Blick Art Materials

I live in Santa Clara, needed materials for an art class, and Dick Blick had the best prices and selection. Due to opera tickets and a dinner reservation and a tight schedule getting up to the City, I called and asked if they could get my order together for me, let me pay for it over the phone, and have it ready by the register so I could zip in, grab it, and get back in car where friend would wait. They were willing to do this *big* favor and were very helpful in making sure I got the right stuff. Thanks so much, Jerry, Eric and Tim!

I know it’s giant chains like this that put smaller businesses at a disadvantage but there’s something wonderful about walking into a giant Blick. For its size, this Blick in particular, is extremely organized and neat. They are extremely well stocked and clean and their staff is quite friendly. This combined with their great online price match policy and I can’t really resist shopping here. They’re great for all your basic artistic needs!

Second time I went in the store. Wanted to exchange some papers for a different color, not knowing that papers are NON-​return/​exchangeable. But the clerk let me do it anyway. He was nice and helpful. I would go back every time. Thank you, Blick. You guys rock.

Sketchy neighborhood. Parking lot on Stevenson street validates with $ 25 minimum purchase. Like any effective shopping trip it’s always smart to make a list and research items on your own time. Staff are ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ with helpfulness and you never know which annoying, non comprehensive or over opinionated individual your going to get. They also have some really decent sales and coupons available at the beginning of every semester and break.

Wow, surprised at all the bad reviews complaining about the customer service at Blick on Market St. Sounds like some folks aren’t getting the training they need to deal with the public? Might be time to make time for that, eh? I’ve only ever bought an Exacto knife there and am not an artist so I can’t weigh in on that aspect.
But I got a piece framed here in their Design Center and was very impressed with the service I received from Kasper there. He showed me multiple frames and mats and ways to best show off the artwork and even gave me a discount. (I added a photo and it’s on the 2^nd page of pics; artwork by Klaus Voorman.) I was so impressed with the work and service I got that I brought two other friends, David and Jay, here to get fine posters framed and they are very pleased too.
No doubt I’ll be back! Thanks!

Great service everytime. Paul and Yann were a big help. Ignore all of the other long winded posts. They are mostly idiots complaining because they’ve still can’t money off of their art. Market Street Blick rules!

I thought this was a pretty decent art supply store. It had more pastels and supplies than I’ve ever seen. I came in for colored pencils, and ended up getting 18 for .89 cents a pencil, plus bought a pencil case.
There are tons of supplies here if you’re into drawing or painting.
I would say customer service could be better, but if you’re looking for something art related, I’m certain you could find it here.

Very wide selection of art and craft supplies in a nice, clean, well-​maintained store. I miss the times when this place used to be PEARL arts and crafts, but BLICK is not bad, either. I’ve been to this store a few times to grab art/​ceramics supplies, and I’ve never been disappointed. The staff is knowledgeable, direct, and helpful. They can always point me in the direction of some random paint or tool that I need. The security guard is genial and even remembered my face coming back a third time in the last month.
I decided to write a review because today, I went in, and I sort-​of had a tough time that turned out great. I was waiting in line, and I was already pretty antsy and impatient because I was trying to catch a bus that was coming in a few minutes. I got to the register, but I had one item that didn’t come with a barcode sticker, so the cashier had to look it up. She couldn’t find the item in their binder, so she had to call another staff member to check the item on the floor and get the item scanned into the system. This took several arduous minutes, and I was kind of getting upset with the wait. I didn’t say anything, but I also have a tendency to show impatience through my face and body language. The original cashier apologized for the wait. The staff finally got the correct price for the item (it was only $ 0.86 – which is probably less money than the cost of the labor to look up the price). At this point, I was exasperated, BUT – the accompanying staff member gave me a 20% discount for making me wait, and told me that they valued my time. They didn’t have to do this for sure, but it really was a nice gesture, and I really appreciated it.
On top of that, when I was at the register, the line became pretty long behind me, and the whole staff was really working hard to get people checked out and out the door.
The staff works very hard – I wish I had taken their names, but it was an Asian girl, a white/​Latina girl with a side buzz, and a sassy white guy named Tim. It’s a thankless job dealing with shitty people from behind the register and on the floor, and they handle themselves professionally under pressure. Thank you guys very much!

One stop shop for all your art supplies! They beat Michaels by miles.

Very knowledgeable and helpful staff, especially for someone who does not need supplies often.

