This is such a gem in the capital region~ wonderful selection of art supplies and great spot for gifts & cards. A small business that is run so well! Knowledgeable staff and the owner is awesome!

I had a great time at the Windsor & Newton Watercolor and Arches paper demo with artist Joe McCarthy

The space was super clean and well organized. The staff were also very kind and pleasant during the checkout process. Their stock is a good mix of art supplies and cute gift items.

I asked if the framing department was seeing customers. Although I didnt have an appointment, the framer had an opening and examined the painting I presented. He was most helpful.

I find this conveniently located artist supply store oddly unwelcoming somehow. Not sure if it is the cool demeanor of most staff or the hand-scrawled sign taped to the door during the early days of covid coldly warning NO CUSTOMERS PERMITTED INSIDE STORE!!! (or words tt that effect(, or both. Not that the sign message was unreasonable at the time . . . It was the delivery/intensity of the message that was a tad off-putting for me. But, the above notwithstanding, the reason I still come here is because of one person: Kate in framing. Kate has been my go-to expert for all my framing needs for several years now; and so if you have an item that needs framing, I would unequivocally recommend calling for an appointment with Kate. I dont believe appointments are absolutely required, but it my understanding that they are recommended (a newish procedure). Kate has excellent taste and I have been very happy withevery framing job that she has heloed me. Prices are not cheap but are reasonable. About a 2-week turnaround time for framing work (they do not - to my knowledge - accept rush framing jobs).

Great selection of art supplies for anything you could need for any type of project! Great sales as well as friendly service. Came in for some mediums, paints and brushes and got a great deal on them. Feels good to support local business rather than Amazon! Definitely plan on returning again soon.

I ordered online, and when their warehouse inventory did not match the website, the representative emailed me *very* promptly and worked with me to find suitable replacements - exactly the kind of customer service that keeps me shopping at local businesses rather than big online retailers! She even lowered my total cost by recommending a couple products that she knew to be superior to my selections despite their lower price tag.

My favorite art store in the Capital Region. Always clean and well stocked, staff is always friendly, frequent sales, and great diverse merchandise. Definitely recommend.

Nice privately owned place. A good alternatives if you do not like the big box stores and prefer to see and try before buying. But the prices are high. $50 for a box of the pencils that cost $20 in Target or Walmart. Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils - 24ct. Same exact brand and box. Even with their store wide discounts did not compete

Really lovely shop with just about anything you could need, whether youre a student at St. Rose or just trying to find some supplies to keep the kids occupied. Very friendly, and knowledgeable staff. Im looking forward to taking one of the watercolor classes there in the future

Great selection, always have supplies set up for classes at the local colleges for easy access.

Absolutely amazing! The Staff is extremely helpful and just an all around great environment. We get frame work done here and they are quick and efficient with extremely fair prices! Will never take my frame work anywhere else. Thank you guys!

Wonderful place! Well-stocked an a relaxed atmosphere in which to shop.

Great range of materials at good price, and staff willing to help you find things with good knowledge.

Great selection! Awesome store friendly staff

Excellent selection. A little pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Super cute art supply store! I got a new calligraphy pen, notebook, and some ink inserts. The items were priced reasonably, and there were fun little knickknacks around the store. Would be 5 stars but products were covered in dust!

Their website is right! Their prices are great, probably better than Micheals on just about everything. Plus this place is super unique and has lots of fun little gift items like pins, patches, soaps, bags made of recycled materials, magnets with funny sayings, tons of cute cards made in small batches by artists (not massive companies). TONS of framing items and painting supplies. Hand made papers. Just everything! Coming in here at the end of a stressful week really made me happy! Plus the employees were super helpful! I went in to get supplies for a type of art Ive never done before and she gave me lots of helpful tips on getting started! Definitely better and more useful than wandering around blind in Michaels or another large store.

Arlenes has great variety and quality. Its a little pricey, but, as with most things, you get what you pay for. Friendly staff and I would presume knowledgeable, as staff in prior years has been. Great spot for the hobbyist and professional alike. Ive never taken advantage of it, but Arlenes offers picture framing services, and I would guess that the quality would be high based on my overall experience there. Excellent little store - highly recommend.

Wonderful store for art supplies. Friendly help, great prices and excellent selections

Always friendly, and they have quite the selection of art supplies. Highly recommend

Very friendly, very knowledgeable. And such a wide variety of supplies! Has a picture reframed- great job!

Good selection. Helpful clerks. Good prices

Excellent matting and framing service. Every time I go in I see new things that are beautiful. If you go make sure to have enough time to see everything.

