It's a good thing they have a giant inflatable man wildly wiggling in the air, and also a large…read morebanner advertising their location because otherwise it's pretty much impossible to find them. Even following Yelp's directions, they ultimately lead to you to a parking lot where the building beside it looks abandoned. We almost gave up and as we were walking up the street, the wiggling inflatable man caught my eye, and I realized that's actually the art store. This was a fun store to browse. They have a lot of supplies for all your artistic needs, and at pretty reasonable prices. I was looking for pottery supplies on this visit and found a few. They only carry speedball glaze, not sure why but it would be nice to see them carry brands like Laguna or Amaco. Perhaps they don't have enough people buying glazes to justify supplying a large array? Regardless, I ended up buying one, especially since it was a few dollars cheaper than online. It felt good to support a local art store in this way. They had a great sale going on, especially with regards to paint brushes. I didn't buy any as pottery glaze tends to be harsh on bristles so I always get whatever is cheap but if you're looking for oil, acrylic, watercolor supplies this place would be great for that. The people working here were stellar! Very friendly, and easy to talk to. Would be a regular if I lived here.

staff is always very helpful as well as knowledgable. good selection ....not perfect but good. Do…read moreyour research before you go shopping so you know what you are looking for.

Fantastic drinks, great ambience, and friendly personable owners. Upscale artistic vibes with zero…read morepretentiousness. We ordered a couple of drinks (all of which were delicious!), chatted with the owners, and left with some cool art supplies. They told us about some other local hotspots that we're excited to come back and try. We will definitely be visiting again!

They carry what many stores do not. The owner is amazing and took time out of her day to meet us to…read moreget what we needed. This store will be my go to store for now on!!! The prices are well above great!!!

One of the things that makes Northampton, well, Northampton, is Essentials. I started shopping at…read moreEssentials almost twenty years ago, and it's been a staple of my quirky life ever since. It's changed hands twice in my awareness, and just keeps getting better and better with age. This is a design-focused, design-heavy shop, and there are things I can pretty much only get AT Essentials; for instance, they've got a cut-to-custom-length ribbon bar, and some of that ribbon is vintage, and my absolute favorite is the hand-dyed silk. Also, they've got the best collection of Tintin and other European character favorites (like Barbapapa and Babar) this side of the pond. Oh, and the staff is wonderful. Knowledgable, friendly, thoughtful, and creative. Over the years, the cast of characters has changed, but it's always top-shelf. One giant boon: they've helped me put together a gift in no time, saving my bacon on numerous occasions! On a typical day, you can find stationery of all kinds, the indier the better; dishware; rubber stamps; intriguing books (think Chronicle); bath goods; bags of all shapes, sizes, and purposes; clothes and scarves; eight million things for kids, from blankies to onesies to stuffed alligators; jewelry; small home goods; special pens; DIY kits; custom furniture; large sheets of beautiful artisan paper; and a ton of things I'm forgetting. And one other thing about Essentials I am not forgetting, but which I saved for last, because it's my favorite. Essentials has an in-house design and print studio. And they also work with a select group of indie designers and printers who create everything from business cards to party invites. Here is where Colette, the current owner, really freaking shines, in my opinion. There was one thing I wanted when it came time to get married. One. Thing. That one thing was letterpress wedding invitations from Essentials. Colette took us from beautiful nebulous idea to flawlessly-executed product without ever breaking a sweat. I don't know if you've ever worked with people who are about to get married, but we are not always the most poised, cool-headed, or unflappable of people; Colette sat us down in the big comfy chairs and made sketches and phone calls, and really made our family feel like we were the only people in the entire world. Go see what I'm talking about - our invitation is probably still hanging in its golden-framed, green-paper-backed glory. Nearly four thousand miles away now, and I'm still bouncing in my chair as I look forward to my next trip to Essentials, whenever it may be.