Ugh. I usually don’t write bad reviews, but this is just the straw that broke the camels back with this Blick location. I’ve thought about this for a while, and I just can’t let it go…
I have been shopping this location for years and I went to Blick on Thursday, and as I go in there a lot, I am used to checking in my bag so I went to the counter. There was a large/​overweight latin guy at the register (I’m not exactly a super model myself, so I’m not judging). He was ringing up a customer and he told me to wait in an irritated tone of voice. I thought that’s strange, because the bag check is literally right behind him, and usually the people who work the counter are pretty on point with that quick exchange, but I was clearly bothering him. Eventually, female security came and checked in my bag.
I wanted some markers from the cases and there were no workers around. I went back to counter and the same latin guy tells me in a stressed out tone to go to the pen aisle, and he called for customer service. He ordered a dude named Tim to the pen aisle. Tim was extremely helpful and knowledgeable of all the markers in the cases and he even got a pad of paper for me to test the markers. I am grateful for Tim’s suggestions and got some molotow paint markers. Tim took the markers to hold up in the front before racing off to help the next customers, and I got in line. The line was slow, and when I got to the counter the same latin guy starts ringing up my stuff, and never once looked at me. He was obviously distracted by something that one of the workers was «not doing right» or maybe he was irritated because someone wasn’t there, but A customer should never know that, so I had to remind him to add my Blick card (which often gives me discounts) to my total. I had to spell my name several times before he got the card and I felt like he wasn’t really paying attention to me and didn’t want to be ringing me up. I thought this dude was new, because I’ve never seen him before and I noticed that the nametag said he was a manager named Sal. (What happened to that super cool manager that used to be there? He was so nice!!) So this dude gave me a paper bag and it was pouring down rain outside, I didn’t bother asking for a plastic bag, I just left the paper bag and left. I usually have had great experiences at this Blick location, but it seems to have changed. Blick used to have cool demos and events like Dr Sketchy’s and Artspan, and art sho, but I haven’t seen anything like that in a while. What happened to Blick? There are some super cool knowledgeable artists who work there, and have been super eager to share their ideas. I have never been treated like this dude «Sal the manager.» I wonder who pissed in his cornflakes. Maybe he was just having a bad day, but I have never felt like I did that day after dealing with that dude.

While Blick Art is great, this store is not. Ordered something and it took 20 minutes and 3 people how to figure out how to place the order from their own site.
We were told we would be either called or texted (hence left number) and got nothing. Called the number that they gave us to check on the order and when we called, we were told to call another number. Once we were told that they had the item, we came into the store 2 days later to pickup the paid item. They could not find it!!! After 35 minutes they found it, but said it was in the «back of a pile and come back». Well, we had to come back another time to get something that they told us that had come in and to pick it up. Great customer service — NOT.

Incredibly rude staff!
I always find it interesting when I have been treated badly by an employee that their behavior is endorsed by the manager. I attempted to make a complaint about being treated aggressively by an employee who displayed a haughty and aggressive manner when demanding that I should have checked my bag as if to suggest I was stealing. Before I could even finish speaking my complaint the manager was rolling his eyes, nonchalantly shrugging and apologizing without the least bit of sincerity. When I questioned the sincerity of his apology, he raised his voice as well, and threw my bag with my laptop on the counter saying they had the right to refuse service. Needless to say, not one dime of mine will ever be spent here. Wow Blick! Is this how much you value your customers?

Not nearly enough room to shop. aisles could be bigger. constantly having to move out of the way for other shoppers to walk by… supplies are decent… as well as the prices… but the vibe was a bit negative. not so nice feeling… that part of the neighborhood is a somewhat sketchy as well… and I was only shopping for a couple of items. went there out of convenience for the location… at this point it makes me want to shop at other locations.

Worst place in town for shopping. They have no creative mind. You can search for items in the store for 15 min without any help. When someone offers help, they usually don’t have any creative idea.
I asked once special work to the design center (I have to come back twice as they close the design desk at 5.30 pm) the girl did the work twice to have something correct (not even good). When I came back home I have to trash it as she didn’t respect the size I gave her… :-(
Last time the staff talked about the new HR at the cashier in front of the customers. Obviously not consumers’ business to hear that. Good luck to the new HR!

Went to shop at Dick Blick on Market St. SF. They had signs up saying 50% off but would not honor that saying the ‘sale’ starts tomorrow. There were 5 – 6 signs in front of these frames saying 50% off AND there were NO dates on it saying that it starts tomorrow. When I said that they should honor their signs they said that they wouldn’t. The ‘manager’ ringing me up, didn’t even look at me and was adamant that they were not going honor their signs. I said ‘well, you shouldn’t have them up’ and she replied ‘yeah’
Unbelievable Low integrity store!!! Poor customer service with managers that don’t care.
Not going to shop there again.

