Srujana made my graduation complete! I had an idea to honor my relatives in a unique way on my…read moregraduation cap, but I knew I needed some artistic help. I found Menakshee Designs on Yelp and scheduled a call with Srujana. Srujana couldn't have been nicer and agreed to help me even though I only gave her a week's notice. She worked diligently throughout the few days we had to get my cap finished for graduation. In the end, my cap looked beautiful and I received many compliments. My family and extended family loved the design and we plan to have my cap framed now after Srujana's beautiful work. I highly recommend Srujana and plan to use her services again in the future.

For my wedding gift to my in-laws, I had an interesting idea: since a part of my wife's family is…read morefrom the Indian state of Kerala, I wanted to give them something meaningful, and get a calligraphy print of my mother-in-law's favorite Bible verse written in Malayalam (the primary language spoken in Kerala). However, I ended up frustrated after reaching out to various calligraphers with no success. I ran into roadblock after roadblock, as Malayalam is not an incredibly widespread language and most calligraphers A. don't take commissions in languages that use different scripts than English, or B. are willing to try it, but for a much higher price and with no guarantee that the finished product will turn out as expected. After months of searching, I was referred to Menakshee Designs by another calligrapher who had been unable to take the commission, but said that Srujana may be able to help me. A few weeks later, I had two completed prints that were miles above anything I thought I would be able to have done. Srujana did such an amazing job. The customer service and attention to detail was astounding throughout the whole process, from ensuring that the commission was completed, shipped out, and received on time (even when it was on short notice) to making thoughtful suggestions like including a specific type of flower significant in Indian weddings - something that I wouldn't have even considered! Through every step of the way, she was communicative and offered me options so that she was sure the work was exactly what I wanted. My in-laws (and grand-in-laws!) were thrilled when I gave them the finished product, and they have gotten nothing but compliments on the framed prints that they now have hung up as a centerpiece in their living room. This was six months ago, so this review is much later than it should have been (the months after a wedding can be hectic!), but I wanted to do my part to support and draw attention to this amazing artist. I would not hesitate to urge anyone who is looking for amazing customer service and outstanding results to give Menakshee Designs your business, and I will be doing the same to every member of my wife's large family once wedding season starts in a few months!! Thank you for everything, Srujana - I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to work with you again.

I ordered custom watercolor place cards, table assignment cards, and various signage for my…read moreSeptember 2018 wedding. They were the elegant touch for our barn wedding. Emily was prompt with responses, easy to work with, and so talented! Being local, Emily and I met in person, and she understood my vision and came up with incredible designs for the big day. Thank you, Emily, for making our special day even more beautiful!

From the owner: Emily A Howell Calligraphy + Design specializes in calligraphy, watercolors, and illustration to…read morecome up with one-of-a-kind paper goods and signage for your wedding or other event. Follow along on instagram @emilyahowell

Kristi at PenWorks is the best! She is a true artist. I can…read moreentrust her with any project and know that she will deliver. Her creativity and artistry always make/ meet the occasion beautifully!

I left for the Springs for a family emergency and didn't pack any of my writing supplies. After…read morechecking Michaels for nibs and pens and finding the usual Speedwell supplies, Google directed me to Penworks. Kristi not only sold me a couple of nibs, but demonstrated some of her lovely watercolor painting techniques and calligraphy. The displays of her art were just beautiful! It was a nice break from the tense situation I had been under and she was delightful. I could have spent the day chatting and learning from her. Thanks Kristi!!

This elegant stationery store sits in a charming little building in Lower Highlands. It's on Meade,…read morea quiet street off the very busy West 32nd Avenue. We were able to find parking without much difficulty. The displays in the store are nicely done and very enticing. There's a true stationery department where many types of writing materials, business cards, announcements, invitations, and whatever else you might imagine can be ordered. There's also an extensive selection of greeting cards. Unique gift items lurk throughout the store from mugs to toiletries to tableware to jewelry, housewares, candles, stuffed animals, stickers, bags, books, and even bits of clothing from vests to caps to socks. This is a really interesting small, local business run by lovely people. They are definitely worth repeat visits.

Love this store! Not only is there an array of cards to choose from, they offer various knick…read moreknacks and trinkets. The staff is always so nice and helpful. Highly recommend stopping by!

Fun classes with lots of creative handprinted cards in their shop. Always one-of-a- kind items, a…read moremust stop when visiting downtown CO Springs.

The woman I encountered was very rude to me. I had never been in before and was asking questions. I…read morelet her make me feel stupid when I didn't know what the business was about. Hindsight is 20/20. After reading some of the "cards", should have left immediately. Raunchy and nasty.

I love this store, and having been away from Bohlder for a while, I missed how great it is for…read moresomeone like me who likes to write and communicate using the written word. Thanks to Megaera for her great help on my most-recent visit! She was diligent with her help, and it made a difference. They have an amazing selection of journals, notebooks, cards, writing elements, and binders. Great pricing, elite assistance.

Best greeting cards around at Two Hands. Fun store to browse and buy. I find beautiful…read morecreative intelligent greeting cards here that I've seen nowhere else. And they keep updating their collection. Also neat art, stationery and art items.

