Hello dear people!
Today I want to share my impressions and some pictures from the two of the American craft stores which are well known around the world, and these are the "Hobby Lobby" and "Michaels".
I went to the branches which are located around the area where I live now - Plano, TX.
The first that I visited was Hobby Lobby at the 4220 Legacy Drive. At 11 am the comparatively large store was almost empty and to me it came completely by surprise, because in Singapore (where we have been living for the last 4.5 years) all the stores are full of people, especially the ones which are related to arts, crafts and DIY.
The next surprising thing was that there were pretty basic products there, most of them were not new and not recently released. In Singapore, the majority of the stores which I attended for restocking my craft supplies were small, but all of them had the newest items from so many worldwide brands.
I did not know that any of the two mentioned above stores carried Graphic 45 papers, for example. I have been dreaming that it would be possible to come to one of the physical craft stores in US and buy some new papers or stamps, instead of ordering them online, but apparently I will still need to do that (at least I will pay now for the local and not the international shipping) :)
I am a big fan of dies from different companies, but in Hobby Lobby only the dies from Spellbinders and Sizzix were available.
The selection of colored cardstocks was good, they had Copics and a good selection of basic fabrics.
You can have a look at some of the items which the store offers at the pictures below.
After Hobby Lobby I headed to Michaels. There are two branches in the area, I visited the one at the 6400 W Plano Parkway #130.
Once again, the same situation with the customers - just a few here and there, no long lines to the cashier (like for example in 'Art Friend' or 'Spotlight' in Singapore).
Michaels had a nice choice of acrylic paints, different brushes, Recollections designer paper and colored cardstocks, huge selection of different stickers, a variety of embroidery threads, art journals, watercolor paper, Spellbinders dies (and other brands dies too), ink pads, décor pieces for home, supplies and tools for polymer clay artists, supplies for beadwork, a selection of tools and supplies for calligraphy and brush lettering etc.
You can get a notion about the store from the pictures below:
I want to visit now some of the smaller craft shops in the area and of course I will take some pics from there too. Just let me know if you want to see more of the posts of this kind.
Have a great by now and thanks for visiting.
WOW, your stores are well-stocked!!! I live in Round Rock, Tx which is a suburb or Austin (about 3 hours south of you) and my Hobby Lobby (I have 2 right by my house) and Michaels (same, 2 by my house) don't carry near the merchandise that your stores have. One of our Michaels is brand new and they still don't have much. We even have a Joanns, but it is horrible as well. The greater Austin area no longer has any craft stores except for Hobby Lobby, Michaels and Joanns so we are limited and I have to buy online or if I am desperate go to one of these places. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Kim for your comment. Surprised to hear that the selection of the items in the stores of the same name is different.
DeleteThere are several other great craft stores not too far from you. One is in Forney and ur is called Big Mouth Scrapper. It is located off interstate 20 and is opened on Thursday thru Saturday. The other is in Waxachie and it is called The Crafty Scrapper. Both of these are well stocked with lots of good products.
ReplyDeleteOne other that has a good selection of Graphic 45 paper is located in Joshua which is south of Fort Worth. It is called The Flossie Scrapper.
You ought to goggle craft stores near Dallas. I think there is another independent craft store closer to you but I can't remember the name of it.
Hope this helps you find some good selection of products.
Hi Marilyn and thanks for your comment. I heard about the stores that you mentioned and now just need to find some time to reach out to them :)
DeleteThe one which is close to me is called "My Scrapbook Heaven". Was it what you meant? will visit it the next week and post an update.
you look like you have a couple of pretty big stores. I am lucky to live near several HL, Michael's and Joann's. Cincinnati also has one local craft store left. I purchase a lot of craft supplies at Tuesday Morning. They won't have everything you need, they are a discount/overstock store...but you can often find Graphic 45 products although last seasons, it is cheap enough I will get the products I like. I usually always find something great, discounted OTT lights, stamps, inks, papers and dies. I am sure a city as large as yours should have at least one.
ReplyDeleteAlicia
Hi Alicia and nice to meet you. Thanks for the info. Tuesday Morning sounds interesting. i think I have the closest one to me in Frisco. Will check it out.
DeleteHonestly, I'm quote disappointed to know that you're moving :( I'm from Singapore, and I was very happy to find an amazing crafter who stays in the same city. And to know that you get your craft supplies from stores that I also know. Anyway, all the best for you. Looking at the craft stores there, I know you will have a bunch of amazing projects ahead :)
ReplyDeleteSorry that you did not get to know me earlier :)
DeleteWelcome to the US, Alexandra! I am so happy your trip is over. I am working on completing the Box with Acrylic Lid and it will be absolutely beautiful. I'll send you pics when finished and look forward to more of your fantastic projects.
ReplyDeleteThank you Carol! I am so excited to see what you will come up with!
DeleteLooks like you have some fun craft stores to go to. Much better than here...
ReplyDeletehhh yes Einat.
DeleteBut I still keep on ordering online :)
What a lovely post! In Australia we struggle to buy anything as a physical product. We have Spotlight which is a fabric store with a range of scrapbooking supplies but it is limited. You have a few smaller shops but really, you have to rely on on line shopping. PLUS international shipping is a part of life.......everything is more expensive. We need a Hobby Lobby or a Michaels here please!!
ReplyDeleteHi Cathy! Nice to meet you :)
DeleteI know the Spotlight stores, we had one in Singapore too, and not only the range of scrapbooking supplies was limited there, the prices were very high too.
I would suggest you to check out the internet store called Blitsy. They have a huge amount of craft and art supplies for great prices, plus they offer free international shipping for orders over 49.99$.