Artist & Craftsman Supply

What Artist & Craftsman Supply does

Artist & Craftsman Supply is a US-based specialty retailer of art and craft supplies, operating under the legal entity Artstock Inc. (incorporated in Maine) since 1985. The company runs multiple physical retail locations across the United States alongside an e-commerce storefront at artistcraftsman.com, targeting individual artists, students, hobbyists, families, and gift buyers. Its catalog spans ten product categories — Surfaces, Painting, Drawing, Sculpting, Crafting, Printmaking, Studio, Specialty, Kids, and Gifts — and carries over 100 third-party brands including Winsor & Newton, Golden Artist Colors, Sakura, Princeton, Speedball, Jack Richeson & Co., EeBoo, and Jacquard. Pricing follows standard unit retail at MSRP with frequent promotional campaigns (up to 40% off MSRP in-store) and tiered online shipping (free over $59, $3 for $35–$58.99, $7 under $35).

The underlying technology stack is built on the BigCommerce e-commerce platform with integrated shopping cart, checkout, and shipping calculation, supported by PayPal and Braintree for payments and Mailchimp for email marketing. Google Analytics and Google AdSense handle web analytics and advertising. The company has no mobile app, no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no patents or trademarks listed, and no API or platform integrations beyond standard SaaS tooling. The product surface is a unified retail catalog rather than a modular platform architecture, and the offering is presented as resold third-party brands rather than proprietary product development.

The business model is straightforward B2C retail: revenue is generated through hardware sales of art supplies across physical stores and the online storefront, with no subscription, marketplace, or platform revenue streams. No funding rounds, M&A activity, leadership changes, or external investment are disclosed, and the company appears to be a privately held, independently operated business. Customer concentration risk on the demand side is low given the diversified consumer base, while supplier-side concentration exists across a handful of major brands carried in the catalog.

Name

Artist & Craftsman Supply

Legal name

Artstock Inc.

Website

https://artistcraftsman.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Artist & Craftsman Supply is a privately held US specialty retailer, founded in 1985, operating multiple physical retail stores and an e-commerce storefront selling art and craft supplies from 100+ brands to artists, students, hobbyists, families, and gift buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Supplies Retail

akta.pro primary industry

General Arts & Crafts Supplies Retail (CRALACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fine Art Materials Retail (Paint, Canvas, Drawing) (CRALACAB), Crafting Tools & Equipment Retail (Cutting, Adhesives, Heat Tools) (CRALACAC), Kids Crafts & Educational Craft Kits Retail (CRALACAG)

Keywords

• Art supplies retail
• Artist materials
• Craft supplies store
• Painting materials
• Drawing supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Art Supplies Sales: Revenue generated from selling art supplies, craft materials, and related products through physical retail store locations and e-commerce online store. Products include paints, brushes, canvas, paper, sketchbooks, sculpting tools, and specialty art materials for professionals, students, and hobbyists.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Artist & Craftsman Supply is a multi-channel retailer of art and craft supplies operating physical stores across the United States and the artistcraftsman.com e-commerce site. It sells a comprehensive catalog organized across Surfaces, Painting, Drawing, Sculpting, Crafting, Printmaking, Studio, Specialty, Kids, and Gifts categories, carrying 100+ third-party brands. The company also offers A&C Gift Cards redeemable both in-store and online.

Product overview

Artist & Craftsman Supply is a brick-and-mortar and online retailer of art supplies, operating multiple retail locations throughout the United States. The company offers a comprehensive catalog of art and craft products organized across ten main categories: Surfaces (canvas, wood panels, paper products), Painting (acrylics, oils, watercolors, brushes, mediums), Drawing (pencils, pens, markers, pastels), Sculpting (clay, tools, mold making), Crafting (adhesives, jewelry, yarn), Printmaking (block printing, etching, screen printing), Studio (easels, furniture, lighting), Specialty (framing, bookbinding, photography), Kids (children's art supplies), and Gifts (art-themed gifts). The company carries an extensive portfolio of third-party brands including Golden (acrylics and mediums), Sakura (pens), EeBoo (children's products), Jack Richeson & Co. (easels), Winsor & Newton, Van Gogh, Williamsburg, Speedball, Princeton, and Jacquard, among many others. The company also offers A&C Gift Cards for purchase. The product offering is presented as a unified retail catalog rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• A&C Gift Cards

