Blick Art Materials

“One of our largest retail partners in the Fine Art channel are the folks at Blick Art Materials. While over the years, I have heard from artists and other retailers that they felt that Blick is the big, scary, corporate monster- I have to disagree; I've worked with those types of companies before and that's not these folks.  I smile a little when reminding people that our industry's largest chain retailer is a family-owned business, who treats their employees very well and offers a great deal of support to local and national arts initiatives.   

We are very excited for their new concept store in Evanston, IL where they are applying some best practices in modern retailing, and creating rich experiences for guests with their Art Bar.  As mentioned here before, service,  innovation, education and experience along with solid supply chain are what is going to help shape the future of retail in the digital age.

Besides being a long-time partner, going back their first store, Blick Art Materials is a fun group of people to work with.  We always look forward to their Mid-Western sense of humor, their passion for their company and their hospitality when visiting with them and look forward to a long, bright future together.” – Kyle Richardson, Vice President, Royal Talens North America

BLICK Art Materials is committed to providing the widest selection of art supplies at the best prices. With extraordinary service and integrity, we strive to ensure that artists, educators, students, and our employees have the tools, assistance, and training they need to grow, innovate, and reach their creative potential. With a commitment to the arts, our customers, and the community, we hold steadfast to art education and the belief that artists and their creativity continue to help solve the world’s complex problems, enrich culture, and fulfill our human need for creative expression. These same principles were definitely born from our early beginnings.

The company’s founders, Dick and Grace Blick, printed the very first Dick Blick catalog in 1911, which was in the form of a small printed pamphlet featuring its first product, a best-selling lettering pen. Their warehouse was their home kitchen, and their shipping department was their local Galesburg, Illinois post office. Today, BLICK Art Materials is in its third generation of family ownership and is the largest provider of art supplies in the United States. With 64 retail stores across the country and our DickBlick.com website packed with over 90,000 products, we find that we are the choice for virtually anyone requiring quality art materials for work, fun, school, or all of the above!

Inspired by our entrepreneurial roots with an ever-changing arts landscape, we are constantly exploring new ways to support how artists work and shop today. With the exciting launch of our remodeled Evanston Store, we are pleased to feature some fantastic highlights that will allow artists to try products in a new test environment. One of these highlights is a beautifully lit Try-It Bar, a place where group demonstrations are held and artists can experience quality products against a backdrop of inspiring and colorful paint jars. Another highlight is the Spray Paint Wall, a visually stunning fixture that is stacked floor to ceiling with the largest assortment of sprays in the Chicagoland area. Not only is it nice to look at, but it’s also an easy way to get the exact color spray paint artists want and need.

“Our dedicated team has worked incredibly hard on this project. We are very excited to have a completely reimagined art supply store in Evanston. It’s better lit, easier to shop, and features many more opportunities for customers to interact with and test products. It’s truly fantastic to see this store come to life from its beginning stages until now, and is sure to be a destination for artists and the community. ” (Bob Buchsbaum, CEO, BLICK Art Materials).

The Evanston store carries a new collection of artisan-made arts lifestyle products, home goods, kids products, and art prints. This includes everything from pillows and apparel to jewelry and gift items. We also have an expanded selection of artist-preferred mediums and materials like paints, textile art, studio accessories, furniture, pen-and-ink products, and professional makeup. All of these new items are in addition to our excellent selection of the top art supplies in the industry that have been mainstays and a major part of our vast selection every year.

Of the many supplies found in our stores, we are proud to feature Royal Talens products. Known for bright, brilliant color, the Ecoline Watercolors and Brushmarkers truly work well together. Customers and store associates alike have experienced the many uses of both products for painting, drawing, illustration, lettering and more. In addition, we also carry Rembrandt Soft Pastels, which are known for their purity and intensity. Being made from the purest pigment, they are mixed with the finest kaolin clay binder and go over very well with beginners and professionals alike. Customers have expressed their love for Rembrandt oils and pastel. We can’t wait for more people to try out these great products for themselves in our newly redesigned store!

When we hear the name Royal Talens, we immediately think of rich color. This year, we were thrilled to celebrate the Van Gogh lines along with the Oscar-nominated film “Loving Vincent”.  BLICK has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Royal Talens over a number of years, including visits to their headquarters in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. We genuinely look forward to many more years of continued collaboration together.

BLICK Art Materials
www.dickblick.com
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