Plaza Artist Materials & Picture Framing

Ok so not a bad selection but a lot of concerns.
My friend and I walk in to buy some basic art supplies and write off the bat as soon as we walk in they ask my friend to leave his bag at the counter. Nothing offends me more than that, it implies we are theifs, I don’t need to give my money to people who accuse me of thievery because I might have a bag with me.
So we walk around and get our items. We walk to the counter and are asked if we have a discount card I say no. We are told that the prices out there are the discount price not what we would be paying more. So I was forced to sign up for a card but I gave them a fake name and address they don’t need my info.
To end it we leave and I look at my friend and ask where is your bag? So we had to walk back. Thanks for the poor service decieving prices and basically accusing every person walking in of being a thief. If you think people with bags are going to steal everything maybe provide lots of customers service not take their stuff! Just saying.

This pertains to the Framing Service:
I used to come to Pla-​Za Art on a regular basis to get prints and posters framed for my office.
So — I bought a GroupOn for $ 40 (value $ 100) to get a jersey framed. Standard size.
I went in and was told the cost to frame a jersey, and have it stitched to a black board would cost — $ 1,500… yes — One thousand and Five hundred $ — but they could get the cost down the $ 500!
When I balked at the price, they tried to work it to a smaller frame — then it was as if I was too poor to afford it, so I could go elsewhere. $ 500 for a jersey framing!!!
Spoke with several friends on the team for which I was trying to get the jersey framed — and they all had them framed for $ 150 — 300.
Major Rip-​Off.
Michael’s is a lot — but their starting price was around $ 600.

These reviews are for framing services. In terms of supplies, this place is great.
Went to the silver spring and downtown locations in the last year.
Downtown: I did feel I was on the end of a hard sale in the framing dept downtown, but the advice given was spot on. End result was fine, but wished I had listened to my instincts rather than the selling. My bad.
My first experiences with one of the women in the Silver Spring location, however, were a nightmare. Not only not that nice, but tried to put one over on me with my final products – both of which frames cost over $ 200, and both of which had real errors, including in how my pieces were treated. Had to go back TWICE for them to fix correctly, and the frame quality was not great. The service I got the last go round was great, with apologies. Ultimately I kept them and didn’t ask for a refund because they were fine, but will think twice about going back.

This feels like a mom and pop shop for art supplies but it has everything i need for my crafting :) the Plaza brand paints and brushes are very reasonable in price and do the job just as well as the more expensive name brands! The only thing I wish they had at this location is classes! :) They look like such fun and Rockville is a bit hard to get to without a car.
Staff is very knowledgeable about their products and super helpful!
Now, if they had beading supplies and fabrics, I wouldn’t have to go anywhere else! :)

I’m not a professional ARTISTE (yes that word must be in all CAPS like a Kanye tweet) but I am an appreciator and hobbyist so this store fits the bill just nicely. The staff has always been helpful and friendly — even when they were swamped with people. And they have just about everything you could need! Well, minus if you’re working on a quirky piece that might require unconventional items… in which I’ve heard that Scrap DC fits the bill nicely. The prices can range from good to a little up there but they do offer an awards program that can help you save on many things in the store. If you plan on coming here more than just once in a blue moon it’s totally worth it to sign up.
Happy creating!

The customer service here is outstanding, everybody was so helpful, nice and happy to be there. If you ever have a question it’s like they have a radar and will find you before you find them. Some of the prices might be a little high but they have good quality stuff and if you’re going to frequent this store definitely sign up for the rewards card, you get 20% off most things that aren’t already on sale and you get a $ 5 coupon to use on your next purchase. They have everything you need here and if you’re into art you could probably spend all day here.

If you’re any type of serious artist, this is the place for you. I went in here looking for a certain type of paper. Granted, artists pay premium prices for their materials, so be ready for a little bit of sticker shock — but they had anything and everything I needed.
I was sent in for BRK Rives paper. Since that was a little too pricey (as I was buying 60 sheets and at 4 dollars a sheet that would have been 240 dollars), I asked one of the stores attendants to help me out. She did her best with her knowledge and went to ask other sales associates for help when she needed it.
All in all, a paper was found that was a better size, better price, the problem was that they only had 1 packet of it in stock. I needed three. They called the other store and had 2 more packs put only hold immeadiately. Customer service here was tops. Also, if you need a really specific type of paper — they have about 400 different types. It’s kinda crazy. You need some sort of paper afficionado to shop in this B (I guess that would be an artist).
I went over to the other Plaza store in Bethesda to pick up the other 2 packs. The guy there was very friendly as well. Great experience Plaza! Thanks for all the help!

