I am passionate about affordable art supplies. I’m also passionate about our ability to make art with non-traditional art supplies or inexpensive art supplies. Craft stores, Target, and Dollar Tree are fine. They have their time and place. But there’s nothing more satisfying than finding the exact art supplies you need, at the exact moment you need it, for fifty cents. Long live thrift stores, am I right?
General tips for finding art supplies at thrift stores:
- Research prices. Understanding thrift store prices requires practice and patience. Unfortunately, you’ll probably overpay at times- it’s part of the process. I keep seeing thrift stores selling brand new, never opened art supplies from Dollar Tree for twice the original price, if not more. [If you see anything from the brand Crafter’s Square, don’t pay more than $1.25, that’s all I’m saying.]
- Know what you’re willing to negotiate: What kind of condition is acceptable? Can you be flexible about color? Do you care if someone wrote their name on something or if it’s branded by a company? Do you need this item RIGHT NOW or can you wait a couple weeks?
- Keep a running wishlist…: If you have some projects in mind but aren’t on a specific deadline, use the notepad in your phone to keep a shopping list. That way you can pick up supplies as they’re available.
- …and check often: When you find yourself at the thrift store, stop by the art supplies aisle and give it a quick peak.
- Be willing to experiment: You might have thought you needed glue, but would another fastening tool work, like tape? Instead of using construction paper, could you color paper from a lined notebook?
Art Supplies (and also Office, School, and Stationary Supplies) You San Find at Thrift Stores:
- Pencils
- Pens
- Markers
- Colored pencils
- Crayons
- Yarn, string,
- Glue, glue sticks,
- Paint
- Paintbrushes
- Paper (construction paper)
- Coloring books
- Scissors
- Glitter
- Stickers
- Popsicle sticks
- Pipe cleaners
- Staplers, staples, and staple removers
- Rulers and compasses
- Liquid erasers
- Calculators
- Printer paper, grid paper, and lined-paper
- Hole punches and three-hole punches
- Erasers
- Rubber bands
- Thumb tacks
- Clipboards
- Tape and tape dispensers
- Highlighters
- Paper clips and binder clips
- Filing folders and filing cabinets
- Notebooks
- Pencil case
- Index cards
- Labels
- Binders
- Folders
- Notepads or sticky notes
- Planners
- Calendars
- Envelopes
- Notecards
- Individual cards and packages of cards (blank cards, thank you cards, invitations, announcements, etc.)
- Journals and diaries
An Example of a Basic Thrift Store’s Art Supplies Section
These pictures were taken at a Goodwill near my parents house. I’ve been going to this Goodwill since high school and it has never been well-stocked or organized AND YET I’ve thrifted some of my most amazing treasures here. The art supplies is unorganized, random, and (often) low quality or partially used. Things are just kind of tossed on the shelves, which is understandable. Sometimes you might find similar items, like paint or ribbon, into plastic bags. If you’re willing to dig a little you might hit gold. Also, Goodwill sometimes has brand new overstocked items from stores like Target, so that’s worth looking into.
Here’s what we’re working with:
An Example of an Organized Thrift Store with Minimal Stock
This thrift store is one of my favorites in my home town. It’s big, clean, and mostly organized, its clear effort has been put forth to sort things into bins and labeled. I would say there’s more office supplies than craft supplies, but that’s ok! I like to take advantage of the folders, binders, and pencil cases to keep myself organized, and they’re practically new.
An Example of a Fully Stocked and Very Well Organized Thrift Store
THIS! This is an absolute gem of a thrift store. The PTO Thrift Store in Ann Arbor benefits local schools, which is an incredibly worthy cause and I feel good spending my money there. Here’s why I love this place: There is an overabundance of organization and labeling. It is easy to find what you’re looking for and find things you never knew you needed. Because this is an extra nice thrift stores they don’t accept all donations, which allows them to offer a higher quality items and maintain control of the floor.
Everything you see here is craft related!
