Took a day trip to NYC to see what all the hype was about and it did not disappoint!…read more When we arrived the woman asked if we had a reservation and looked pretty annoyed there was four of us (three adults one child) without one. Which few moments later I learned you can book reservations via phone call only which makes no sense given they're so busy! If you want the full experience definitely follow the steps outlined by staff and the instruction card! If you're looking to create custom pearl pieces I highly recommend checking out the back right wall first!!! ( I wish I was told about that area first) Overall my sisters and I had fun dabbling in jewelry design! The total cost per person after their current promo was about $123 ( 3people) I would definitely visit again just to create some custom pieces!

Rally up some of your gals for a cute girls' date with DIY pearl jewelry!…read more Pick a mussel, crack it open, and hope you've gambled right for the prettiest, shiniest, or biggest pearl inside. Two hours later, we left with custom bracelets, necklaces, and surprisingly lots of leftover pearls. (Maybe buy 1 mussel at a time so you don't end up with excess.) I love how the process let's us relax and embrace our creativity. Do keep in mind that the experience is a bit pricey. The jewelry is crafted with budget-friendly metals that won't last forever. On the plus side, before we left, a worker let us know that repairs for any broken jewelry are on the house!

Cutest place for a creative, art date! How it works: choose ceramic item(s) to paint, listen to a…read morestaff member talk you through the painting process for a few minutes, choose up to 5 paint colors to start with, and off you go! I love how they have such wide variety of items to choose form... the options were endless and all SO CUTE! The staff members are available to give you refills on your paint during your session and they are also willing to give you additional colors after your chosen 5. They also have tons of tools to use at your disposal (stencils, different types of brushes, hairdryers, etc).  Reservations are up to 2 hours, which I found to be on the shorter side (esp for a perfectionist like me!). My friends and I actually did not finish our pottery pieces during our first visit, but they were very accommodating and we were able to come back to finish our pieces a few weeks after.  Pieces are ready for pick up 1 week after you finish painting, which is a very quick turn around.

I love activities like this! I just wish they were more affordable. We made an online reservation a…read morefew days in advance and were brought to our table when we arrived. They have plenty of items to pick from and the prices are all on the pieces. The service is good and they bring you the paint you need. The worker reminded us right at the 2 hour mark that we had to finish up and leave, or that we could take our pieces to go and bring them back. We decided to just stop our pieces and leave them as is. We came back a few weeks later to pick up our finished pieces. Overall a fun spot that I've been to a few times, but definitely not affordable as a regular hobby.

Soho Art Materials is the best place to go as an artist. They service all the top artists in NYC…read morefor a reason. They have a wide array of materials, incredible service (ask for Gina who is extraordinary) and Jonny is the stretcher to the stars. Literally. A hidden gem for all artists.

Purchased a Tri-Mar painting stretcher that had a flaw. The plastic corner sections that are…read moreinserted into aluminum rails did not line up properly causing an uneven edge where the plastic meets the aluminum on all four sides. A big enough difference to be noticeable. They replied that this has never been an issue. I am not interested in paying for return shipping and their 20 % restocking fee on a flawed item. They thoughtfully responded to my issue within an hour but left me hanging.

Checked out Blick for crochet yarn…read more It was not too crowded. The store is bright and inviting. Plentiful staff located around store with name tags and aprons if assistance is needed. There are a lot of arts & crafts items, paints, brushes, etc. Prices are decent and can range depending on the product. There was a line at the cashier but moved quickly. Recommended for crafts projects. Good selection.

Cheaper than Michael's. Very helpful staff. You can request online price match if you have an…read moreaccount with them but they charge shipping fee which is ridiculous especially if you have to carry the items yourself (imagine heavy canvas), which makes no sense. Might as well order online and save yourself the hassle of carrying anything. Minus 2 stars because the logic ain't logicalling.

If you are in the market for acrylic sheets, especially ones that are custom-cut, Canal Plastics is…read morepretty 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.

