Gary’s Arts Craft & Needlework

I was super stoked to support a local business, and sure enough, the eponymous Gary was there. They have a great selection and you can dowload a 20% off coupon, but man oh man is Gary super sexist. He made 2 blatantly misogynist comments while I was there, including responding to a female cashier saying she was confused by saying something the lines of women are always confused, and then something else just totally unnecessary and insane to say in a place of business. I won’t be back until Gary undergoes some anti-​sexist workshops. Back to Michael’s and big box stores it is :(

This place is so big and covers so many different crafts, I think it would take at least a week to look at everything they have! The lady at the register is so nice and helpful, and always reminds customers that if you show their coupon from Facebook at checkout you can get 20% off. I also heard the woman take a special request from a customer and talk to Gary about ordering it, so it seems like they go out of their way to help!
They have walls of every imaginable kind of ribbon, cord, and string. Needlework thread and other supplies. A ton of jewelry supplies including Soft flex and tools. They have a super impressive supply of pewter charms which are very reasonably priced. They have glitters and glues, pens and paints. They have a section of supplies to build your own hair accessories. At the back, they have a great Mardi Gras area for crowns, scepters, personalized throws etc.
I only wish it were a little more organized, but I can’t imagine trying to keep that amount of stock cohesive. For example, different rows have beads that should go together and until you learn which beads are on which rows it can seem confusing. I just count that towards part of this places charm and quirks!

love garys. very friendly and helpful. staff

Found this little hideaway when in a craft mood. After hunting all over town for faceted beads and even going so far as to order them on amazon. This was an extention from the store that was in New Orleans East before hurricane Katrina. This place is is crawling with awesome craft ideas and options. The prices are wonderful. I love that this place is locally owned and a lot to offer. I will definitely be going back again.