This place was great when it was on Van Ness near Sutter. After they moved to this location I avoided it just because it’s dirty, a lot of stuff is locked up, and the neighborhood is shady.
Today I called looking for something, and they put me on hold for a couple minutes. it’s the holidays and I guess 7pm is a busy time in the store, I didn’t mind that. When they got back to me, I asked whether or not the paper they recommended was good for submerging in water, and they condescendingly said something along the lines of why would you want to do that and ended with «good for you.» Sorry, I’m a student, if I knew exactly what I needed I wouldn’t be asking for help, but I guess you know more about the printmaking process than my teacher who is an actual printmaker.
I work in retail myself so I don’t take rudeness personally and I don’t expect great customer service ever haha However, I highly recommend the Blick on Van Ness (the one that used to be Ultrect) over this location. In the same amount of time the downtown store had me on hold, the Van Ness store found what I was looking for, answered all my questions, and were very nice about it. Their selection is much smaller, but they don’t get as busy and the workers are way more chill.

Pretty good store. I do have a weird issue come up today that I wanted to share.
I called in to check the stock of a specific kind of gold spray paint. They had only one left, so the person I spoke to set it aside for me. When I went to pick it up after work the lid was completely cracked. They said that they might be able to get me a discount, but then the manager said that they couldn’t because nothing was wrong with it.
I mean the lid was super cracked and messed up, and it was the last one. I’ve worked in both retail and professional customer support and it seems weird to me that they wouldn’t be able to budge.
Kinda felt more like the shift manager just didn’t feel like working harder. In the end I just ate it and didn’t make an issue. But the experience was kinda weird, so I will remember for next time.

Don’t bother with their custom framing. I had to wait 15 – 20 minutes for some help. There were multiple people working that area but evidently only one had access to the system or knew how to answer my questions.
I asked for a breakdown of the quote and they couldn’t or wouldn’t give it to me. Seemed pretty expensive and they have a full 2 week turnaround time. I don’t know if they knew they couldn’t get what I wanted or didn’t think I was a real customer.

Save a bundle with student discounts and promotions.

Lots of different art materials to choose from, and the staff is pretty friendly and knowledgeable. There are lots of discounts you can get by registering online or becoming a preferred customer. Because I am a student, I get an additional discount too. Shopping is really easy and fun, but checking out can sometimes be frustrating. There are cashiers who would rather talk on the phone than have you come to the register.

I really enjoy shopping at this store, although that stretch of Market Street is a little questionable on Sundays and late hours. The selection of art materials is extensive, and the staff are, for the most part, very helpful. However, the pricing takes an advanced degree in mathematics, because of differences between the website, shipping costs, sales on non-​sale items, preferred membership, and other parameters that are not very clear. You don’t really know what you are going to actually pay for something until you get to the register.
The selection of watercolor materials is worth the trip in itself with all the brushes, paints and papers available. I recommend this store, but check the price before you buy.

I knew exactly what I needed, where to get it, but when it came to buying the item, well, I guess I just came during social hour. The line was not moving, but there was an employee gabbing with someone in line, and a white guy with dreadlocks at the only open cashier, who was also doing the same — not helping my mood… Then he stops to take someone’s bags… WTF are the other employees there for?
If you MUST get it from this company — order online — it will be cheaper & a more pleasant experience.
Am I going back? Highly doubtful.
Blick? You’re a dick!

This store is super cool! I got this folder on clearance, I didn’t even know! It was $ 30, and sold for $ 10!
This place got a lot of arts and craft materials and medium.
It’s a bit in a sketchy area, but this store is pretty awesome. Though I didn’t check the prices on everything, I think they can be pricy.

there is something about visiting specialized stores. Sometimes a bit of guidance is needed to nudge a customer in the right direction.
In this case it was a bit of a job to find an attendant to get help. Their attitude was more directed towards artists who walk into stores knowing ahead of time exactly the product they’re looking for.
In my situation I needed a small amount of guidance — nothing fancy and stuff. Got it but had to literally beg for someone to assist. (And there were like three or four attendants around)
Love the place, location, variety of product. Customer service meh!

This is a great store — I’m so happy I came here with an important print job. This isn’t the cheapest store but it is greatly stocked and the people here were very helpful and knowledgeable — namely Kasper.
Thank you guys!

