Nevada Fine Arts

I hate to admit with all my crafting projects I tend to go to Michael’s or Hobby Lobby. Sorry I’m a slave to their coupons and clearance areas.
I was on a search of a Bookbinding Awl which lead to this gem of an art supply story. Located in Midtown– its in the back corner of an antique coop dominated strip mall on Virginia & W Arroyo. It’s a gold mine of art supplies! I’ve been to this shop a few times since I’ve moved to Reno and I’m not sure why I’m not there more often.
The good
–The staff as über friendly and knowledgeable.
–I’m always a fan of shopping local.
–It’s appears small but they place is packed with almost anything you’ll need to start, finish, or create a project.
–10% discount on supply lists for classes at NMA.
The not so good
–No coupons or ads to keep them top of mind for me.
They are now back on I radar and I hope to become a regular as I reach my goal to finish all the ½ finished projects that are cluttering up my house!

To those who are complaining Nevada Fine Arts is overpriced — its not. Art supplies in general are expensive and NFA is a locally owned, not corporate store that is competing with larger chain stores like Wal-​Mart and Michael’s.
So the prices you find are actually about average for a good art supply product.
I found that NFA has an awesome selection in varied mediums including book arts, painting, drawing, ink, ect. ect. The staff is super helpful and knowledgeable and if sometimes they are a bit harried — well, customer service is stressful, give them some slack
I will gladly support this locally owned business and return again and again for my art supply needs.

Nevada Art Supply has always been there for my pen needs. And I have a lot of pen needs. They are also there for my paper, and grown up coloring book needs but they are so much more then that. I love going in and talking with he employees they are full of great ideas and inspiration. I also love keeping my money local.

I love going into this store. Unlike big craft stores such as Michael’s, this place definitely has a midtown feel to it. I am a supporter of local business and so far would not choose any other art store over this one. The people that work here are so helpful and friendly. They really know their stuff! I am new to doing art and go here mostly to get supplies for my art class. I have a lot of questions and am often looking for advise. The employees are more than happy to help. The prices cant be beat considering they will match any price in town. My favorite part of all though is the student discount and punch card. It is really nice of them to help students in Reno with such an expensive hobby and or class.

Unfortunately I had a less than stellar experience. I used to rave about Nevada Fine Arts. My first time in there was last semester and everyone was so helpful, I was truly in awe. No one made me feel stupid and they assisted me with getting everything that was on my list. I boasted to everyone how professional and curtious they were.
However, yesterday I went in there and was assisted by a woman whom I assume is the owner. She wasn’t rude but she wasn’t nice or very helpful either, which is surprising since her staff goes above and beyond. I just got a weird/​negative vibe from her.
I told her that I needed 140 lb. hot pressed watercolor paper cut into 9×12 pieces. I know they can do this because last time a guy offered to do this for me and I declined. She didn’t offer to cut it for me, instead directed me over to the tablets and said, «it’s $ 20», and indeed that’s what it was marked at. I assumed she was busy and didn’t want to make a fuss so I got it. When she rung me up she charged me $ 24.65 instead of the $ 20 she quoted me. I also bought two bottles of Liquitex soft body acrylics and was charged two different prices. There was no price on the bottles and yes, I suppose I should have asked. One 2 oz. bottle of deep magenta was $ 12.79 & the same 2 oz. Liquitex soft body bottle of vivid lime green was $ 7.99. Now I know that metallics will cost slightly more but regular colors shouldn’t vary that much. I didn’t realize this until I was home and I had several more errands to run that day. In short, I feel ripped off and taken advantage of.
I still have my receipt if the owner would like to correct and clarify this error. My only advice to consumers would be to check the prices and be sure you are rung up accordingly before you leave. Several items are not clearly marked.
I will however be back. I like to support local businesses and they carry items that other craft stores in town don’t, but if this happens again I will gladly take my business online to Dick Blick or Amazon.

