Graphaids Inc

Location CLOSED!!!
Closest location:
3030 South La Cienega Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90 232
(310) 204‑1212

Graphaids on Santa Monica Blvd is CLOSED! They have moved to their 3030 S. La Cienega location.
In my opinion, they are the best art store in the city because the people who work there know a lot about their materials and have helped me numerous times over the years in answering questions about what could/​should be combined with what. I’ll make the drive over to La Cienega to go there.

Wow! Excellent customer service at the Santa Monica location. My teacher recommended us to use this branch and now I can see why. Mike was especially helpful — offering to deliver my supplies since I was unable to make it to the shop by closing that day. I will definitely pay the extra dollar to use a company that cares about their customers. Thumbs up!

I am an artist. And as a student I have found Graphaids to be more expensive as well as less helpful when in comes to customer service.
There are days when I have visited the store and was treated very well especially by the female employees. But I must say that when they are not there I have been ignored by male employees and treated like an inconvenience when I asked any questions. I only distinguish the employees by either male or female because I do not know any of the employees names. I wish I did so that I may provide a better evaluation for Graphaids, in case they ever care to read any of these reviews. I also don’t appreciate being followed around the store as if I’m going to steal items. This has happened numerous times and is unacceptable in my opinion. And verified when I visited the store with my mother, whom I’m assuming they saw had money, and I was treated better than I had ever been in the store. I had no hawk eye on me when looking at brushes, pens, markers, etc. And the man who usually ignores me could not wait to be of service to my mother and I.
I’m not sure about the Santa Monica store but the store in Culver City does not give you any money back for returned items. I tried to return items that I purchased only two days previously and they would only give me store credit. I was completely unaware that this was their policy and as a starving student it is actually very detrimental to me financial. I simply needed to return the items because I need the money and found that I will not be needing those materials any longer.
So now I am stuck with a store credit in which I will be forced to use at their store to buy products I can get at another store for less expensive price. I will never go back to Graphaids (unless I absolutely have no other choice) after I use up this store credit.
I highly recommend a store like Utrecht. They are less expensive and I have never had a bad experience with their employees. They are overly helpful if I were to say anything bad. Blick is also generally better in price range and customer service.

On my first (and so far only) visit to Graphaids, I walked in with a supply list from a Santa Monica College art class I was taking. I am a complete painting novice, and had no clue what I was doing. I simply handed my list to one of the salesgirls, and she walked me around the store and helped me pick up supplies.
So… on one hand, I was impressed with the attention to detail and customer service.
On the other hand… I had explained to the sales clerk that I already owned certain items marked on my supply list, so didn’t need them. She apparently didn’t listen to me very carefully, because after I’d walked out with my purchases, I realized that I already had four or five of the acrylic paint colors that I’d unwittingly purchased… and Graphaids doesn’t allow returns.
I suppose that I should have double-​checked the list myself, but I really relied upon the salesclerk to understand what I was asking for (or, to ask questions if she didn’t).
I will probably buy my art supplies elsewhere from now on (as soon as I’ve exchanged the 5 unnecessary paints).

Graphaids is the SPOT!!! Good service & even better deals. The lowest prices on canvases I’ve see yet!

the 40 percent sale that never was… I went to the sale yesterday dec 3^rd. it is 40 per cent off list… I bought a large natural turpenoid, $ 79.99.and two cans of spray paint. 6.30 ea. the total came to $ 60.59. they charged me $ 12.25 tax. I didn’t notice till I got home. I called most times got a recording, finally got hold of an assistant manager. he checked the register was programmed to charge more than double tax.
If other people don’t notice where does that extra money go… into their pocket?
I hope that they will refund me… in fact I will insist on it. They should refund all those customers. DO YOU THINK THIS IS AN HONEST MISTAKE… ALL DAY SALE… CHARGING EVERY CUSTOMER DOUBLE TAX???

I’ve been to a lot of art stores and I worked at one for 2 years and this is by far the messiest store I’ve been to.
I know artists and art stores aren’t about cleanliness but this store was just so messy and unorganized, it was distracting.
I saw employee’s just roaming about, not doing much and I kept thinking they should try relabeling shelves, or make better display signs for products and organize the store better to make a more pleasant shopping experience for the customer.
They do have a good selection of materials but some people wouldn’t know because items could be scattered throughout the store and you or they wouldn’t know.