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

I have never seen a party store or any store for that matter soo messy! Yes this store has probably…read moreeverything you may need to host parties and they have a ton of balloons to choose from but wow when you walk in its alot. The space is big just not well organized or kept.

I had a very disappointing experience at this balloon party supply store. The customer service was…read morerude and dismissive, and as a customer of color, I felt particularly disregarded. When I asked basic questions about party supplies, I was offered no assistance or guidance whatsoever. On top of that, the pricing felt excessive for the level of service provided. Customer service should feel welcoming and respectful, and unfortunately, that was not the case here. Because of this experience, I will not be returning or recommending this store. If you're looking for good-quality products, fair pricing, and genuinely kind, polite, and professional service, I highly recommend Balloon Saloon instead. From the moment you walk in, you're treated with respect and care. It's absolutely worth spending your money at a place where customers are welcomed and valued.

Ever since Papyrus shut down, Paper Source is the best lifeline I have for creative, colorful,…read moreinteresting greeting cards. We all know snail mail is a lost art. I'm not into Hallmark, so this is the best I can do. This particular location is better than most I've found. The Grand Central location is pretty good, but this one is better. Tons of cards for all occasions. Gifts. Journals and notebooks. Small board games and card games. Fun little trinkets like socks, desk tchotchkes, tarot and horoscope stuff, calendars, etc. They have a cute cafe in back with snacks and a few cocktails. I bought almost 200 dollars worth of cards (no one said it was cheap) for all occasions. Great selection. All the employees were nice and helpful, and it didn't hurt to have rad 80s music playing in the background.

Molly was such a life saver!!! I went to a different Papersource and they were closed for…read morerenovations, so bolted to this location where she quickly help pull cards for me to choose from - this allowed me to get in and out as I was already running behind. She is the best!! The store looked clean and inviting as well

Shockingly terrible customer service. From the moment I walked in, it was as if I was intruding on…read moretheir iPhone time. (Admittedly, I came into the store with my boyfriend, so they might be homophobic? I really can't think of any other reason for their lazy and rude behavior.) Run, don't walk, to a different framing store. Tribeca Printworks is a few blocks away and has the nicest staff in SoHo.

Zharghona, Hasan, and the team did a wonderful job building a 14ft by 4ft wooden frame, stretching…read moreour painting over the frame, and hanging the finished piece in our home. A simply beautiful job. Thank you so much

Stopped real quick cause I needed some Caffeine. The iced…read morelavender latte was exactly what I needed and also grabbed a cookie too. Stay too long and you'll end up buying some stationary things. Service was friendly and patient. I think I got my moneys worth.

I come here a lot, usually because I'm getting food or drink from Maman and they share a space…read more They have a great curated selection of greeting cards, stickers, stationery, notebooks, gifts, and more. I almost always get something! Also the selection is always up to date and it's not stale. Right now they have stuff referencing Bridgerton and COVID for example. I do wish they took Apple Pay though.

When I first came here, I was blown away by the sheer amount of things they have for sale. A lot of…read morethe very nice things that catch your eye are more on the pricey side but that's only because they're made of high quality materials like porcelain, jade, or bronze. They specialize in Buddhist icons, statues, and artwork. But if you look closer you'll find other very nice merchandise. As a Buddhist, this place has become one of my new favorite spots to go to when I'm in the city. The storekeeper is very reasonable and will even give you recommendations and bargain down the price. The one thing I will say is that there isn't much room as a lot of their inventory is on the floor so it does feel a bit claustrophobic at times. But other than that, I loved it. A great gift shop that I highly recommend the next time you're in Chinatown!

The store sells many different types of items and statues:…read more-Mao -Buddhist -Hindu -vases -fake trees -spinning waterfalls -faux Chinese art both modern and traditional recreations. - jewels. The hard part about this store is that everything is so crowded. They have so many things. There is no space to turn around! The good part about this store is that IF you have a good eye, you might spy something of great value among the pile. I believe they don't actually organize their inventory well. I believe they actually pile more inventory on top of old inventory and since they are one of the older gift shops in Chinatown, maybe you might find a true vintage piece maybe from the 1970s!