Allard’s Art

This store manager is rude and very unprofessional! We ordered black pens they came in and when I picked them up they had mistakenly ordered pink. when confronted with the issues the manager tried to blame us for their ordering mistake! Then tried to charge me a second time for the pens. stick to other craft stores!

So I was there to buy some Copic makers and the guy who helped me was awesome. My experience at this place turned sour when the long hair cashier guy made fun of my looks. I am a fairly large guy with a shaven head and he decided to make fun of me by saying, «can I rub your head and make three wishes?» This was a total racist Buddhist joke. Terrible, he doesn’t know who I am and he feels comfortable enough to poke fun at customers. Wish I can give this place a zero.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been here over the years. As an art major I practically lived here. If you’re an artist or enrolled in any fine art courses, this is the best place in town to come. They’re local which is a plus because you’re supporting local businesses. They stock all sorts of items for screen printing, drawing, painting, printmaking and more. They do custom matting and I think framing too. They work with the local professors at Fresno State and City to stock the right supplies students need. I know when I started taking some art courses I didn’t know where to find certain supplies like linoleum for a printmaking class I was taking. I tried looking at a flooring store, but then after asking around found out Allard’s carried it. You can find anything your art courses require here, which is convenient since you don’t have to run around town. During the beginning of each semester when syllabuses go out and professor’s give you a list of supplies to buy, Allard’s always comes out with a flyer advertising a majority of those items on sale. That’s the best time to buy. They also offer students a 10% discount; you just have to mention it.

As a university professor, I regularly recommend Allard’s to my students for supplies. I’ve been a customer of Allard’s for many years and will continue to come to this business. This review isn’t specifically regarding Allard’s, but rather a product I purchased from them a few months ago. I have 20 or so fountain pens that I use, rotating through the group.
I realized, today, that a Visconti Rembrandt fountain pen ($ 165; that I bought from Allard’s) writes about as well as a Noodler’s Ahab ($ 20). Interestingly enough, I find that a Levenger True Writer ($ 79) writes better, smoother, and without skipping than either the Ahab or the Rembrandt. I would suggest that people looking for a decent f. pen consider the Levenger True Writer (online) and avoid the Visconti Rembrandt.
I feel like I wasted $ 165. This isn’t Allard’s fault; I just bought the pen there. In fact, I’ve bought four fountain pens there; the worst one is the Visconti Rembrandt. The nib is terrible, and the ink converter routinely comes out creating a mess. Live and learn! :)

My go to place for art supplies. Allard’s has pretty much every thing I need for my watercolor painting. Love that they carry top brand brushes and paints. Staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Prices are reasonable.

Was surprised at how many people commented on the «rude» behavior of staff. I was looking for a very specific pen and decided that JoAnns would be a good place to go. It wasn’t.
Came here after reading some reviews and was pleasantly surprised. Was greeted as I entered and after trying to find what I was looking for on my own, a sales clerk helped me, but more than that, tested the product to ensure it was what I needed. I’m satisfied enough to leave a positive review
Great range of products– especially specialty writing and drawing pens!

Stop by for the first time today. Friendly and accommodating staff. Best art supply store in the 559. Chelsea was very helpful!

I LOVE this place!!! I’ve been going to Allard’s for quality art supplies for over 20 years!
Yes I go to Michael’s for some basic stuff or craft things on sale. But Allard’s has quality products for all levels of artists for any medium of art. Drawing, painting, wood carving, leather crafts, print making, airbrushing,…the list goes on.
The staff is very knowledgeable with all the products and can help you pick out what you’ll need for a particular project.
The prices are good.
There are so many fun things in this store to inspire creativity, there is art on the walls, they have a table set up with flyers of different art events & art classes going on in town.
I’ve had pictures framed here & custom frames made, all great quality & less expensive than the big box stores like Michael’s.
I’ve picked up the wrong items before & had no problems returning them.
And if you’re a college student taking art classes I think they give you a 10% discount on your purchase (they did when I was in college & went to pick up supplies).

I’m giving this place five stars because as soon as I walked in the lady asked if I needed any help finding things, and boy did I need help! It’s been probably five years since my last watercolor painting and I needed a lot of supplies and assistance. The lady sure knew what she was talking about even though she told me she does not use watercolor. Excellent service!

Nice Art Store. They have a nice selection of Pens and inks. Excellent customer service.

Visiting some friends in Fresno and decided to check out the local art supply store. This place is fantastic! Was greeted upon coming in and was offered help several times. They seem to have a little bit of everything. They also have a very nice book section with a lot of interesting reads and pictures. Prices are very good for a locally owned place and if in the area will definitely come back!