These guys are amazing.
We were in crisis mode in Squaw Valley — our fat heads to support our friends participating in Ironman Lake Tahoe had been delayed in delivery, and we needed to act fast. We had contacted a print store in Reno to print the actual pictures at 4 feet by 3 feet, but had no idea how we were going to cut them out, or mount them on foam board. A patron at Reno Print Store suggested that we go to Nevada Fine Arts because they had large sized foam board that would suit our needs.
We rush across town, call on the way, and show the guys the size of the pictures. They were so helpful, and suggested for a little bit more of a cost we have them mount them. After some negotiating — they agreed to do the mounting and cutting for us! The product was amazing! They didnt even know what a fat head was, and they totally delivered.
While waiting for the mounting, I walked around the store — and they have amazing products, as well as a full framing department. I would definitely be a regular patron if I lived in the area!

I would much rather support small businesses like this than bigger store like Michael’s and it’s super easy to do so when the prices are so similar. Nevada Fine Arts has the same stuff as bigger stores for only a couple dollars more and you get the satisfaction of not supporting big companies. I love it here.

I love this local option for art supplies! They carry quite a lot of the supplies I need, plus they often have sales and specials which I appreciate. The customer service is very good– I’ve never had a bad interaction & they are really friendly. The handmade papers and canvas sales are my favorite.

I teach at the local college and have used Nevada Fine Arts as my main art supply source since the late 70s. I decided to write a review on this venue to acknowledge Reno’s only locally owned art supply store after noting the generous donations Nevada Fine Arts gives our students for their annual student art show. I am surprised at a few of the negative comments. Debra and her staff carry a wide variety of supplies for both students and professional artists. The prices are competitive and special sales are frequent. If they do not have what I need, they will order whatever I want and will not charge shipping. They are kind and patient with my student shoppers and offer discounts to students and instructors. Sure, prices are a bit high… quality art supplies are pricey. If you want cheap, buy cheaply produced supplies. I cannot imagine not having Nevada Fine Arts at my disposal for both myself and my students. We are lucky to have had this resource in our community for so many years.

I’ve always really enjoyed coming to Nevada Fine Arts. My husband and I prefer to come here for all our art supplies. Supporting a friendly, local business is important to us. I’ve never had a bad experience here and I look forward to when I’ll be able to come and pick up more goodies. I recently purchased an easel here (along with various other supplies) and the associates were extremely helpful and patient with me, they explained the differences in material quality and price for all of their various easels/​supplies so it helped me make the right purchases. Some items are more pricey but I feel like the cost is justified since this is definitely the best art store in our town for quality and service in my opinion.

Small store but big on needed supplies. The prices are sometimes high, but they stock items for a myriad of media and I usually find what I need. They actually deserve a 5 star, but the prices are a little high. But really, I’ve shopped for the same items on Amazon and they ARE competitive. This is a place for serious artists and the beginner as well. Excellent, courteous employees… Easy parking, just off Virginia St on the west side.

Unfortunately I had a bad experience at this store. It was a while back, I cannot remember the exact date/​time. Anyway, a friend and I went to this store and were browsing to see what we wanted to buy. One of the female employees was watching me like a hawk. I could just feel her eyes on me after I walked into the store. I believe it was because I’m Hispanic, she thought I was going to steal something. She approached me and asked if I needed help and I declined. I found various items I wanted to buy and was carrying them while shopping and then I decided to ask another employee if I could set those items down near their register because I wanted to continue shopping for more items. At one point I was looking at some products and the same female employee asked me what happened to the items I was carrying. I was utterly shocked that she asked me this and I rudely replied to her that they were near the register. At that point I think she realized her mistake and she wouldn’t make eye contact with me anymore. She obviously stereotyped me as being a thief because I’m Hispanic. I regret purchasing the items I did because I supported a business that allows this type of behavior by their employees. I like supporting smaller businesses in the community but I won’t shop here anymore. I shop at Aaron Brothers, JoAnn’s, or Michael’s, as well as online. Please if something like this happens to you ask to speak to the owner or their supervisor. That was my mistake, but I was so disgusted that I wanted to pay for the items to prove that I was no thief and get out. If I could give this place ‘0’ stars I would. But, unfortunately the only thing I can do is warn potential customers who are minorities to beware!

