Students, community members and artists alike can find a variety of art and school supplies, novelties and rarities at a new West Wooster Street store.
On August 19, festivities, food, and friendship kicked off the grand opening of a new store, The Art Supply Depo, in the city. “There were so many people that it was even hard to move…we had friends and family, the BG businesses, and even the art college professors,” Owner Jules Webster said.
However, this isn’t the first grand opening this business has seen. If the name of this new store sounds familiar to art students and novices alike, it may be because it originated in Toledo.
“We’ve had the Toledo store open for five years,” Webster said. “We just knew there was a huge demand in Bowling Green and a lot of Bowling Green students don’t have access to cars or have the time to drive up to Toledo, and it just seemed like there was a big gap in the market.”
She also said the bookstore carrying less art supplies meant “it was finally time to move to BG because there was no other option to buy art supplies.”
Webster said the store benefits non art majors because she tries to stock the store with fun, unique, and creative items which could be given as gifts or enjoyed by costumers themselves. The store has everything from socks to soap and includes an array of supplies meant to inspire those who may not be art aficionados.
“One of the first things we try to do in this store is try to have very non-threatening, fun, creative items right when you walk in so even if you aren’t an artist you will have something fun to engage with and that you may be tempted to buy. Something fun, creative, and cute. A lot of non-art supplies too,” Webster said.
In addition to art supplies, the shop plans to exhibit the work of local artists, jewelers and potters as a way to bring the community into the shop. Along with a myriad of other collectables and novelties, Webster made it very clear that this shop is for everyone – not just the artistically inclined. One item in particular she mentioned, a soap fittingly named “Wash Away Your Sins,” gives an idea of the stock the store has to offer.
Sophomore Emily Swanson went to the store with a few of her art major friends to get supplies. Being a student not directly involved in the art program, she described the store as a place where she’s able to find supplies that she could use comfortably while gaining inspiration from the other displays. Swanson said she was particularly intrigued by the beginner art classes offered at The Art Supply Depo She enjoys the location being so close to campus and has already returned two more times to purchase items for herself.
Whether an art major or not, the store offers a 10 percent discount for students with a valid college ID on all non-sale items, and they plan to have seasonal sales as the year progresses.
While this art store is working to appeal to all students and community members alike Webster said they should choose this store over others because “we sell the best quality at the best price you can find. I would not stock anything in the store that I wouldn’t use myself.”
She maintains all the prices below what could be found at the typical big box store to build customers for life in the city.
“We try to offer the best possible products, the best possible product knowledge, and we try to walk people through their projects,” Webster said of students. “We’ll make sure that you get everything you need but we won’t sell you something that you don’t.”
The Art Supply Depoō is open now at their Wooster street location and more information and service hours can be found by visiting its website, www.artsupplydepobg.com, or by calling during their business hours.
