Urban Source

This is one amazing art supply store. They make scrap into an artist paradise. yes they have the most interesting things you can imagine and wonder why people would throw them away.
Useless into Useful things.
I like the concept.

We needed wrapping for some last minute holiday gifts we’d bought (a lot of stores on Main Street don’t seem to offer it) and walked by here.
At first I said we shouldn’t go in because it looked like one of those really expensive specialty paper stores where each roll of wrapping paper is a ridiculous $ 15. But we noticed some unique stuff and decided to give it a try.
Turns out they have all these alternative art sources at a great price! The thing that had caught our eye were these hand-​drawn architecture blueprints (in pencil, with light coffee stains and everything!), for only $ 2 each. It was plenty big enough to wrap a large box. There were some that were newer and printed if you don’t want it to look so rustic.
We also got little bit of twine for about $ 1. I like that you’re not forced to buy a giant roll for a higher price that you’re never going to use up.

It’s like a crafter’s paradise! I’d like to think that if I opened my «fantasy» craft room to the public it would look a lot like this place. Bins and boxes and shelves perfectly organized and everything in its place… lots of inspirational projects on display. This may not be your typical craft store, but then again it’s not meant to be. It’s a place to come and feel inspired and maybe buy something you never thought of using in a project. Can’t wait to visit again.

Such a neat little store — definitely one of a kind! I grabbed a bunch of specialty crafting items and for a very good price! The staff are very friendly, and the prices are great. A lot of unique items as well. Will return next time I am in Vancouver.

I love this place. I really do!
I come here for ephemera and collage sheets, and for all my mixed media supplies. They have tiny tiles with letters, papers of all sorts, notebooks, takeout boxes galore, and trinkets for all your needs. The only problem is ensuring you have enough change to keep the parking meter running, or ensuring you can transport your newfound finds home on your bike! Fear not though, the third option is to hop on a bus — the store is conveniently located on Main Street!

Craziest art supply store you’ve every been too, love to randomly visit as the stock is ever changing. great concept and great prices.

It’s been six months since my last review of this little spot and all the previous sentiments ring true. But after my last two experiences, this review was in need of a quick update.
Last week, I set out into the world seeking:
Stamp Ink.
Seashells.
Tiny glass vials.
Anchor charms.
Blue tags.
Gift bags.
I made one stop.
Event planners take note: this place is a saving grace. They have bailed me out of more Amazon fails then I can count and usually come in under even Eddies Hang Up and online prices. For instance — I ordered two bags of seashells off Amazon for $ 6.99 a piece. They came in smaller then anticipated and required a trip to Point Bob. The following day, I wandered into Urban Source and took home a kraft bag FULL — for $ 3.
Over the last few months, this place slowly evolved from a craft hobby wonderland to a work place necessity. The service is still brilliant, the prices rock, and from here on out — they are my first stop for party essentials.

Awesome and dangerous. I don’t go here nearly as often as I want to because I come home with a large amount of stuff that I then need to figure out what to do with. But when I do need something for that random art project, this is the only place to go!

Urban Source is unbelievably wonderful, it’s always adorned with beautiful creative pieces.
There are staple project pieces accompanied by new stuff now and then. Staples include acrylic paints, brushes, gift wrap, a variety of different kinds of boxes, little trinkets and an assortment of paper. Urban Source is especially good at making gifts look absolutely spectacular with colourful gift bags, tissue paper, and ribbons.
My favourite part is taking a large paper bag and rummaging through the bins of miscellaneous crafting ingredients. Another plus is that the people behind Urban Source are super friendly!

This place is so small but it somehow always has exactly what I need!
The other day I had a crafting emergency and I realised it was already 5:05! Oh no – Dressew was closed! Michael’s sucks and is overpriced! What was I going to do? Once a person gets a crafting itch, it’s not going to go away easily!
I dashed over the Urban Source, and sure enough, sitting on the shelf was the most perfect, glorious bottle of Mod Podge I ever saw!
The selection here is eclectic, random, but most importantly, inspires creativity! Unlike places like Michael’s which I am pretty sure are designed to suck all the creativity out of you with their pre-​packaged crafting sets *puke*.
Come here and explore the selection — you won’t regret it!

As other Unilocalers have mentioned this is a great craft place to get inexpensive supplies for teachers, students, and the kid at heart.
If you’re looking for something very specific like 5 by 8 photo frame, they might or might not have it. The magic of this store is the randomness of materials. With some imagination, you can turn the scraps of leather into covers for handmade journals or the rolls of shiny paper into a robot.
Go play, I highly recommend it.

I was here in 2014 for the first time and I absolutely adore this place! I’m very fond of craft/​office supplies in general, but as an artist/​crafter, I felt like I was in paradise. There were so many little things I couldn’t find in other places that were like little hidden treasures. Such a nice, organized store too! Prices are great too. I really love it here and can’t wait to visit again.

Oh. My. Urban Source knocks my crafting socks off.
On my most recent trip I got a whole bunch of small glass bottles, perfect for making little terrariums or lights in, microfiche, a box, a bunch of photos, stickers and oh man so much more.
This place is the perfect centre for any crafter. Full of one persons’ trash, Urban Source has a whole bunch of treasures for me.
The staff are super awesome, there are tones of ideas and there’s always new stuff to dig through and be inspired by.
They have a great selection of maps, papers and more for all your crafting needs!

