Opus Art Supplies: Canada's Most Respected Independent Art Retailer

Opus Art Supplies is the leading independent art supply retailer in Canada, with locations across British Columbia and Ontario and a reputation built over five decades of serving professional artists, students, and educators with a level of care and expertise that distinguishes it from both general craft chains and online-only retailers. Founded in 1975, Opus has grown steadily while maintaining the character of an independent, artist-focused business: a place where the people behind the counter genuinely understand what they are selling and why it matters.

The company's tagline, "By All Means Create," reflects a philosophy that runs through everything Opus does. The stores are designed not just to sell supplies but to inspire creative work, and the staff are selected and trained to support artists at every level of experience and ambition. Customer reviews consistently highlight the quality of the service: staff who share product knowledge from personal experience, who will spend time helping you find the right material for a specific technique, and who treat every customer as a fellow creative rather than a transaction.

The Opus Locations

Opus operates multiple locations across Canada, with its flagship stores in Vancouver's downtown core and additional locations in Coquitlam, Victoria, and Toronto. The downtown Vancouver store, located at 555 West Hastings Street, is the largest and most comprehensive, stocking the full range of Opus products alongside an extensive selection from leading manufacturers worldwide.

Each location is designed to be a genuine destination for artists rather than a functional supply depot. The stores are well-lit, logically organised, and stocked with a curated selection that reflects genuine knowledge of what working artists need. You will not find the same generic product mix that fills the shelves of national craft chains. Instead, Opus selects products based on quality, performance, and the specific needs of the artists who shop there.

The Coquitlam location at 953 Brunette Avenue serves the eastern Metro Vancouver area and offers the same quality of service and product selection as the flagship, with particular strength in custom framing services that have made it a destination for artists and collectors throughout the region.

The Opus House Brand

One of the most distinctive aspects of Opus is its own house brand, which includes some of the finest art materials available in Canada. Unlike most retailer house brands, which are typically lower-cost alternatives to name brands, Opus's house brand products are genuinely premium offerings that compete with the best materials available from any manufacturer.

Opus Finest Canvas is handcrafted at the Opus workshop in Vancouver, using traditional preparation methods that result in a surface quality that machine-made canvases cannot match. The canvases are primed with genuine gesso, stretched on kiln-dried stretcher bars, and inspected individually before sale. Professional painters who have used Opus Finest Canvas consistently report that the surface responds to paint in a way that enhances rather than impedes their work.

The Collection is Opus's curated selection of rare and remarkable art materials, handpicked for their story, quality, and the way they engage the artist's practice. This includes handmade papers from specialist mills in Japan and Europe, pigments sourced directly from traditional suppliers, palette knives made by an artisan knife maker in Italy to Opus's specifications, and other materials that are difficult or impossible to find through standard retail channels. The Collection reflects a genuine commitment to the idea that the materials an artist uses matter, and that access to exceptional materials should not require knowing the right people or travelling to specialist suppliers in other countries.

Custom Framing

Opus's custom framing service is one of the most respected in Canada, used by professional artists, galleries, collectors, and institutions throughout British Columbia and Ontario. The framing workshops employ trained framers who understand both the technical requirements of conservation framing and the aesthetic considerations that make a frame enhance rather than compete with the work it contains.

The service covers everything from standard framing of paintings and works on paper to complex conservation framing of valuable or fragile works, float mounting, shadow box framing, and specialist framing for three-dimensional objects. The range of moulding options is extensive, from simple natural wood frames to ornate gilded profiles, and the staff will help you find a framing solution that serves both the work and your budget.

For artists preparing work for exhibition, Opus's framing service offers the combination of quality, reliability, and turnaround time that professional exhibition deadlines require. Many Vancouver galleries and artists have longstanding relationships with Opus's framing department, relying on it for consistent quality across large bodies of work.

Supporting the Canadian Art Community

Opus has a genuine commitment to the Canadian art community that goes beyond selling supplies. The company hosts artist events, demonstrations, and workshops at its locations, providing opportunities for artists to learn new techniques, discover new materials, and connect with fellow creatives. These events range from product demonstrations by visiting artists and manufacturer representatives to workshops led by established Canadian painters.

The company also supports emerging Canadian artists through partnerships with art schools and universities, educational pricing programs, and active engagement with the broader arts community. For art students at institutions across British Columbia and Ontario, Opus is often the first professional art supply store they encounter, and the quality of the experience shapes their relationship with art materials for years afterward.

Online Shopping

Opus's online store at opusartsupplies.com provides access to the company's full product range for customers across Canada and internationally. The website is well-organised and informative, with detailed product descriptions, material specifications, and guidance on choosing between options. The online store is particularly valuable for artists in regions of Canada without a nearby Opus location, providing access to the company's curated product selection and house brand materials that are not available elsewhere.

Shipping within Canada is reliable and well-packaged, with careful attention to protecting fragile materials like glass, ceramics, and delicate papers during transit. Customer service is responsive and knowledgeable, reflecting the same standards as the in-store experience.

The Bottom Line

Opus Art Supplies represents the best of what an independent art supply retailer can be: deeply knowledgeable, genuinely committed to quality, and focused on serving artists rather than simply selling to them. Whether you visit one of their stores in person or shop online, Opus provides access to exceptional materials, expert guidance, and the kind of service that makes the experience of buying art supplies feel like a genuine part of the creative process. For artists in Canada, Opus is the standard against which all other art supply retailers are measured.