I like this store and their merchandise. The prices are high, as the merchandise is of a high…read morequality. However their store policies are not up par with many upscale stores. We received a lovely gift of several girls garments, however we have a male child. The store manager, who did not have the courage to call us, rather made a sales associate do their work, informed us without a receipt we can not get a store credit. So wonderful Essentials, you made some money from this sale, but you lost a lot more revenue from this here shopper.

me facina esta tienda que muuuuchassss cosas hay para comprar y a buen precio ! ! i love itread more

I dropped off a piece of needleart to be framed, let's not mention $$$ it was supposed to be…read morefinished in 2 weeks, 1 month later I gave them a deadline of 2 days or I'd be taking it regardless. It was finished when I arrived. however when I looked closely I had 5 crimped fabric areas and 2 areas where the fabric is lopsided. I had them take it apart so I could leave and what do we find?? It was pinned instead of being laced. WHICH I was charged for. Management and Home Office didn't care. This is the 2nd HL location so it looks like training is the same across the board. Won't return for ANY item.

What a lovely bookstore! I came here with a friend and their daughter who were ready to get some…read morebooks. I'm not one to buy books often, so I perused their other offerings and got a few mood rings as well as some buttons and a sticker. Lots of cute gifts and a nice variety of books for all ages. I even picked up a free bookmark at checkout and enjoyed talking to Lexi, the owner, who is super welcoming and passionate about providing books, art and positivity in her community. She offers take-home art projects for kids which is pretty cool.

Wonderful book store! Me and my 7 year old had a blast getting a personal tour from Lexi and…read morepicking out some new chapter books and graphic novels. Amazing selection with someone that actually cares about inspiring others with the magic that comes from reading a good book!

Absolutely adore shopping at the store as well as the staff who work there! I used to live in the…read morearea, but whenever I go back to visit, I make it a point to stop by. They have everything from jewelry and fun bags, lovely candles, holiday decor, Picasso (and other famous artist themed) scarves, and gloves as well as museum Jewelry replications, fun cards, and tumblers and everything in between.. they have great holiday sales too so try not to miss those- Olivia is incredible and will help you find the perfect gift in a pinch, and Penny and Pam are always sweet and kind to help you Find fun new things as well!

Love it in here, hard not to find something you'll love, from scents to jewelry to art, and kids…read moregifts, there's a lot of cool and cute stuff for anyone.

One star rating based solely for my online ordering experience…read more I've ordered from the Enfield store several times and they have my order done and ready within an hour. This location was awful. I ordered and was sent an email acknowledging it had been received. When I arrived (about an hour later), it wasn't ready. I wasn't upset as I didn't get the email saying it had been fulfilled. My issue came when I spoke to the gentleman in framing services (which is where you pick up the online orders). He was blasé and made no attempts to see if anyone was actually working on it or maybe even call a manager. Instead, he worked at a snail's pace helping another customer with a frame order. It was a Sunday and there were not many customers in the store. Eventually (after 30 minutes) asked him to cancel my order as I would just purchase it there myself. He said he would try and remember but his priority was framing and that I should call later. I understand and take responsibility for assuming all Michael's stores are created equal but this was incredibly frustrating. I received an email notification that my order was ready 20 minutes before the store was closing. This was after me already purchasing on my own and then being on hold for 45 with the 800 number trying to cancel. No humans, only a menu that went in circles. I finally called the store and was transferred to frame man. He canceled but never acknowledged any shortcomings on their end (I guess that's what happens when you can only focus on framing). The only positive was the cashier in front. There was NO line so that was quick. She also tried to find a manager for me to help cancel online order but was unable. Perhaps there was no manager on duty and they were covering.

I've had a number of original oil paintings framed here and the craftsmanship has been great. I…read morewouldn't go anywhere else. Don't forget to use a coupon because the retail price on custom frames is very high.

Great gifting options here! Kids books, activity and craft kits, kitchenware options, warm weather…read moreclothing you name it they've got it all. The service was great, Beverly the store manager helped me sort through a problem that came up and I will definitely visit again!

Beautiful store and very interesting and unique itemS all over the store. You could really spend…read morehours and hours just looking around at items, objects, stationery products, cards, stuffies, toys, candies, and sooo many other thiNgs. Prepare yourself for sensory overload of colors, creations, patterns and more!!!! If you need to purchase any kind of gift for anyone you will most liikely be able to locate something for someone here. The staff is super accommodating and friendly. If you are looking for a particular item just ask and they will present you with options and locations. My first viSit was amazing!! Worth the hour and a half drive from Western Massachusetts to get here. We shall return again in the future.