First point, the customer service from and staff and ownership is second to none. Theresa and her…read moreshopkeeps are warm, friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Secondly, the store is thoroughly stocked with floor to ceiling materials for most any project you could conceive. World renowned artists frequent and are continual attracted to shop here for a reason! Thirdly, Rath also offers local feature window displays, quality handmade items and supports independent artists year round. They have created a beautiful community footprint! And if you don't care about any of that? Just go get your paint and be very happy with your purchase and experience!

Best art store in the city! Don't judge a book by it's cover: This place may be tiny but it has all…read moreyour artsy needs covered! The selection is smaller than Opus or DeSerres, but everything they carry is very high quality, even the things priced on the lower end, and they have some specialty items i've never seen at those other larger stores! I popped in yesterday to grab a new tube of white paint and noticed cans of specialty enamel paint for hand-lettering signs... Coincidentally I have an outdoor sign for a store just waiting to be painted, and after the owner told me the benefits of using that paint rather than plain jane acrylic i was sold! I'm so happy that i can provide one of my clients with better quality work thanks to the advice I got at Rath! Basically one of my favorite things about the place is the staff! If i have a question about anything, i'm always way more confident asking the super friendly, very knowledgeable owner about something than i am any of hired guns at Opus and DeSerres. The only thing: Don't come in here if you're looking for scrap booking supplies, tubes of glitter, jewelery making kits (etc etc!). Rath sells art supplies, plain and simple, so if your creativity falls into the crafting end of the spectrum you're best off going to DeSerres. If you aren't sure if they carry what you're looking for, just give them a call!

Knowledgeable and helpful staff. Everything an artist needs is available here…read more Easy to find location. A small and yet extensive supply of art necessities.

The best art supply store I have ever found while traveling. Amazing selection in a small space. So…read moreexciting!!!

Took a few classes there. Meh, not impressed. The quality depends on the instructor. The art…read moresupplies and framing are over priced. Can find better deals on Amazon. Students are mostly retirees and old folk, like the owner Mark Glavina, who is a bit of a uptight fart.

Cute art shop!! I came in to buy a sketch book for a teen and the lady at the front was super duper…read morehelpful! The store is clean and has every art supply you need. Happy to come back again!

Great selection in a funky store located just off a main corridor thru Nanaimo. Product staples…read morelike Gesso were a little on the high side of the price scale but I suppose having availability in one place for locals is good. Some of the displays are well laid out and done very well for viewing selection options. Being from out of town the actual store location seemed a bit sketchy to me. That's just me. Owner and staff were pleasant and helpful, and more importantly, knowledgeable. All I can say is that it's an alternative to the big box art store experience.

Great art store with a large selection of art equipment. I…read morefound everything that I was looking for. The service was friendly and helpful.

I find the owners warm and kind. I also like taking my kids here to get art supplies and the fresh…read morecut flower selection is generally great and well priced. Just a nice local spot.

Such a cute store with a wide variety of plants and useful Knick knacks! The owners are so sweet…read moreand make you feel so welcome!

Staff are very helpful and knowledgeable. Nice gallery next door. Have most supplies I need for…read moremy multimedia art.

This is such a nice store! A huge selection of any type of painting or art supply you'd like, at a…read morerange of prices. Can't wait to come back here!

Every time I have shopped at this location, I have always been warmly greeted by friendly staff…read more If you need assistance with anything, they are there for you. This location isn't as big as Granville Island, but I can always find what I need here. Prices are competitive, but don't expect them to be cheap. They sell higher quality items then your local craft store. That being said, I don't feel that they are overly expensive for what you are getting. They have a good selection of Alcohol Inks and Mica pigment powder. The powder lasts forever, as you only need a small amount. Cashing out is also easy and staff is genuinely really nice and laid back. ( Try to remember your own reusable bag as they only have paper ones ) They also have a good return policy - but as always save your receipt for best results !

Overall I find Opus a bit over priced, as I can find a lot of the products other places for less…read more However, it's still a great store. Where else can you find all these amazing art supplies under one roof? Nowhere I know of. Plus, the staff are awesome. So helpful, and always letting you test out items before you buy. Looking forward to my next visit here!

There aren't too many Granville Island frequenters who haven't stumbled upon the Maiwa Handprints…read moreshop but be prepared to have your mind blown: There is also a Maiwa East shop in the city. Same ethical business practices surrounding artisans but this shop focuses more on furniture and less on textiles. Definitely worth a jaunt over to check out Maiwa East... the prices are rather steep but considering the ethical approach and the fact that these beautiful pieces have made there way from India, not too surprising! Really gorgeous furniture. Promise.

I loved this store pre-COVID. As a local artist I was in here quite often, and I'm very…read moreappreciative of their mission. However, I've found their pandemic response extremely frustrating. Aware that they were probably closed near the beginning of the shutdowns, I poured over their site, their FB page, and their blog for information about when they would be open, and if they were doing store pick-ups. NONE of this info was available at the time, and their social media posts didn't even acknowledge the pandemic. So I had to send an email. I was told that their locations would be opening in a few weeks' time, and that they had store pick-up available through their online store... but I had to proceed through the whole checkout process in order to even see that it was an option. Strike 1. This should have been at the very top of their website. Strikes 2 and 3 were when I walked over to this location, and was told that I cannot shop there after all. "We are closed to help stop the spread of COVID-19" a sign said on the door. When I rang and spoke to an employee, I was told that only the Granville locations were open, in spite of what I was told over email. So let me get this straight: to "help stop the spread of COVID-19" I was being sent to a densely-populated tourist trap downtown instead of this location, which is quieter and therefore much safer? I would rather not have any locations to visit than be rudely told to go wade through crowds of people not wearing masks or distancing. (And yes, this employee was rude. As a fellow service worker in an essential industry, I found the customer service to be practically nonexistent. I get it, the world sucks right now. But as a paying customer, I expect a little modicum of respect.) Even though I have a gift card left over from the holidays, I won't be spending it any time soon. I'm going to take my business elsewhere until the pandemic is over and Maiwa can resume their normal operations.

Did an floral oil painting courese last weekend with Steve Williams and it was briliant...learned a…read morelot and got some wonderful tools to further my growth as a painter...Steve is a great teacher and I loved the venue! JJ

Just finished my most recent workshop with Justin -- inspiring as always! He's extremely…read moreknowledgeable and is a great instructor. He shares a wealth of tips and techniques. He's also exceptional at encouraging creativity. I've taken several workshops and will be back for more.