I’ve been shopping at Nevada Fine Arts for years now for school as well as for personal use. I first went here because of an art class I was taking. I had went to Micheal’s originally but when I couldn’t find everything I needed I went to NFA. I was really shocked to see that a lot of the supplies were much cheaper than at Micheal’s. I ended up returning a lot my supplies from Micheal’s, hah. When I talked to the one of the works they were very helpful and familiar with the supplies need for the art classes at UNR. There’s a 10% discount for students. The workers were very helpful and informative. They’re always living to help and check in without being over-​barring. I keep coming back whenever I need to top up on supplies for years.

Nevada fine arts is rad. Don’t let the three dollar signs or cheap reviews deter you. Sure, NFA can be expensive, but it really depends on what you’re looking for (dr ph martins watercolors will run you $ 7.50/bottle at NFA, which is competitive with amazon prices). I’ve been in twice so far, both times dealt with different employees, and both times received cordial, punctual service. I dig this place.

I was looking for blades for an old matt cutter and came here. Even though it was a small purchase, the staff treated me like gold. They helped me research blade types, let me take home a sample blade to make sure it worked, and walked me through the basics of mat cutting.
I am sure I could save a little if I bought these on line, but, I would never have gotten the level of service that I got here.
You now have a loyal customer and a big fan!
Thank you

I came here because I needed some supplies for school. I’ve never been here before and once I told them what class I was from they were really helpful and friendly. The only reason for the 3 stars is because I feel like some of the products were overpriced. I mean $ 3 for a quarter sized eraser? It wasn’t top quality or anything so I don’t know why it was so impressive. And I found a lot of the supplies at another store for a lot less but didn’t return my purchases because I really like to support local businesses. I will return for my school supplies but probably not for much beyond that.

I do think they have a good selection, although the customer service is not very friendly. The one star is based on customer service only. I don’t know if it is the female owner I have encountered and heard stories about, but she isn’t very friendly or nice.

I came here to get a painting framed and add matting, and they exceeded my expectations. When I first called about pricing they were very helpful and friendly. They were also able to have my painting back to me in only two days and it looks beautiful, and expensive. I am very happy with it and will use them the next time I need anything framed.

Besides being absurdly over priced… The male owner is rude, refuses to take responsibility when things are faulty. Tried to return a 20 dollar can of gloss coat today (thats right 20– bucks for a can of clear spray) cuz the can stopped working half way through… the guy tried to tell me” i did it wrong”… hey Einstein, i’ve used a can of spray paint before … One must ask, was not working with me to fix this problem worth the bad mojo? If you, the owner, said yes then you don’t deserve this communities business.
To Debra: … I didn’t ask for a full refund, I just wanted some consideration. He was rude, and I had been shopping there pretty frequently in the weeks prior. And dont try to tell me what «he was just doing» YOU WEREN’T THERE… The guy was a rude jerk, and I doubt im the first person he’s driven off … He lost me as a customer because of his attitude. Sorry.
PS — This business is clearly attempting to pad their stars by posting FAKE reviews… like this one from David that gave them 5 stars… interesting that this is «Davids» first review, and it gave them 5 stars, AND he states he’s from another state… Really? don’t buy it, these people are rude and absurdly over-​priced! Wouldn’t be surprised if this was the male owner of this store who has clearly demonstrated he is incapable of being respectful to his customers.
DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND SHOP ELSEWHERE!

Very bad service. Asked for a product for a project I was working on. They ended up giving me something that just ruined 2 weeks worth of work. I was very clear on what I needed and explain what I wanted. They just didn’t listen and just tried to sell me anything. It ended up ruining my work. When I tried to let them know what happened they just shrugged his shoulders and said that’s what you asked for. NO! I asked for your advice on what would work to accomplish the effect I was going for. Not even an apology. Lost a customer for life and can find what I need at Ben Franklin or online for a third of the price. Don’t support a business that doesn’t support you!