Always love Meininger. Always available to help and advise no matter what media you are working…read morewith or exploring

Used to like this place, but now it's just become a no-go. They look like they have a lot of stuff,…read morebut every time I go, they're out of whatever I went there for --- usually several things, as I always go with a list, since it's a bit of a drive for me. Their watercolor brush selection is quite skimpy; they never seem to have the size I need or type I want, and even weeks later they still don't have that size/type in stock. Same for specific watercolors. They have an entire display of Daniel Smith watercolors, yet the very color I need, they're out of. One day one of the staff spent 15 minutes checking all the other brands to see if they had that color in *any* other brand -- nope. And it was a common color like Prussian blue. Watercolor sketchbooks? Unless you like blocks (which I personally can't stand), you won't find much. A small display of Hand-book sketchbooks, which are mostly for drawing and not watercolor. The watercolor ones are 200gsm, not 300gsm. (Which I was able to order from Amazon for the same price as Meininger was charging for the 200gsm.) Drawing pens? You're in luck if you do manga. If you use probably the most popular brand, Uni-Pin fineliner, forget it. They don't even sell them. (They seem to prefer Sigma Microns.) Watercolor pencils? Sure, if you want the really large expensive sets. If you want to try them out with a set of 24 Goldfaber Aquas, nope. Art storage? Slim pickings. A few zippered pouches. The dollar store has a better selection. Overall, they're out of whatever I need when I need it, and they won't be getting in anytime soon. Sometimes they can get stuff sent from their CO Springs location, but that means a second trip back to the store, when I only wanted to drive there once. (The neighborhood is awful.) Also, their website is very hit or miss, and *won't* tell you if they have something in stock in the store. Sometimes you put in a search term that will return "no item found" when I know for a fact they sell that item in the store. Go do a search for "Lamy Safari" and you'll see what I mean. They have a selection of Lamy Safari pens in the store, but only converters and lead refills on their website. Prices are high, sometimes by $10-15 or more over what you'd pay elsewhere. I was looking for the Albrecht Durer 24 watercolors set, which they were selling for full price at $72. I had just seen this same set on Blick Art for half that, $37.50. I mentioned this to one of the staff and his response was, "Yeah, well they can buy in bulk and we can't." Okay, fair enough, but wow, even with shipping I could get it far, far cheaper online. As for returns, ha! Don't go by their printed return policy. I mistakenly bought a quill watercolor brush that's way too big for my needs; called the store to see if they have the next size down, which they do, but was told I could not exchange it "because the manager says it's too hard to tell if a brush has been used or not." Then why doesn't the return policy state that? See the attached photo for their posted Return Policy. Now show me where it says "brushes can't be returned because you can't tell if they've been used or not." The staff person on the phone said I could bring in the brush and speak to the manager about it, but I will not be doing that. I've encountered him before: he's one of those people who thinks he's hilarious and is in your face whether you need help or not. Sorry, I refuse to deal with him, so I'll just keep my overpriced $47 synthetic brush and try to find a use for it. Some of the staff are pleasant and nice to work with; we even got to know some by name. But overall, shopping at Meininger's has just become too much of a hassle and we won't be shopping there again.

This supply house for artists is as good as it gets. I no longer live near Denver but I always…read morevisit. I always find items I had no idea that I had to have! Over 30 years ago I bought my Holy Grail Fountain Pen here.

Went to the one off Colorado bc I heard they had a better selection of art supplies. Everything was…read morewell organized and excellent prices. I asked for help from several employees and they all went out of their way.

Went to Guiry's with my daughter (1/4/26) about 45 minutes before close to look at wallpaper and…read moreget some paint samples. No one greeted us or offered to help us until 8 minutes before close. Then a girl with blue hair and eyebrows and a nasty demeanor let us know it was 8 minutes before close and then asked if we needed help. There literally was only one other family that came into the store the whole time we were there and only for a few minutes. My daughter looked around the entire store 2-3 times while I was looking at wallpaper. Neither the manager or the girl with blue hair said anything to either of us. My daughter said the blue haired girl was on her phone and she didn't see the manager. As we were leaving the manager comes up and asks if she can help us. I told her were had been there 45 minutes and no one has offered to help us except a few minutes prior. She said the designers were not available and I should have read the signs in the wallpaper area. She said she and the other girl were the only employees there and busy helping people in the paint department. Since there were really no other customers and my daughter saw otherwise, this was a complete falsehood. Clearly she was not management material (blonde haired, middle aged lady) and the blue haired girl was not interested in customer service only here phone. Both were rude, unprofessional. I would not recommend going to this location or Guiry's in general. It's too bad, I have bought many things there in the past.

For business purposes, Donahue has many more options in some instances than your Office Depot or…read moreStaples. I needed more substantial clear covers and solid backs for presentations and Donahue had the materials in stock and a huge selection. They were a lifesaver for me. I didn't have time to look at the more personal items, but they seemed plentiful!

It's a cool storefront but not for the casual paper user. Definitely for someone looking to stock…read moreup their business or someone looking to buy in bulk.