Blick Art Materials

Blick is great. They have art materials of different quality and prices, which is great for amateur and advanced artists (i.e. me versus my friend). I bought the cheaper water color pallets and pastels and they work well.
The staff are super helpful too. At the checkout counter, I told them that I bought the rainbow paper to replicate the Back to the Future hat. They asked how I planned to attach the paper and recommended modge podge. They even brought the cheaper bottle to the counter.

I came here a few weeks ago for calligraphy tools, as well as a photo frame for a Quotables (.com — you know the ones) card I had purchased as a gift for a friend.
I lucked out! Not only did they have a variety of frame options, but they actually carried a proper Quotables frame intended for this exact purpose — in both black and white! Sold.
However, as for calligraphy tools, they had pens — with some sort of dipping ink, and then they had very thick (5.0) black markers (Y&C Calligraphy from Japan). I went with the markers, however the slanted edge and tip thickness ended up being too thick to use for my intended purpose (writing a custom message in a birthday card), so I used it only to label the envelopes (which was a slight bummer). While the shopkeepers were super friendly and helpful, I knocked off one star for this, because when I had taken a calligraphy class in Colorado in 7^th grade (yes, I know — eons ago), we had calligraphy markers with smaller, thinner tips — also in a wide variety of colors. I had hoped that an art store such as Blick would carry those same (or a similar style, different brand) markers. I’m also not sure if such a tool exists anymore. Alternately, maybe it is available in a larger Blick — like the stores in San Francisco and Chicago.
Either way, this is a pretty good shop, especially for DC — where the art scene still seems to be emerging.

Wow! I am so glad I found this place on Unilocal.It has everything that I needed and the staff were super nice. I’ve only been here once and the interaction with the staff on recommendations and general conversation with them was awesome! My first visit to this store was less than 12 minutes because service was awesome and everything was so well put together

Very large selection and the customer service was very good. I spoke to two different employees on my last visit, one about sketching and the other on oil paints. Both were very knowledgeable and helpful.

After being looking for art supplies all around dc (Plaza art, mickaels, etc) I finally ended in this shop that a friend recommended.
I found every thing needed and the advices too

This place is great. I go through sketchbooks and pencils really quickly so I find myself at this place pretty frequently. The selection is no-​nonsense and extensive. They carry a lot of brands you can’t find in other places. The staff is friendly and helpful. Usually I go in for one specific item and get inspired when I browse around. Prices are extremely reasonable. No complaints – highly recommend.

They carry Krink, Molotow, and Montana pens, markers, and spray cans. Decent selection too.

I visited this store for the first time yesterday and will definitely be back. The stellar sales associates helped me find the supplies I needed for a class, and even looked at pictures I had on my phone of products I had lying around at home to tell me what they could be used for. And the sales associates are artists themselves, willing to offer advice from personal experience. Overall, the selection, prices, and customer service far exceeded my expectations. Thanks to this store, I will be making lots more art!

I enjoy looking around in this store. They have lots of art supplies for all sorts of art activity. I like checking out the various pens and drawing supplies. I usually wind up buying a new mechanical pencil. I like pencils so I can easily correct my mistakes.

lots of choices there, artsy and fancy, everything is great, what i don’t like is the psycho not smiling and being mean that i apparently disturbed while mister was doing is little inventory. so whatever i will remove this review if i have better experience next time

I was impressed with the service here. I brought a syllabus with a list of materials for an interior design class and an associate helped me pick out each one. She could tell I was conscious of price and so she helped me find less expensive options. She also explained the difference between products I was not familiar with.
I did some comparison shopping between Utrecht and Amazon and found the prices to be very comparable for basic art and design supplies like pens, pads, T-​squares etc. Utrecht also has a large selection of picture frames, but they mostly for displaying art/​photography and are not colorful or ornate — a good alternative to more expensive stores.
I asked about a student discount but they did not offer one, which was a bit disappointing (they offer a credit card with 10% off the first purchase — not worth it for me). Still, the prices seem low enough that I could do without it.

Great store — stocked with everything you could imagine for an artist. (My daughter, not me.) Good prices, selection, very nice and helpful staff. We’ll definitely be back.

I’m an MFA Candidate and Graduate Assistant in painting at University of Maryland in nearby College Park, MD. Having a quality store like Utrecht in such close proximity to where I live and work is greatly beneficial. They stock a wide variety of brands in nearly every type of supply they carry and their prices are VERY reasonable when compared to other options. The staff is always friendly and helpful, most of them being working artists, and the frequent sales make the supplies even more affordable. I’ve been painting on thick Arches watercolor papers which Utrecht carry a wide variety of to suit virtually any need. The paint selection is great as well. I will continue to be a loyal customer for years to come.
Be sure to sign up for the preferred customer card as it gives an additional 10 percent off.

I love this place. It’s near the McPherson metro stop and has more than you’ll ever need in terms of art supplies or hobby shop stuff. You’ll come out wanting to be 10 different kinds of artists… sculptor, painter, spray painter, decoupager, etc. So, I try not to get carried away.
Ask for the free loyalty rewards card and you’ll get 10% off all future purchases, a 25% off coupon for your entire purchase that day, and a free eraser! They’ll even let you save that 25% coupon for a future purchase, if you ask.

Seems like a nice little place. I went looking for frames, and they didn’t have an overwhelming selection (they’re more focused on, you know, actual art supplies). I found one that fit my needs and was very affordable. Good customer service as well, I had a Unilocal discount and even though they just merged with another company, the cashier checked with her manager and got it applied anyway.

True, great customer service. There are always exceptions. Lack of art store options in dc, but this one is smartly stocked for its Lilliputian stature.

Very friendly staff and a good selection of art supplies. Also great location and well-​priced inventory.

Great customer service!!! will listen, look or find what you need. they will answer complex questions too with real answers. they looked up my question and asked other employees then we discussed options to get the effect i wanted. thanks!
I should have called fist rather than search the internet

water for pets: no
Utrecht is one of those rarities in the retail world, a national chain that feels like a mom and pop. It has the resources of the big boys (decent prices, great selection) but the staff are friendly, very knowledgable, and really want to help you get what you need. When you go to Michael’s, you run the gauntlet of aisle after aisle filled with cheap crafty preassembled crap (you know who you are, Martha…) and min wage teens who could care less about you and your bags, but not at Utrecht.
They have the supplies and recommendations to satisfy most any fine artist or art student, carry the staples AND the exotic medium or two, and maintain a healthy kids section that isn’t insulting or anchored by the latest cartoon character. Combine that with a regular barrage of worth-​the-​trip coupons on their FB page and free in-​town delivery on orders over $ 100, and they’re simply unbeatable.
This dog-​friendly place is a 3 mile walk from my door and back, and the round trip is never one we’ve regretted.

During my senior year at AU, I decided to take a painting class to complete my second level arts requirement. Taking this class led me to Utrecht to buy all of my paints, brushes, paper, canvas, etc.
There is a good selection of art supplies here and it’s moderately priced so that you know it’s pretty good quality but you won’t go completely broke.
Post-​graduation, I’ve returned to Utrecht to find materials for matting and framing my photos and pleasantly found all of the things I needed. Staff are readily available to help should you have questions so don’t be afraid to ask. Most of their recommendations are on par.