Good variety of not only art supplies but cool books, industry magazines such as Communication Arts (great annuals), paints, calligraphy supplies, cool nicknacks that are good small gifts for kids, drafting supplies and furniture. Helpful employees give friendly advice about store inventory and their school discounts apply to school employees as well as students. Occasional closeouts on various items are some great deals. Added plus is the small parking lot behind the store and relatively easy street parking.

The staff here is amazing! I’m a design student and gets lists of supplies for all my classes, and I come here and the employees walk around with you and help you find everything you need. They seem to like where they work, and want to help you… I will warn do NOT go to the LaCienega store if you want this kind of attention, they do not seem to either like customers or their jobs, I’m not sure which one. They also offer a great student discount of 30%, will order supplies for you, and it makes spending a couple of hundred dollars on art supplies a little easier to take when it comes from people who smile and have made your life a little easier.

So let me preface this review with the fact that I am not, nor can I ever claim to be an artist… yeah, art and finance are really close, right? :P However, when my sister asked me to stop and pick up an acid-​free paged leather portfolio and a couple of supplies I couldn’t have a clue about, the store clerks were amazing.
They helped me find everything, weighed out the pros and cons of the pricier vs. less pricey brands, and then proceeded to remind me about the 30% student or 10% professional discount. When I explained it was for my sister and that I didn’t have a student ID, they gave me the discount with no problem.
Overall, a very knowledgeable and extremely helpful staff + eager to give discounts = a happy Unilocaler.
Downsides — I can’t comment on prices vs. others, but this is the one my sister recommended for their selection. Also, they have a return policy that involves only exchanging for store credit, which is a bit conservative.

The best customer service I have encountered at an art supply store. I drove to Graphaids on my lunch break with a list of 60+ items I needed to purchase for my interior design class. A sales rep, an older lady, immediately helped me and found every item on my list, which took about an hour. She was patient, friendly and recommended good quality supplies that weren’t super pricey.
Graphaids also gave me a 30% discount for being a student. YIPEE!
However, Graphaids gets a minus star for their no returns policy. What happens if you drop a class and need to return all your supplies?: P

Great supply store for those in the artistic field. Caters more of the technical designers rather than traditional painter-​types. Good deals and extremely informative on any questions that might arise. Good selection of templates and equipment. Friendly staff and my only knock on it is that there isnt one here in the desert.

I’m not really that big of an artist, but whenever I’ve had to get art supplies Graphaids has always had what I was looking for. The thing that’s so great about Graphaids is the 35% discount students receive (not 10%, as someone else said).

Before I head out to any other art store, my first stop is always Graphaids. You get a 10% professional discount, which means I don’t have to lie about being a student anymore. Don’t judge — tons of people do it, too. They always mark down their Liquitex acrylics — my weapon of choice — and find I save more money here than Blick’s, formerly known as The Art Store. (Even with my Blick’s Preferred Member status discount.) Furthermore, their selection of canvases, brushes, paper and portfolio supplies are superb for a small store. Remember, this isn’t an Art Super Store. This is definitely a place for fine artists and those that are in the league of creative professionals (graphic designers, architects, storyboard artists, etc…), but I wish their selection in the sculpting and jewelry making departments were a little more extensive or at least existent.
I always end up with more supplies than I «need» upon exit, but excited to return home to try them out.

Graphaids has a decent selection of artists’ and graphic designers’ supplies, but not stocked as deep as the chains this small Santa Monica store competes with, including Blick, Utrecht and Pearl.
Graphaids does win in the service department, since the layout is small and the store makes an effort to hire clerks who are artists on the side. They’re more attentive and make good recommendations.
Students get a 10 percent discount when they show their school identification cards.
Transit access: Metro Local line 4/​304, and Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus lines 1 and 10.

Some people love the smell of new cars, I love the smell of new pencils and acid-​free paper.
Graphaids has everything most amateur artists need, as well as a decent stock of gift items. For some reason I always think you can’t get tombow pencils in the states, but you can, and graphaids has them. Prices a bit higher than blick’s, selection is smaller, but you’d be supporting a local chain. And what a fun name to say. graphaids!
Also, apparently there are new purple non-​pint pencils now! how cool, and wow I have been out of it.