I love getting my art supplies from here. They have some very interesting types of paint. Usually I will buy the metallic colored paints but they also have some that oxidize and rust like metal. Very fun to use and love shopping here and checking out new stuff.

They have all kinds of supplies for art students and are very friendly and cooperative.

Was pretty disappointed by my latest visit here. Came in with a couple of signed posters from our favorite band and wanted to get them framed. We really didnt want to go to a big box store and went out of our way to (try to) support a local business. The woman who helped us wasnt very interested in doing so. We made it clear we were willing to spend more in order to both preserve and display the posters, but she wouldnt even quote us for a custom frame or make other suggestions. Instead she pointed us to a stack of boring do-it-yourself frames, and they didnt even have the right size in stock. When we went back to the counter to ask if it was something they might get in soon, we couldnt find her.Arlenes is probably the best selection of art supplies you can find locally, but I cant say Id recommend them for framing.

Probably the best art store in the area. The staff is also quite knowledgeable.

Very helpful and accommodating

Very friendly, great customer service. Excellent range of supplies to choose from.

Locally owned artists supply store. Well stocked for most artists supplies. Helpful staff and bigger in the inside.

Great place to get your school art supplies.

Nice store, helpful staff! What really touched me was how kind and tolerant they were of my kids (6 and 4). Very nice selection of things, and Ill definitely be returning.

Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. A lot of material is on the pricier side but they do have a sale rack outside every once in a while. A lot of little Knick knacks that would make great gifts for artist friends.

This place has a lot of art supplies including a big selection of calligraphy and fountain pens along with ink and other accessories (e.g. ink converters, and nibs). They also do custom framing.

Everything you could possibly need seems to be here and more unique things you dont see elsewhere. A gem amongst local business.

Attentive staff and sufficient selection. I got just what I needed at a great price. Student discounts available!

This is my favorite art supply store! The staff are so friendly and helpful. I appreciate the great pricing on Prismacolor pencils. They have neat gifts too. I have bought cute socks and notebooks there before. They have some interesting classes you can sign up for, though I havent tried any yet. I recommend this store (or the online store) to my artsy friends.

Excellent service very friendly knowledgeable and helpful

Best art store in upstate New York. If youre serious about your art, you owe it to yourself to visit.

A favorite destination of my art lover in the family. Always offers a very diverse collection of art supplies, she can easily find everything from painting supplies to various styles of drawing supplies. The prices can be modest too high but the service is always exceptional. My only complaint is I wish the hours were a little more broad. They offer off street parking and easy access with a great roadside visibility.

Small local businesses that has better prices than all the big chains. This is the only art supply store we use!

Excellent selection of supplies, able to order specialty items, friendly and knowledgeable staff! Better prices and a way better selection than Michaels, Staples, and other other stores that carry art supplies in the area. Arlenes has everything for both the budding and professional artist!

The only art store in the area, so a mandatory for art majors in the neighboring Universities

Well stocked artist supply store! The store carries a wide variety. Staff is very helpful. Prices are reasonable.

Pleasant attention to detail. Helpful to client. Had several art pieces enhanced by the good taste of personnel

I brought a favorite watercolor painting to have Arlenes staff replace its 30 year old frame. Ive relied on this store for years as my source for art supplies. This is my first framing experience with them, and I expect itll be great.

I went in with a full page list of supplies for an art course and left with everything on it! Not only that, they knew the teachers at my school and double checked I had the paints he recommended. The other teacher uses different stuff.Great staff. Cool place.

Bought acrylic paint, brushes, art box. Great staff! Knowledgeable, helpful, friendly.

This is the best art supply store in capital district. Great selection at good prices. Knowledgeable and friendly staff. Great store for students and serious artists.

Love this small business! Some unique items you cant find in other stores. They also offer classes!

First time for everything, Ive never been to an arts supply store beyond Michaels and JoAnnes. I was looking for a gift for a friend who started water color and found just what I needed. I also found some bush microns which Ive never seen in the big box stores. The effect is so lovely. They also hold classes!

They have a lots of items you dont find in craft stores. Their selection of cards is great - again, many not found in card shops. The staff is friendly and very helpful.

Awesome store! Excellent staff!!

They had *exactly* what we were looking for! Hadnt been able to find it anywhere else. Thanks!

