Crafty arts (Crafty Arts)

Member Name: jazzypinkpuppet

Product:	Crafty Arts
Date:	10/09/09 (60 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good selection of art materials and craft kits

Disadvantages: tight squeeze and not a brilliant selection of unique items.

Before I begin I would like to point out that there are two branches of Crafty Arts in the U.K, one in Brentwood in Essex and one in Bluewater shopping centre in Kent. I am basing my review solely on my experiences at the Bluewater store.

So what is Crafty Arts?
As the name suggests they are a specialist Art and craft store. I would suggest they lean more towards the arts than the crafts side of things although there is still a good selection of products for the crafters out there.
Craft Arts was founded in 1991, in addition to the two stores mentioned above they have a great website where you can order online at discount prices.

What do they sell ?
They have a huge range of Art materials from pencils and paint to Canvases and Easels. They stock good quality Winsor & Newton paint alongside basic kids poster paint, so there is no need to be an expert artist to find something suitable.
I find their craft range quite limited but then space in the shop is very limited and they can only stock so much. They have a good range of peel offs, decoupage and card blanks as well as an ample selection of backing papers and 12'x12' scrapbooking sheets. What they do not seem to have a lot of is different or unusual things like special brads, rubber stamps and embellishments.
They do sell a good selection of childrens and adults craft kits such as 'paint your own money box' or 'knit your own scarf'.
Prices are a bit hit and miss, whilst I have bought a pack of stickers for 0.99p I have also been tempted to buy a packet of shiny paper for £8.00. There are bargains to be had amongst the expensive stock you just have to look.

The shopping experience -
Well the Bluewater store is very small, I have tried to get around with a pushchair and it is just not possible so the same problem would apply to wheelchair users. The shop is ram packed full of stock and whilst the staff know where everything is, it is hard to find certain products and some things are clearly put where there is a space rather than where they ' should' go.
The staff are very knowledgeable and there are plenty of them to chose from for a small shop. It is not a relaxing experience as you are constantly having to move to let people past, I tend to only go in Crafty Arts when I know exactly what I am looking for as it can get quite stressful and hot.


Great for basic crafts or specialist arts, good staff and products but may be better shopping online.

Summary: A great little shop if you know what you are looking for, staff are knowledgeable and friendly.