HORRIBLE SHOPPING ENVIRONMENT.
I enter the store feeling inspired, motivated, and creative but leave having any positive emotion or energy zapped out of me. Instead I’m angry, self conscious, and stifled. Why? Because instead of being able to focus on what I want to make and what I want to buy, I’m focused on some little prick security guard following my every move, breathing down my neck, and mean mugging me every time I make eye contact. I’ve lived here since pearl was here and today, I was carrying more money in my pocket than that security guard probably makes in a month. It’s a lot cheaper to shop on amazon, etsy, or eBay but they cant reproduce the experience of shopping in person. Shame!

To be fair, I didn’t buy anything here. They didn’t sell cardstock in sufficient quantities/​selection for my needs.
However, the man who greeted me was very pleasant, and showed me what they had available. He also mentioned another store nearby that had exactly what I was looking for.
So, Blick didn’t have what I needed, but they were able to point me in the right direction in a friendly way.
Would definitely return if I had a smaller scale project or needed other art/​craft supplies.

Four stars for selection, though they didn’t have fine-​tipped paint pens in many colors. Zero stars for customer service. I had to flag down an employee to ask a question (and to get at the materials, all in locked cabinets), and she *rolled her eyes at me* for asking if I could ask her a few questions.
I’ll stick with Flax in the future!

Prepare to be treated like a threat, not a customer. I wasn’t allowed to carry my laptop bag with me while shopping, a fact I was told by the surly clerk who just stared at me when I protested (I had expensive equipment in the bag and didn’t want to leave it at the counter).
Just to get here, I had to park several blocks away, pay for the parking, and then walk through pee-​infused streets. I spent $ 150 in supplies but felt like that didn’t matter to Blick because I had a laptop bag. Bottom line, it’s a lousy shopping experience and I’ll do my best to go somewhere else next time.

Smells gross… And they make you leave your bags at the front. I love feeling like a criminal before even entering the store.
No Thanks, I don’t leave my bags where I can’t see them while shopping in this city. Why don’t you hire security or find another way to keep track of people in the store without ruining it for people who don’t steal?

I went to Blick on Market street recently after work to purchase sculpting supplies, and unfortunately had a pretty strange and almost entirely negative experience.
The security guard at the front door immediately started following me around the store, even though I had checked in my backpack at the front desk (all customers had to check bags in). He went to the back where I was searching for supplies, paced around my aisle about 5 times and kept making aggressive eye contact (3 or 4 times) until I left to look for an employee for help finding the supplies I needed. It might just be that the guard thought a black girl with a badge with her name on it who clearly just came from work is most likely a thief of things that wouldn’t fit in her pockets… or maybe it’s the store’s policy to follow the blackest shopper. I don’t know and I doubt I’ll ever know, but his glare made me think it may have been his personal choice to do that.
The employee (from the framing dept) was super nice, and tried to help me, which was the only positive thing that happened. Unfortunately the store didn’t have the (pretty run-​of-​the-​mill) supplies I was looking for. I did find some wire so I went to pay for that.
12 minutes waiting in line to get checked out, with only 4 people or so ahead of me. There seemed to be no employees working the floor when I was looking for help earlier, so it seems most of the customers would wait until they were at the cashiers’ desk to get their questions answered, which slowed everything down as they were running back into the aisles to get more supplies. Worse, once I was at the front of the line, the first cashier who became available looked up, then decided to go on break. Maybe it was his break time, or maybe it was for the same reason the security guard followed me around. We’ll never know. The cashier who did check me out was pleasant and normal, and asked if I wanted to join some sort of membership… not necessary, I won’t be back here ever again.
On a positive note, I found all I needed at Michael’s, and wasn’t followed around by security or avoided by the cashier. I do hope Blick sees this as a constructive critique of its management, but… I’d bet my badge they’ll stick with racial profiling and poor customer service.

Never come here agin ill just stick with a mom and pop shop instead.
A less then a week, went in to buy some spray paint and a poster board. I got what I got but the service was horrible at first, I was ignored for quit some time, well this long hair lady was looking at her nails dazing around well knowing I wanted, needed her help. Then She looks at me like what the F$&! Do you want. She helped me but will never come back and will always remember that face and look. Very disrespectful

My favorite is when the pink haired lady behind the counter assisted with my sale, watched me repack my purchase for a few minutes and then asked «Did you pay for that?»
Super amazing customer service from that individual.