Order At The Bar!

Order at the Bar & let us serve you

In our remodel of the shop most things are available to shop independently but some things are now “order at the bar.” We are still working on creative ways to make this more fun and easy. We have visual “menus” to shop from and price lists that help you see options available behind the bar. While this may feel different or strange at first, I promise we can make it fun! We are always happy to help you find exactly what you want and give you the time and space to look through things on your own. So don’t let our new set up make you feel any different- we are here to serve you up quality art supplies, at great prices.

If you haven’t had a chance to visit us in person yet here’s some pictures so you can see what I mean. Keep reading to find out what items are available at the bar, why we did it, how it works, and our long term plans in the new set up.

Items Available “behind the bar”:
bulk sketchbooks, bulk paper deals & reams, bulk palettes, handmade papers, stretcher bars, canvas, wood panels, bulk class pack supplies, easels, bulk backing boards, tracing paper rolls, acetate & duralar, colored paper rolls, and basically all the usual things we had hiding here in our caverns of a back room.

How it works:
Top selling items we have easy to use menu samples that are visual and easy to use. Like a spinner of palettes to order from. Canvas we have a basic line up of sizes to help you see them for reference. We have tons more sizes available that we are happy to pull out for you and a price list to order from like a menu. We have clipboard menus of all handmade paper samples and bulk ream papers to flip through so you can see all the options behind the counter. (Similar to the same way you used to flip through sample books for wallpapers, haha) Other items we like to work personally with you on, like a waitress/waiter would, to determine and narrow down options closer to what you’re looking for and then we bring up all the options you may like.

We have order desks placed between our register stations so you aren’t waiting in line the same. The info/order desks are reserved for more personalized service and problem solving. Want to see all of the sizes of canvas we have available? We gotchu! Want to pick our brain on varnish issues or pigment questions? We gotchu! Have a class you need a ream of paper for and not sure what one you need? We gotchu! Mindfully placing these order desks create space for helping you in a more purposeful way than in the middle of the aisles amidst other shoppers. Having several places for this all along the bar also enables us to step back out of the way of traffic in the store to work with you one on one. Think of it like the help desk at a book store or library, same kind of concept.

So, while it may seem weird or different, it’s actually a new and improved way to help you. Don’t be shy or feel weird about ordering things from behind the bar- we love serving your art supplies needs and helping answer any questions you have!

Why we did it-
Well, first goal and priority is obviously keeping all shoppers and our staff safe during pandemic times. The wrap around bar has plexi glass between us, and we installed it in a way that is classy and doesn’t feel like some weird barrier. We have staff and customers that are higher risk so we have mindfully considered everyone’s safety in our remodel so that everyone can feel comfortable in our shop. We value all life and have worked very hard to create a safe and inspiring atmosphere in the shop for all. It may be weird times we are living in, but we can all work together and get through them. We prefer to focus on what we do best- helping you find the art supplies you need to keep you creating! So we have created our new set up to be fun and unique with everyone's safety and comfort in mind.

Another good reason for this change is respect for the supplies themselves. Have you ever noticed dinged paper or dusty fingerprints on the paper you want? Have you ever noticed how stacking canvas is an art in itself and if it’s not done properly they can puncture & damage each other? These are all issues many do not consider that are daily tasks in the life of art supply store elves. Keeping some of these things in areas we service for you keeps everything in nice shape and eliminates many damages from happening.

Creating the bar also feeds into some long term goals I have in the future. Creating this space lends to a better set up for demos, workshops, and other fun events. Believe it or not we used to have the same setup when I started working here, but I begged Bob for 3 years to rip out the counters on one side so we can let people shop down the aisles. I have to admit that considering building back counters in front of the aisles was not my first choice, haha. After much time and thought planning the safety of the shop in a pandemic I decided it was a wise move, and one with many options for the future. For now, it makes a wonderful way to keep staff and shoppers safe- but in the long term, it lends to some fun opportunities we have never had here and I’m excited about the journey ahead of fine tuning the design on this new set up. So instead of being sad you’re not able to go down the aisles anymore, be excited with us as we reinvent many aspects of the shop that I think you’ll end up loving.

Moving the entire frame shop to the other location has also presented many challenges as we are still moving some large fixtures over there when we can. Some items currently behind the bar will be more accessible to you as we move large furniture to the other location. We also have several online shops and having the aisles behind bar to organize our online orders has been important. The paper aisles simply aren’t set up the way you might remember them as we use the space differently during these strange times.

Thank you for your patience with us as we adapt and adjust to new ways of operating. We take everyone’s safety seriously and we are also looking ahead to future goals as we reinvent the space here. We are always open to comments and suggestions on how to do things better too! If you have any good feedback on how our Order at the Bar works or doesn’t work, for you please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Bulk Bargains galore!
Having adequate organization on all of our bulk deals and bargains has been helpful on restructuring the shop. Makes things easier to find & shop for staff and shoppers alike.

I know this has been a longer article but I think it’s important to explain these changes so you know what to expect in the shop and more of the reasons why we have things set up the way we do right now. Here are some fun before & after pics for you of the space.