I called Allards today to see if they can rush an order for me since the competition wanted a 2 week turnaround. Shelly said «come on by and we will take care of you“And yes they did. Within 20 mins I was out with my custom signature mat and frame at a great price. Forget the big name stores and just come to Allards! You won’t regret it.

Nice place, very helpful staff. I walked in with my syllabus for beginning art, and was out in 30 minutes. The lady I spoke to said that they work with teachers to make the list of items affordable, and it is nice on your wallet. I had gone to an arts store the day before but was surprised by the huge difference in prices (I had a flyer for allards). For a local business v. Corporation, its a win-​win. Staff was very friendly and helpful!

Went in here with my grandma the other day. They had a display case with some cool iPad stylus’s and pens, I asked the woman behind the counter if she had the ones that connect via Bluetooth, she said she didn’t know, so I explained what it was and she rolled her eyes and cynically said no we don’t have that and then literally turned her back to be and just stood there.
They had a bunch of tacky overpriced prints on the wall, the least they could do is display the work of local artists and not some cheap Chinese knock offs.
Edit: was 1 star
The manager contacts me to apologize for the incident. I’ll give this place another shot to see if I get better treatment.

I am really upset by this local business, which I had never been to before today. I called earlier this afternoon and talked to a woman who was extremely short with me on the phone. I asked her if they could cut mats for frames and what they charged for cutting them, and she simply stated, «Well it depends on the size of the frame.» I brushed it off and decided to just go in because, my fiancé had suggested I go here, and I wasn’t going to let this ruin my first impression. I packed up all of my things and drove over, walked in to Allard’s with all of my frames, mats, photos, et. I was literally stopped 5 feet past the door. The man behind the counter was very rude, and when I had simply stated that I had called earlier and asked about getting my mat’s cut here, he told me, «Well if you didn’t buy them here, we’re not going to cut them.» With a very flat sorry to follow, as I turned and walked out, I am furious that I wasted time and effort. I would have rather had the woman on the phone convey what I found out later, very embarrassed, my hands full of stuff, rather than me spending the gas to be so rudely intercepted by someone who doesn’t care for my business. I am sorry to say I will never come here again and I certainly won’t suggest anyone to shop here either.

The store is one of the best I have seen. The people there are very knowledgeable about the art business and about what an artist needs. If there is something you want they don’t have, they can get it in a couple of days. I have gotten specialty inks and special orders on papers. They never fail to come through for me. The prices are not bad at all. I will miss them when I finish school and move on.

Downs– Slightly over-​priced. It was a much smaller venue than I thought. It’s between Trader Joe’s and the teacher supply store, and so i couldn’t immediately find it. For an art store, I thought they would have a galore of art supplies. I was sadly disappointed by their somewhat empty shelves and few choices in many items that I was looking for. They did have a great selection in Golden paints, and in canvas and paper stock… but the little things, like pencil selection, markers, colored pencils, etc… weren’t up to par to Michael’s or Westminster’s Art Supply Warehouse.
Ups– They do provide an additional 10% to teachers if you pay cash or credit card. But they don’t have an additional discount for P.O. (purchase orders).

I have discovered the ways of Allards…
Yes, Michael’s is bigger — But Allards knows what they are doing. ;)
Seriously, the staff at Allards is what makes it. When you ask technical questions about the products elsewhere you just don’t have the same confidence that they really know what they are talking about.
But the people I’ve talked to at Allards (in person or even just on the phone) actually KNOW something about art, and about the various products. (at least painting products and all related aspects).
And they are genuinely friendly and personable. Michael’s checkers usually look like they would rather be anywhere but there. And when I try to ask someone for help in the aisle, I always end up feeling like I am interfering with their day.
Allards leaves you feeling like you got just what you needed and like you were truly appreciated.

This place has everything (well when it’s not the beginning of the semester and students buy out EVERYTHING). And if they don’t have everything you need, you simply write it down and they’ll give you a call when it comes in.
they also sell really great local artist work.
Staff is very helpful and knowledgeable.
I pretty much get all my art supplies from here. I stopped going to Michael’s not only because this place is locally owned, but their prices are great. They also do onsite mount board cutting which is super convenient, because I have to buy LOTS of mount boards and the exacto knife isn’t always exact. (.50 per cut).

Back in the day when I was a young art student I dropped many a dollar buying art supplies here. It was between that and Aaron Bros (does that still exist?). Numerous pens, pencils, paper, brushes, you name it. Good to see an independent art vendor still survive this day and age.