Best art supply around, eaverything in on place

I do not like this art supply store at all I find the staff to be condescending and snooty. Im an artist my goal is to become a filmmaker and a comic book artist and I did not appreciate the condescending nasty tone the owner Arlene personally took with me over not stocking adequate supplies for what she considered lowly graphic artists. Comic books are growing industry they are a recognized artform I dont know who this woman Arlene is but I will never patronize this establishment and I will go out of my way to tell as many people as I can to stay away from them. Im sorry if Arlene is living in the past in a world of dinosaurs and hipster steampunk but here in the present and the future sequential art is here to stay as is animation. Im a student living here from Los Angeles and in La we have huge art supply stores that celebrate the sequential arts and animation and have well-stocked shells filled with things and their staff is excited to meet people in the industry sorry about being a rain cloud on your fine art radar!!

They group items in the store by local college classes and professors, so you can go in knowing only the college, class, and professors name and everything you need will be in one clearly marked area of the store. I think some of the pricing is high ( this is not a discount store), so I didnt give five stars.

I ate 7 whole crayons before they cut me off... Lightweights

Staff not very helpful. Felt like I was being watched the whole time but not one person asked me if I needed anything. Never said a word to anyone, felt unwelcome for sure.

This is our favorite place to go for art supplies and framing. Everyone there is so helpful and knowledgeable. Its always a pleasure to visit Arlenes!

Best Art store in the area! Amazing prices and there are frequent sales. Staff is extremely friendly and helpful!

Good at supplies, if youre looking for it they probably have it or can get it

The staff is friendly, the selection is a blend of quality and value. Also has a selection of gifts that are artsy

The best art supplies, the best framing, the best prices, the best and most helpful staff.

Such a nice place, everyone is helpful and so knowledgeable!

My go to art supply store upstate. Prices are very good, service friendly and knowledgeable, and the quality of the supplies is high. Great framing department as well.

So inspiring and the employees are a terrific resource. Its a wonderland of tools and mediums. Love it.

Great place to go for quality art supplies

Great! They simply have everything you need for art supplies and framing needs.

Awesome store, Awesome Staff

Ive been here a few times. The front staff are always great, super helpful and beyond kind.Apparently that kind manner doesnt carry to the back of the store, specifically the framing section. The man was very rude and impatient with me, both through his tone and body language. I would never get framing done by him; Id goto a corporation like Hobby Lobby for a fraction of the cost and time.Sir, if youre reading this, please treat customers with respect. No respect means no more customers, and that includes me.

Amazing selection. Staff a bit aloof.

Great Art and drafting supply store! Always worth the trip.

Lots of art supplies and good people to deal with.

My art store for decades...go there for every artistic need.

Awesome place for screen printing supplies and tie dye supplies. High end quality materials and products. Only place in Albany area to Procion Dyes. (You wont find Rit Dye here thankfully) The staff are experts and knowledgeable about all the products they carry. Cant praise this place enough. 10 stars. Thanks for being there.

Very reasonably priced. Helpful people.

An artists dream . Everything and anything focused on painting, drawing, general art. Limited in crafts.

Has literally everything you need and nice sales as well.

I cannot recommend Arlenes enough. Even though theyre a little bit pricier than Michaels or Jo Anns, the folks here know what theyre selling and can answer absolutely any question you have about art & materials. They can recommend the perfect type of paint for your project or help you understand and resolve problems you may encounter as you work on a piece. You wont find this type of expert advise at big chain craft stores. Plus, their selection of art mediums is MASSIVE. I never knew sprayable Gesso was a thing that existed, and Im glad I found it here!

Went to Arlenes to have a custom frame for my latest piece of artwork. Allen is my number one person for custom framing!

Well-stocked store with friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Friendly and helpful staff with a great selection of art materials.

A bit pricey, but excellent selection and quality. Very knowledgeable staff.

VERY helpful staff, great deals, huge selection, and happy environment makes Arlenes my favorite art store to go to. Great place to get supplies, and get help for any art projectd you might be working on!

Great selection, competitive pricing and centrally located in the capital district.

Best art supply store in Albany. Lots of items in stock at competitive prices.

Not even close - far and away the best art supply store in the area. And makers markets, shows, etc.

Love their selection and prices! Just love to browse!

Staff is always helpful and very friendly

Great selection & knowledgeable helpful staff.

This environment makes you want to create.

My daughter is the artist and she loves this place. They have stuff she cant get anywhere else.

Great selection and now they are offering on-site classes and seminars!

Best place in town to get art supplies

I get most of my paints and brushes here. Great staff.

Best place in the area to get your art supplies!

Love the staff here, lots of great art materials

A wide selection of artist products very friendly staff