Artist & Craftsman Supply: The Employee-Owned Art Store That Puts Artists First

Artist & Craftsman Supply represents one of the most distinctive models in American art retail: a chain of employee-owned art supply stores that combines the convenience and consistency of a multi-location business with the genuine artist-focused ethos, community engagement, and quality commitment that are typically associated with the best independent shops. Founded in 1985 and now operating multiple locations across the United States, the company has built its identity around a simple but powerful principle—that art supply stores should be owned and operated by people who genuinely care about artists and their creative success, not by distant shareholders focused on quarterly earnings.

The employee-ownership structure is not a marketing gimmick or a minor footnote in the company's history—it is the foundational element that shapes every aspect of how Artist & Craftsman Supply operates, from the products it stocks to the way its staff interacts with customers to its deep engagement with local art communities. For artists who care about where they spend their money and want to support businesses that align with their values, Artist & Craftsman Supply offers something genuinely rare in the retail landscape.

How Employee Ownership Changes Everything

In a conventional corporate retail chain, the primary obligation of management is to maximize returns for shareholders. This creates incentive structures that can work against the interests of both employees and customers—pressure to reduce staffing, to stock high-margin products regardless of quality, to minimize training and expertise, and to prioritize efficiency over service. The employee-owned model at Artist & Craftsman Supply fundamentally reverses these incentives.

When employees are also owners, their personal financial success is directly tied to the store's reputation and customer satisfaction. This creates a virtuous cycle: employees who have a genuine stake in the business are more motivated to provide excellent service, to develop deep product knowledge, to build lasting relationships with customers, and to ensure that the store's product selection reflects the actual needs of artists rather than the profit margins of manufacturers. The result is a shopping experience that feels qualitatively different from corporate retail—more attentive, more knowledgeable, more genuinely invested in helping each customer find the right materials for their specific needs.

This ownership structure also contributes to employee retention and expertise development. Because employees have a financial stake in the company's long-term success, turnover tends to be lower than at conventional retail chains. This means that the staff at Artist & Craftsman Supply locations accumulate deep knowledge over time—knowledge about products, about customer needs, about local art communities, and about the practical realities of working with different materials. When you visit an Artist & Craftsman Supply store, you're likely to encounter staff members who have been with the company for years and who bring genuine expertise to every interaction.

Professional-Grade Materials, Thoughtfully Curated

Artist & Craftsman Supply focuses its inventory on professional-grade and high-quality materials from respected manufacturers. The stores carry a carefully curated selection of paints (oils, acrylics, watercolors, gouache), drawing materials (graphite, charcoal, colored pencils, pastels, markers), printmaking supplies, sculpture materials, brushes, surfaces, mediums, and tools. The emphasis is on quality and reliability rather than on stocking the broadest possible range of products at every price point.

This curation philosophy means that inferior products are deliberately excluded from the inventory. You won't find shelves filled with cheap, unreliable materials alongside premium options—a common frustration at larger retailers where the sheer volume of choices can make it difficult to distinguish quality products from substandard ones. Instead, every product on Artist & Craftsman Supply's shelves has been selected because it meets the company's standards for quality, performance, and value.

The staff's ability to discuss products with genuine knowledge and personal experience adds enormous value to this curated selection. When a staff member recommends a particular brand of watercolor or a specific type of brush, that recommendation is typically based on having actually used the product in their own creative practice—not on reading a manufacturer's marketing materials or following a corporate planogram.

Conservation-Quality Custom Framing

The custom framing department at Artist & Craftsman Supply is one of the company's standout services. The framing team offers professional-quality framing using conservation-grade materials—acid-free mats, UV-protective glazing, archival mounting techniques, and quality moldings—that protect artwork for long-term preservation. This level of framing expertise is typically found only at dedicated conservation framers, and having it available at an art supply store is a significant convenience for artists.

The framing staff can provide informed design consultation, helping artists choose framing options that complement their work aesthetically while meeting appropriate conservation standards. Whether you're framing a piece for gallery exhibition, preparing work for sale, or preserving a personal piece for long-term display, the framing department can advise on the best approach for your specific needs and budget.

For professional artists who regularly need to frame work for exhibitions, commissions, or sales, having a trusted framing resource at their art supply store streamlines the process of preparing work for presentation. The combination of quality materials, knowledgeable staff, and reasonable pricing makes Artist & Craftsman Supply's framing services a valuable asset.

Deep Community Engagement

Artist & Craftsman Supply's commitment to local art communities goes well beyond the typical retail gestures of hosting occasional events or displaying local artwork. The stores function as genuine community hubs, regularly hosting workshops, demonstrations, exhibitions, and community events that support the creative ecosystems of the cities they serve.

The company actively partners with local art schools, community organizations, and artist collectives, providing support that ranges from sponsoring events to offering institutional pricing to participating in community art initiatives. This engagement reflects the employee-owned philosophy: because the people who work at Artist & Craftsman Supply are also its owners, they have a personal investment in the health and vitality of the art communities that sustain their business.

For artists who value being part of a creative community—who want their art supply purchases to support a business that actively contributes to the local art scene rather than simply extracting revenue from it—Artist & Craftsman Supply offers a compelling alternative to corporate chains.

The Bottom Line

Artist & Craftsman Supply succeeds by demonstrating that a different model of art retail is possible—one where employee ownership creates genuine alignment between the interests of the business, its staff, and its customers. The company's combination of professional-grade materials, knowledgeable artist-owner staff, conservation-quality framing, and deep community engagement creates a shopping experience that serves artists not just as consumers but as members of a creative community. For artists who want their purchasing decisions to reflect their values, Artist & Craftsman Supply is an exceptional choice.