As an artist they generally have everything I need. The prices are reasonable and even better if you sign up for their rewards card. Everyone is helpful and friendly.

Terrific service from Vicky, who assisted us with custom framing some prints and artwork. She spent almost an hour showing us different options, even pointing us to less expensive options when she didn’t have to. TWO thumbs up for Vicky!

I’m an art student and need supplies every semester that usually run up a bill of $ 239.61 at a particular art store that I won’t name because I don’t want to hurt their reputation because I really do love the place but they are expensive as heck. After assessing my options, I decided to give Plaza a shot. They have great advertising all over the art school at the University of Maryland and offer good sales and a student discount, so I was more than willing to give them a shot.
I showed up with a list of stuff I needed and was served immediately. Friendly staff roamed around the store making sure people knew where to look for their items. I managed to find almost everything on my list on my own because of how organized the store is, but for the few things I couldn’t find I was helped by one of the friendly Plaza staff members.
I was able to find everything I needed within fifteen minutes, which is a record for me. I usually spend much longer in art stores trying to find everything. Plaza flows really well though, and it’s so easy to find what you’re looking for.
My bill came to a number that was much, much less than what I’m used to spending on art supplies. I was extremely pleased with this, to say the least. Plaza came in for the win, and I will continue to go to them for any art supply needs!

Need something framed? Look no further, I found your winner! My hubs and I Unilocaled, called and visited multiple custom framing stores before deciding to go with this one. It wasn’t even a tough call.
(If you’re an instant gratification fan, or a Dr. Seuss fan, here’s the final product:
)
The shop’s got a laid-​back, neighborhood feel, and when we first walked in I was worried that they wouldn’t be super professional, or careful with our five-​foot-​tall (and expensive) piece of art, or in tune with making aesthetic decisions… but all of those fears were quickly put to rest!
The lady who helped us (wish I knew her name!) was warm and friendly, casual but clearly experienced in handling artwork, treated our piece with care, and was WAY more patient with trying out different looks and putting up with our indecisiveness than any of the other stores we’d visited (which is necessary, I think, given how much an investment framing can be). She let us try practically every frame corner on the wall, and seemed to be as interested and enthusiastic as we were! She was also willing to offer her own suggestions and opinions but was careful not to push them on us.
Not only was the service the best we found, the PRICE was way, way better. It was over $ 200 cheaper than a DC store that was allegedly running a 30% off sale and had offered to beat any price because they were so sure we couldn’t find cheaper. We didn’t even go back to ask them to beat this price, because we liked this store so much better.
We got our piece back on time, and it was exactly the look we were going for! Totally in love with it! We’ll definitely be back here if we need anything else framed!

We have had a number of posters, photos, etc. framed here, and we have always been really happy with the results. They have taken the time to help us chose frames and mats in our price range that flatter the items we are having framed, and while custom framing is always surprisingly expensive, I think we’ve gotten a good value for our money.

if you’ve been to a plaza art store, the place is nothing new. standard art school supplies– wait for the «Back to school» sales to take advantage of the tremendous savings– you’d surely appreciate it if you’re taking a studio class. helpful and courteous staff, good selection.
what i particularly like about this one is the fact its in downtown silver spring and they have this awesome orange cat chilling on the shelves. i love stores with cats. this is why this store warrants a review.

Friendly store that’s worth exploring. I’m always looking for new paper & pens, and their selection is excellent and easy on my wallet. Say hi to the cat.

This is a great neighborhood shop full of lots of materials for artists of every kind. Really good selections on everything for everyone: novice, student, expert, or anywhere in between, with price points to match. For me, it’s like being a kid in a candy store; I want to bring home everything and play with it all for hours. The prices are on-​par with most other art supply shops, and can be a bit on the high side, but they often have huge sales and coupons.
The staff here is always happy to help find an item or answer questions about what product to use for a specific result.
They also have two shop cats (Winston & Newton, named after the paint company), that are just adorable. :)