by Abby Simon Anyone who’s ever lived in the burbs and needed craft supplies has no doubt been to Michael’s Crafts. It’s like a department store for creativity and I’ve personally never walked out of there with goodies I wasn’t even looking for. Here in the city finding arts and crafts supplies (unless you’re looking for some crayons or a glue stick) isn’t so easy There are some great stores around town for artist supplies, fabric and yarn, they’re just not all under one roof and are listed in so many categories in the phone book that it’s hard to keep track. If anyone out there has some influence on getting Michael’s to open a store here on the UES let me know. Until then, I’ve done some research that can help my fellow Upper East Siders get creative without all the chaos.
You can find plenty of great craft supplies at hardware stores, office supply shops and even in your larger pharmacies and discount stores, just don’t expect to have an overwhelming sense of creativity when the other side of the aisle is stacked with less inspiring items. Not sure how to get creative? Try taking some classes, some are just for kids, some are just for grown-ups; all are just for fun. Creatability - the creative playspace Check out some continuing education classes at National Academy.org
Many yarn stores offer some type of instruction for needlepoint, knitting and crocheting. My personal favorite is the one-on-one lessons at Knitting 321, for $25/hour they’ll teach anyone who’s old enough to sit still how to knit or crochet. They also have their bi-annual sale coming up on Superbowl Sunday so it’s a great time to check them out. |
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