Get crafty with these Vancouver craft supply stores

The crafting movement has exploded onto the Vancouver scene. No longer just the realm of little kids or doily-making grandmas, arts and crafts is cool again and hand-made items make for coveted and special gifts. Tap into your inner creative and get started at one of these six stores.

Get crafty with these Vancouver craft supply stores
Alison Cairns By

Urban Source

1
3126 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5T 3G7

Urban Source has organized its small space on Main Street like you might imagine the craft room of your childhood dreams. Baskets overflow with pompoms, wooden spools and Styrofoam shapes, while buckets on the shelves spew pipe cleaners, leather scraps and coloured foil. It’s a bulk system to reduce packaging and costs and inspire wild creativity by mixing and matching their alternative supplies. Perfect for the kids’ arts and crafts box or for your own gift card and wrapping purposes, Urban Source delights.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Michaels

2
1022 Alberni St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1A3

The Disney Land of craft stores, Michael’s is every crafter’s, teacher’s and creative kid’s — young and old — dream. From scrapbooking to crocheting to stickers to beads to stationery, even to fun and creative baking supplies, if you’ve got a craft in mind, Michael’s has the tools and materials to help you see it through. They also carry a wide selection of how-to books, so even if you’re just embarking on your jewellery-making or knitting journey, you’ll feel confident about where you’re starting out.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Opus Framing & Art Supplies Ltd

3
1360 Johnston St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3S1

Known as the art store for artists, Opus offers high quality, brand-name materials for everything you need to equip your artist’s studio. Their canvas stretching and framing services are handily right in-store, and their DIY picture framing means you’ll save bundles on custom jobs and get the satisfaction of doing it yourself. They host a great calendar of events, workshops and classes on their site, as well as how-to videos and demos, bringing the classroom to your living room.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Collage Collage

4
3697 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5V 3N6

Stepping into Collage Collage on 15th at Fraser is like going back in time to your kindergarten art class. Filled with endless but beautifully stocked and arranged supplies, from coloured paper to popsicle sticks to paint brushes, and surrounded by gorgeously illustrated children's books, this space provides and encourages creative output of all kinds. Offering classes for both kids and adults, the store is also a studio for learning and making. Day camps for kids are perfect during March Break and summer, and their special events boards keep everyone up to date on the latest book launches and magic shows.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Blim Arts Society

5
115 Pender St E, Vancouver, BC V6A 1T6

This unique space in Chinatown acts as an arts and crafts creative hub, offering supplies for t-shirt printing, button making and knitting on-site as well as workshops and classes, while the space also acts as a gallery and event venue. Famous now for its Blim Markets held at various venues around town, where artists and crafters showcase and sell their wares on select weekends throughout the year. The entire vision fosters camaraderie, support and guidance in the creative realm and is worth a visit any time.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Dressew Supply Ltd

6
337 Hastings St W, Vancouver, BC V6B 1H6

With its old-school department store vibe, its brusque but knowledgeable staff and its aisles upon aisles of every item you could imagine, Dressew — a Downtown Eastside institution — offers you no-nonsense craft supplies at great prices. Zippers in every length and colour of the rainbow, spools and spools of thread, foam and wooden molds, bins of buttons and more will equip you for whatever project you have in mind. And if fabric’s your thing, head upstairs for endless rolls of it.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Rath Art Supplies

7
2412 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5T 3E2

This closet-sized shop at Main and 8th contains a wealth of treasures for all your sketching, drawing and painting needs: charcoal, lead and coloured pencils, ballpoint and gel pens, nibs, horsehair brushes, oil, acrylic and watercolour paints. All the materials are lovingly selected and displayed by Stan, the friendly owner always happy to chat and provide expert advice while never being pushy. A true neighbourhood art supplies store.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:
More from Alison Cairns Alison Cairns
Alison Cairns has been working in writing and publishing for over a decade. A devoted Vancouverite, she loves exploring the hidden gems and new happenings — both cultural and culinary — in the city. She is also a lover of coffee, wine, craft beer and pretty much all food except sea urchin. She staves off the results of these loves by running the seawall, cycling the city and hiking the mountains.
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