DeSerres

i found this place on Unilocal,looking for things to do in montreal. i went there as soon as i arrived, and was very happy the store was so big. i checked out the whole place, but didn’t really absorb everything i saw. i had been hoping for a good screenprinting section, and ended up getting big jars of screenprinting ink, screens, lino and canvas… all marked 50% off, and all legitimately less than they would cost elsewhere except online.
there was also a little bookbinding section.
i got some pretty glass jars of acrylic paint, just because i couldn’t resist, but i did not seriously scrutinize the oil, acrylic, paintbrush, paper, or pottery sections, because my bill was like 400. by then, and i couldn’t carry any more anyway. i did notice that some things i would have bought, such as large-​size lino, screen filler fluid, foam printblock rollers, and other-​size screens, seemed to be out of stock. but there was a ton of other stuff, and i also got some really nice big framed wooden panels for painting on.
downstairs there was crafty stuff.
i’m not sure i loved montreal. i went to the fine art museum, which i didn’t like very much. it seemed to be laid out oddly, i suppose because of the climate. there was construction going on absolutely everywhere in the city. but this store was genuinely great.

Vous avez une envie de peindre, de bricoler, d’activités manuelles?! Hey, vous avez trouvé la place!
J’ai été bouche-​bée la première fois que j’y suis rentrée. Quelle choix de produits d’art, c’est impressionnant! On se régale rien que d’y voir tout ce qui est proposé et direct les idées fusent dans sa tête pour certaines oeuvres… On a envie de tout acheter pour créer plein d’affaires.
Chapeau Omer Desserres, je n’ai pas trouvé beaucoup de magasins de ce genre.

This is the mega Omer, the mother Omer, the Berri Omer located on the same corner where the original Omer Deserres existed in 1908 back when it was a hardware store. Dedicated to supplying artists, advertising agencies, local art schools and DIY crafters since 1950 and with branches across Canada you can find fairly much everything you might need to get creative in this creativity complex.
In my experience, it’s great to chat with the staff here about what you’re working on or looking for. The organization is a bit complex because they have so much stuff, so it’s helpful to have one of the wise young art students leading you around, plus: adorable.
The vibe in here is clean, bright and modern, not at all the inspiring sense of dripping with history and the labours of love as you find in true old school places like Pearl Paint in NYC, but it gets the job done in style. Some items suffer from the usual Montréal markup, but they make up for it by having in-​house brands for things like sketchbooks that are really cheap.

Une des succursales les plus complètes! Il y a vraiment une énorme sélection de matériel d’art pour tous les goûts, sur deux grands étages. Elle est également bien située, à quelques pas du métro Berri.
Quand je faisais de la peinture, c’est toujours là que j’allais pour mes fournitures (tubes de peinture, pinceaux et accessoires, carnets et cartons, etc.). Je suis également une grande maniaque de feutres et de calepins, et on en trouve à la tonne chez Omer Deserres!

The reason I gave this store a 5-​star rating and the Guy-​Concordia one a 4 is that this particular store has EVERYTHING. And I really mean it — EVERYTHING. What an amazing selection of art supplies. I’ve come up with new ideas/​techniques for stencil art just by walking down certain aisles of this store. The spray paint selection (which is usually what I buy the most of) is incredible.
My only complaint is that the shitty, lower quality and watered-​down brands of spray paint like Krylon are priced as more expensive than at hardware stores — sometimes priced at the same price as premium brands like Montana. If you want Krylon, buy a $ 2 can at Canadian Tire and don’t spend $ 7 for one at Omer DeSerres. However, the good quality spray paint cans are priced pretty fairly. They have enormous sheets of acetate and basically a section for every craft you could ever think of in the world.
If you walk in here, even if you think you’re not crafty, you’re probably going to want to take up a new hobby with all the neat stuff surrounding you.

Omer Deserres est un incontournable pour les amateurs d’arts. Quel que soit notre projet, on y trouve les matériaux dont on a besoin. De plus, ils ont un beau coin papeterie.