Celino is a Gainesville treasure -- if you're a starving college student, go to SoMa to buy some…read moreart supplies, but if you're not, then go buy one of his pieces (for which he really should charge an awful lot more, so you don't need to be a one percenter or anything like that).

I needed glow-in-the-dark paint to do my art, and a friend told me to go check this place out…read more It is in an old warehouse on South Main st (SoMa) right before the Cade Museum. The owner sells mostly to architecture and art students, but that is not all he has. He is a painter, and post-industrial lamp-maker! "What is that?", you ask. He takes ordinary objects that people see as junk and turns them into the funkiest one-of-a-kind lamps you will ever see! Some of them look like bugs, some look like robots, and some are just ...well... unique! This place is a Gainesville original!!! He makes his lamps from: guitars, microwave glass plates, fixtures, cars parts, brackets, or most anything that has used up its usefulness (post-industrial), and most people want to throw away! Just to see what he comes up with is amazing! When I was there, he was working on a lamp made from an old tuba! Yes! A TUBA!!!! You have to see this place to understand. He has a corner strewn with parts for his lamps. Wmay see junk, but he sees light!! I bought two jars of paint for my art, shook his hand, and said I'd be back to see hiw the tuba comes out! Check out the pics! Update: I went back amd bought a teach-yourself-to-draw book, and now I am drawing for the first time in my life!! Wow!!

Outstanding business !!!!! Customer service associate were attentive and knowledgeable. The framing…read morestaff went above and beyond to create a perfect picture with the materials. 100% will recommend this business to everyone I know. I can't say enough good things about Blick.

The only real art supply shop in Tampa, please support them…read more Note that that Blick rulers do not measure correctly bc the first inch is too long

4 out of 5 stars I…read morewant to take a moment to recognize Bob and the Art Department at the Cortez Boulevard location -- they truly exemplify professionalism, creativity, and pride in their craft. Over the course of framing numerous pieces of artwork, Bob has consistently provided thoughtful, artistic framing suggestions that beautifully enhance each piece. His passion for his work and his genuine dedication to customer satisfaction are unmistakable. It's rare to find someone so customer-centric, patient, and detail-oriented in this field. Unfortunately, this outstanding experience contrasts sharply with the front-end store management. On multiple visits, there have been too few cashiers for the volume of customers, resulting in long checkout lines and a frustrating experience at the register. On one visit, I actually had to put back a couple hundred dollars' worth of merchandise simply because the wait time was unreasonable. Despite this, I continue to return for the excellent service and quality provided by the art and framing team. Bob and his department deserve tremendous credit -- they are the reason I still do business at this location.

BAD!!!! Great store…read moreto get what you're looking for for a project, but, if you come here and you need fabric, you might find yourself wasting upwards of a half an hour or more. I don't recommend coming in here for fabric or fabric-related items. In that case, you might want to go to Joannes a few miles away. I stood at the fabric desk as I rang the bell several times and waited for the fabric worker to come to the desk, and then they begin but appear to be an all out search for the fabric girl by Hobby lobby employees. They should probably make a mini movie out of this story that I'm writing right now; I am not happy here.

SoMa is the hub of Gainesville! Celino, the owner, is plugged into almost every artist and…read morearchitecture student in the tri-state area!! He is an artist himself, and if you come in at the right time, you might catch him creating a lamp-sculpture or painting a painting! He promotes other artists, students and musicians to do their best! A great place for artists to find inspiration (and art supplies)!!

I'm not a local here and was looking for a store to get some supplies and stumbled on this one. It…read morehad pretty much everything I needed and the prices were way lower than back at home. Also, the owner was probably the nicest man I have ever met, he made sure I got what I needed and gave me some supplies for free to encourage creativity. Such a genuine guy! Plus there was a super cute dog named Henry.

Sam Flax is way more than an art supply store and framing shop. They have all kinds of gift items,…read morebooks, premium name brand ink and fountain pens, home decorations and more. I had not been to Sam's since they moved across the street a few years ago. As a customer I went for some colored pencils and the staff was extremely helpful in finding items for a gift. I was walked by a staff member to several areas of the store and items to choose from were placed in my hands while the staff member explained the features and made recommendations. The level of customer service and help is something you don't commonly see in retail stores these days. The store has a tranquil vibe which makes it fun to browse the many gift items. Their stock is unique in that they carry a breadth of items that are high quality at a range of prices. You can spend a lot of time here finding inspiration and treasures. They offer art classes and during the Christmas season they offered free make and take craft classes. They had a small cardboard 'house or cottage' setup inside the store with tables stocked with all the supplies you needed for that weeks's free project. This was not just for kids. My friend and I had fun making gift tags the day we were visiting the store. The store is beautiful inside and out. The beautiful murals that cover the outside walls echo the beauty and fun you will find inside the store. Since they are popular the parking lot can get pretty full.

What a very cool shop for art supplies! So much to choose from, and a bit overwhelming. Go when you…read morehave time to wander. They have everything you'll need for your next art project or framing. Great service and so many fun things!

I am so happy we have a Dixie Belle paint retailer here in Inverness. Robin helped me pick out…read moreexactly what I needed to finish my project.