Swinton’s Art Supplies & Instruction

This is one of my favourite places to take art classes in Calgary. I like the variety of instructors and the workshops offered. I also attend a weekly class that I just love… the other students are great to get to know and the workspace is great!

Came here using Groupon’s art sampler vouchers. I took both acrylic and oil sampler classes. Both were with Sue the instructor. Sue is GREAT! 5* for Sue! She’s great at explaining and teaching, and is so patient!
I had an awesome time at both sampler classes, and learned a lot and would recommend these classes to anyone. Are you bored at home with nothing to do? Go take a class!
Normally offered for $ 40 for 3 hrs and believe me… 3 hrs is definitely needed cuz they start by going over the basics and let you play around, then the real painting begins and you paint something that you end up taking home! Being a beginner it’s definitely a slower process haha.
I’m not too familiar with art supplies, etc… but the store seems very big and pretty well stocked (but I really know nothing about supplies so can’t really review much on that).

If I could rate this store a –5 stars I would. UNORGANISED and to top it off just plain RUDE RUDE RUDE.
I presently work with an organization that does cultural events for youth in the city. One of my roles is to highlight youth in capacities of the arts and so therefore I am to oversee a huge art show at the Eau Claire market.
Our organization is fairly high profile, we partner with the Glenbow Museum, the Public library and the Calgary Transit just to name a few. Our website gets 16,000 hits yearly.
I needed around 30 art eisels and wanted to commission a carpenter to build them for me but I cancelled that contract when i found out that I could rent them at Swinton’s for 6 dollars an eisel a day. Great deal
So I called and booked 30 of them, and even called back two weeks later to confirm. The girl reassured me everything was fine twice, so I was calm about this event. well … until… just a couple of weeks ago when I get a call from another staff member from the store and am told that someone had double booked me.
Basically the eisels were not available and they had no idea who had taken my call and who had booked me when it was plain to see in thier calender that the eisels were already spoken for. I said how can a person reassure me twice about a date and a number on two totally different separate occasions and how can you not know which employee did this? A mystery still to this day and the irony is they dont have many employees. Go figure?
This employee was very nice and was apologetic and he said he had at least 15 left and that the owner would be willing to cover the difference if I ordered from another store and kindly gave me two contacts. These contacts didn’t pan so I told this employee that I would want what he had left and he suggested coming in to see other eisels they had that may compensate for the other ones.
So I did today. The owner was not there but the co-​owner his wife Donna was and she had no idea what I was talking about and yet again according to her calender I was not booked once again for the 15 eisels for that day.
Again not only had they double booked me with the first request they had now overlooked me for the 15. I thought its okay people make mistakes but Donna’s tone was so rude and bascially if she didnt know about it then obviously it didnt happen. We finally got her husband on the phone and low and behold he confirmed the negotiation but he was not advised by the second employee about the 15 eisels.
At this point I am incredibly upset and I now only have weeks for my upcoming exposition. Donna says to me well «I have 15 do you want them or not?» in the most aggressive tone. I was so taken aback at her snappy tone so I then said, «listen your employees have made the mistake of double booking me and again I see I was overlooked yet a third time. I am irritated with all this, are you not going to help me your client? I also add I dont appreciate your tone right now and you are being incredibly rude».
This does not even phase her with more zest she beligerantly carries on and answers «I have 15 take it or leave it» I am so in shock at the whole situation and this response and have never been treated so rudelyby a business … but yet I say yes I will take them because the kids in the show need them and ask if she could please email me the two other options once again so that I can perhaps retry to find the other 15. It is now 7 hours after this request and I have heard nothing from her. Suprise suprise…
Tomorrow I will cancel the whole order simply out of principal. The staff obviously doesnt communicate to thier employers the follow ups, nor do they admit when they have made mistakes. The owner was trying to remedy this situation but his wife certainly needs to take a customer service seminar and perhaps deal with the public less.
I still cant believe that this woman who is the owner of her store would treat a client in this way, doesnt she want business? Shouldn’t she make ammends for the mistakes of her staff in a professional way? It still blows me away. I have reviewed over 700 businesses in this city and I have never been treated in such an ill mannered way.
My board was not at all impressed with this store and we will never do business with them again plus she really picked the wrong person to lay her power trip on, the arts community certainly is going to hear about this… and needless to say so will the Unilocal community.
So a big minus 5 stars for this woman and her non personal customer style and service.
This Unilocaler’s favorite art supply store still stands, Mona Lisa’s art supplies; educated staff, superb service and very nice owners… and why shouldn’t you have friendly experiences and service… THIS is the norm.