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BigCommercecoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform provider powering the artistcraftsman.com online store. Provides shopping cart, checkout, and integrated shipping calculation functionality.
• PayPalcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing partner. Customers can pay for orders using PayPal through the checkout process.
• BraintreecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing partner handling credit card transactions securely through their platform.
• Winsor & NewtoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor art supply brand whose products including watercolors, oils, brushes, and mediums are sold through Artist & Craftsman Supply.
• Golden Artist ColorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremium acrylic paints, mediums, and gel products sold through Artist & Craftsman Supply. Products include High Flow Acrylics, OPEN Acrylics, QoR Watercolors, and various gel mediums.
• SakuracoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJapanese pen manufacturer whose Pigma Micron, Gelly Roll, and other pen products are sold through Artist & Craftsman Supply.
• PrincetoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArt brush manufacturer whose products are sold through Artist & Craftsman Supply stores and website.
• SpeedballcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrintmaking and art tool manufacturer whose products are sold through Artist & Craftsman Supply.
• Jack Richeson & Co.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArt equipment manufacturer specializing in easels, canvas panels, painting knives, and studio supplies. Products include Lyptus Wood easels, metal stools, and Yarka watercolor sets.
• EeBoominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChildren's games and activity products including puzzles, sketchbooks, watercolor sets, and card games sold through Artist & Craftsman Supply.
• JacquardminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecialty art supply brand whose products are sold through Artist & Craftsman Supply.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Michaels: Michaels is the largest US specialty craft retailer with ~1500 stores across art supplies, crafts, framing, and seasonal categories. It overlaps significantly with A&C on painting, drawing, kids crafts, and crafting categories but serves a much broader, more mass-market customer base.
• JOANN: JOANN is a US craft and fabric retailer specializing in sewing, fabric, yarn, and crafting supplies. It overlaps with A&C's crafting, beading, fabric printing, and yarn categories and serves a similar hobbyist customer base, though with deeper fabric and sewing emphasis.
• Hobby Lobby: Hobby Lobby operates ~1000 US stores selling arts, crafts, fabrics, and seasonal merchandise. It competes with A&C on crafting, painting, kids crafts, and framing supplies, though its assortment is broader and skews more toward general hobby than fine art.
• Walmart: Walmart sells entry-level art supplies, kids craft kits, and basic drawing and painting materials across thousands of US stores and its e-commerce site. It competes with A&C primarily on price for casual and kids segments rather than professional fine art.
• Amazon: Amazon is the dominant US e-commerce platform carrying a deep selection of art supplies across all of A&C's categories, often at lower prices and with faster shipping. It is the primary structural threat to specialty art retailers' online share.
• Target: Target carries a curated selection of art supplies, kids crafts, and basic craft materials across its stores and website. While broader and shallower than A&C's catalog, it competes for casual hobbyists, gift buyers, and families at more accessible price points.

Direct peers

• Jerry's Artarama: Jerry's Artarama is a long-established direct-to-consumer art supplies retailer operating primarily through catalog and e-commerce. It carries comparable fine art brands (Winsor & Newton, Golden, etc.) and targets professional, student, and hobbyist artists in the same way Artist & Craftsman Supply does.
• Blick Art Materials: Blick is the largest US specialty art supplies retailer, operating physical stores and a major e-commerce site with a comparable catalog of paints, brushes, canvases, and artist materials across student and professional grades. It is the closest direct competitor to Artist & Craftsman Supply in product range, customer segments, and channel mix.
• Cheap Joe's Art Stuff: Cheap Joe's is an online and catalog art supplies retailer offering comparable brands and product mix across painting, drawing, and printmaking. It targets the same artist and hobbyist segments and competes for the same direct-to-consumer specialty art supply customer.
• Utrecht Art Supplies: Utrecht is a specialty art supplies retailer historically known for professional-grade paints, brushes, and canvases, now operating as part of Blick. It directly overlaps with A&C on professional fine art materials and serves similar artist and student segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/artistcraftsman
• Facebookfacebook.com/artistcraftsmansupply.official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artist-and-craftsman-supply

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Artist & Craftsman Supply