Stop here before ever setting foot in a dollar store. I don’t give out 5 stars often but this place is a Vancouver treasure.
As a place that recycles waste into inexpensive craft materials for those with creative minds,. this place is a win-​win-​win.
People can come here and find all sorts of papers, plastics, and metals — only the most boring humans on earth could not feel inspired here to make SOMETHING. It is a great place to go if you have to cobble together a card, a trophy, a costume,. what I really like is the buy a bag and stuff it.
Awesome for kids (ages 4 – 65).

Teaching Resource Heaven.
Maybe others come in here and find a little something here and a little something there — but I wanted it all. Oh, okay, not the smallish things that are choking hazards. Everything else was fair game.
Oblivious to the giant poster with bags underneath as I entered, I wasn’t sure what «bags» all the signs were referring to. I asked a girl working and she was more than helpful. Reminded me when things were «bag worthy» and when things weren’t.
The idea is that one half of the store has giant bins of random stuff (film slides, reflective circles, glass eye droppers, and so on) and you can get a bag (sm, med, lg — all priced differently) and fill it up to the brim! Some things are a free for all and others have it stated «3 in bag or 45cents each.» The other half of the store isn’t a bag zone, prices are extremely fair and marked accordingly.
I am very happy with what I got. I have some film strips and film slides for the light table, giant topographic map, tear off coupons and medals for dramatic play. Lots of tiles, swatches of leather, and a whole whack of reflective and translucent materials for new sensory experiences with the toddlers!
I am excited and glad I finally visited this place after having it bookmarked for months!

Urban Source is the shit. Recycled crap becomes art supplies as you fill your fit-​what-​you-​can paper bag and dream up all of the excellent things you’ll make with all that crap. Paper, foil, plastic nubbins, bike lights, stencils, fabric scraps, you name it. There’s also a decent selection of new craft supplies for making everything from gift boxes to earrings to giant animal sculptures.
I have so many paper bags full of craft dregs sitting around my house. Just because I can dream it doesn’t mean I’ll do it. I hope you are a bit more dedicated.

Top off the parking meter and check your left brain at the door. This is a right brain kind of store that you can spend an afternoon in.
Consider this the anti-​Michaels. They have enough materials to make a lifetime of craft projects but no instruction book or craft kit in sight, just a glorious medley of this and that with endless possibilities. The best part is the fact that these are materials that have been diverted from a trip to the landfill and gathered for us to buy for ridiculously cheap prices.
Although you can buy materials by the piece, the most fun is to pick up a fixed price small, medium or large bag and see how much stuff you can possibly fit into it. You might consider warming up a bit before coming to the store by packing a suitcase or playing tetris to maximize your packing potential!
Vicky, the helpful and friendly owner, limits the quantity that you can get of any one individual item for the fixed price bags, but there is no limit to the total number of different items you can pick out.
The shop also has a nice selection of fancy papers and the supplies you might need to build your craft masterpieces. I will be a frequent visitor as the inventory will always be changing.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Urban Source! Scraps of paper, tissue, card, postcards, old photographs, nick-​nacks, mini bottles, stamps, letterpress pieces, glass viles, wood, swatches, and all the craft supplies you can imagine ever needing (or not having realized that you needed them beforehand) you will find here. It’s so much fun rummaging around and filling your paper bag with fun materials that spark crafty ideas. There are different sizes of paper bags and which vary slightly in price, but are nevertheless very cheap considering all the stuff you can fill it with! Just mind the limits on each item.
Definitely check out the sculptures the owner creates and hangs around the store and on display by the windows! So eclectic and creative.
Great for kids crafts, or anyone’s crafts for that matter. Love it here! I can spend hours rifling through the bins.

Urban Source is like every great idea I had as a kid, actualized. Buckets of leather scraps, bins of neon buttons, swatches of vintage fabrics, beautiful old keys lined up in a row — the rotating stock of material is an endless source of craft inspiration. But it’s even more than that: the walls are lined with practical tools like pens and glue, and from the ceiling hang the most amazing handmade scrap sculptures (built by the owner herself!).
This craft/​surplus/​thrift store carries a little bit of everything and I have yet to leave the shop empty-​handed. Urban Source is my go-​to place for cheap, slightly irregular, and entirely unexpected craft materials and supplies.

A cute little shop with a rotating stock of fun surprises.
There is a little bit of everything in this place. It’s a great place to find materials to make your own cards as well as super cool art projects for kids. This store makes me wish I was a kid with hours to play with all these fun supplies, a glue stick and some scissors (forget those stupid safety scissors).
Some items are a wicked deal. Like the bike reflector I got for 15 cents. Hells yes. But then there are other supplies you have to wonder why they are so pricey. Mostly this is in reference to the beads, wire and metal embellishments for jewelry making. Otherwise, the prices here are pretty awesome.
Come check out and be creative. Excellent place to pop in on a lazy Sunday afternoon.