of resources and space to exercise their own creative projects, which I think is excellent. Everything is pretty reasonable, too! I definitely I wish I had found this place sooner! Their mascot cat is also incredibly friendly, and I adore her!

We just had a birthday party for my daughter here. It was great! Karen (the owner) did a great job…read moreleading the kids through three little projects. All of the kids really had a lot of fun. Everyone left with big smiles. Hopefully, we'll be back again for some open studio time.

This place brings me so much joy. The classes are wonderful, and the instructors are kind, patient,…read moreand incredibly knowledgeable. I learn something new every time I go, and I'm always amazed by what I'm able to create in just a couple of hours. Devery, the owner, is genuinely kind and welcoming--and her sweet dog Walter makes every visit even better! She has a remarkable memory for people and goes out of her way to make you feel at home. You can even text her directly with questions about classes, and she responds promptly and thoughtfully. Please, please check this place out--it's truly a hidden gem!

I am so excited that this place exists! I have now visited on back to back weekends after having…read moresuch a lovely experience. The shoppe owner is knowledgeable and helpful, pointing me in the direction of the products I was looking for and making a suggestion of a similar pen I hadn't yet tried. I was DELIGHTED to find a piece from a local artist that I had seen displayed at local gallery last fall for sale here, and snatched it up in a jiffy. Also really into the fact that this place has classes and events offered throughout the month - a lot of great education and creative community going on here!

Lovely place, reasonable prices. The service from the staff was great and they were friendly and…read morevery knowledgeable.

Really kind and helpful shop owner! It's a cute shop to walk around and look at interesting items…read more She has a variety of antiques, many of which are at a great price. Highly recommended!

Lots of cool Albany swag. Even if you live here, you'll want a sweatshirt! Or a shot glass with…read moreNipper on it. Lots of unique things too, from body butter to bar tender essentials to books about Albany. Stop by and browse! It's a small boutique located in downtown on Broadway.

While I do understand that the ownership has changed and inevitably will give the store a different…read morevibe, my main issue has been that in the times I have been into this store since the change in ownership and management, the staff has been unpleasant and on one occasion in particular, made my friend and I feel very uncomfortable as she had a loud and extremely personal phone call during the entire time we were in the store without even acknowledging that we were there at all. I do think the selection has always been great, and I appreciate the emphasis on supporting local work, although that also seems to have changed a bit since the change. It is a pricey location for most things, but I do always enjoy seeing what is in the store, the card selection is consistently excellent, and it is a great place to find a gift!

There is nothing wrong with the balloons I ordered online from Michaels. However, DO NOT BUY…read moreBALLOONS THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE! I was told by a salesperson at the store that you can order balloons online at Michaels, and bring them in for inflation with helium. I assumed that Michaels works the same way as a grocery store selling and filling their balloons for the cost of the balloon itself. I thus ordered balloons for a baby shower from the Michaels' website. However, upon bringing them in for inflation, I was told by the manager that Michaels sold this set of 10 mylar heart balloons through a third party. Michaels will only inflate these third-party balloons for $3.00 a piece. This makes a simple mylar balloon cost now $6 each. The Michaels website reads: "Order online and pick up your pre-inflated balloons in store." They do NOT mention that inflation with helium is a hefty separate charge, or let you know that they do NOT inflate for free all of the ones they sell on the Michaels website. To compensate me as this is not a clear policy on their website, they gave me a $15 gift card towards the cost of the $30 helium charge. My advice: save your money and go elsewhere for balloons!

Yesterday I attempted to purchase silk flowers that were clearly marked 80% off -- for all spring…read moreand summer decoration. The register marked them at regular price. The attendant refused to listen, claiming that she couldn't do anything. Two other ladies behind me also carried similar flowers and we all inquired about the misleading signs throughout the store. The attendant refused to call a manager. We all left behind the intended items of purchase. Michael's at Albany is becoming a disappointment of shopping experience. Don't advertise a price you can't honor.

Fun and colorful shirts, toes and hoodies to gift to someone else and yourself…read more My shirts have held up well in the dryer, washed in well water and eating my way through the Capital Region. It's all made locally in Troy. The shop also has greeting cards with funny sayings and cute pictures. If you have a custom order, they can accommodate that as well. Lastly, they do have events throughout the year where you can make a t-shirt and they usually involve some kind of adult beverage. I haven't done one and that should change.

Long story short: Order local (from here), not from Etsy…read more My friends and I were considering ordering bachelorette party shirts from Etsy but were concerned about sizes fitting all members of our party and overall shirt quality. That was until we got the idea to go to a local print shop. I found Troy Cloth and Paper on Yelp and headed right there. Dave was available to chat about shirt design, shirt style options, and suggested sizing. We settled on Bella Canvas tanks which are much better than the quality Etsy offers. There was a slight communication error that delayed the design process but as soon as that was fixed I had a mock up within 3 business days. Dave was awesome about modifying my mock up to meet my design preferences. I confirmed the mock up was good to go at 7 am and my shirts were done by 7 pm. THEY LOOK AWESOME and Dave gave us a hefty discount for the communication error. Awesome customer service and easy to work with. Definitely recommend these guys for all your events that require shirts.

Great place !! All of it friendly people! We have stores with no more help on the floor takes to…read morelong so I avoid those stores or not speaking English! Hate seeing a lot of stores closing! Rose

They have fabric but it's a pretty crappy selection very basic stuff. Very limited colors and…read morefabric makes. It's sad. As for their non sewing stuff saw a lot of stuff some of it's just junky.