An art and craft super store in Bangalore

I absolutely love visiting a craft supplies store out here in the USA. For one thing it kindles my creativity and another, its fun just going over the hordes of stuff that people do and need supplies for. I'm sure most people from India would feel the same way.

I remember when I was in school and needed supplies for a project all I had to do was run to the neighborhood "fancy" store, yeah that's what they were called, atleast in Bangalore, and ask for the specific item I was looking for. If I needed craft paper (or more aptly color paper) there was only 1 kind, at the most 2 and one kind of glue and one kind of card board - K.G card board (if that's the way it is spelt and hmm, I wonder why it was called that).

Every aunty I knew in my neighborhood had an interest in art and craft. My mom knew how to emboss on metal, to sew and knit and my neighbors and family friends could knit, crochet, paint on canvas, on cloth, on ceramics, embroider, whole saris sometimes, make beautiful fake flowers, carve, emboss, make quilts and the list runs on. And to buy supplies for any such thing, right, they just visit the neighborhood fancy store.

So I've often wondered how a craft super store might do in India. Imagine different aisles for different kinds of supplies. An aisle for painting supplies, another for needlework, another for paper crafts and another for floral supplies... Imagine the different kinds of paper and pencils a little kid could buy for her school project and everything at her hand's reach! Imagine stacks of yarn and tonnes of colorful embroidery thread and different kinds of paint and scrap booking supplies. Beads and glues and stencils and paper cutters and craft kits. Imagine wheeling a shopping cart through these aisles and loading it with everything you want. You know I just might open one such store in Bangalore.

Comments

  1. If you need a partner to set up your store I'm in! :-) And we could organize little sessions where we even taught the arts and crafts.

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  2. yeah vini - i remember the 'fancy stores' which used to be a one stop shop for our school projects.
    The other day we wanted to buy some cellophane paper(for one of Binu's photography experiments) and went to the big stationery stores looking for it. None of them had it and guess where we found it at last. Yeah...at a 'fancy store'

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    1. do you know about hobbyideas store in India for art and craft

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  3. Cellophane paper! That's a new kind of paper. Or is it the same polythene paper we would use to wrap our school books in after wrapping them in brown paper?

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  4. Cellophane paper is this transparent polythene paper slightly thicker than the ones we used to wrap our books in. You get them in many colors. Mostly used to wrap candies and gifts .

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  5. I couldnt agree more with you VinE(remember the english teacher :D ). I am not a crafty kinda person but yeah love to visit such stores like Hobyy Lobby and Michales. In India I think we are more taught to make things out of waste like show box, ribbons etc.
    I have always struggled to come up with novelty ideas for craft and art, I wonder what am I going to do when Chinu asks me help him. Guess what will send him to VinE :)

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  6. Count me in, in case of any plans of opening such a store in Delhi :)

    cheers,
    Shalini

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  7. hey, came across your blog while searching for craft stores on google, Hobby Ideas is an arts and crafts superstore in bangalore...chk tht out in your nxt visit here :)

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  8. another nice store to get bunch of art and craft supplies in bangalore is gangarams gallery. They even have professionl art material, even the simple stuff...ribbons and sequins.
    hobby ideas shut down but it was nice..a store like that would do really well in bangalore.

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  9. oh really? Thanks for the info. Do you know if Gangaram's has knitting yarn and accessories (needles and such) as well?

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  10. There are a lots of shops in Bangalore with yarn and needles in Avenue Road and around Commercial st. Check the Craft Supply Page on my blog.

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  11. Soemthing like that in Bnagalore would be a dream come true. We do have a couple of craft store now who supply mostly painting stuff and threads..but hardly any variety for crafters..

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  12. Hey,

    i was looking around for my card making supplies.... stumbled on your space.... It was nice & informative... Why did u stop writing... Please do post.... do not stop... I would love to read what u write.... & I'm sure it would be helful too....

    I am already crazy looking for one Stampin Up! kinda store here at Bangalore... which would help me with all those standard materials that would help me a lot.... Because of shipment issues they are not doing any business here in India.... But I love their stuffs..... Very professional & innovative.... One thing I long for is the snail adhesive..... There is no one good store here at Bangalore.... I am sick & tired looking for one....

    Hey I am glad I came here.... I would continue to drop in when in need... & would be following u too.... DO WRITE, DO NOT STOP!!!! GOD BLESS!!!!

    Ash....
    (http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

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  13. Thanks Ash. There are these small stationary stores on and near Commercial St where I remember my "Architecture" studying friends used to buy supplies from. If I remember correctly there was one on Kamaraj road just next to Comm St. Sorry don't remember the name. They used to have all these wonderful kinds of paper and tools.

    And thanks for the much needed encouragement. I've been on vacation and after that have had flaky internet connectivity the past few days so been offline mostly.

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  14. Hi, we are really in need of one such store in Bangalore. After my daughter's birth, I gained interest in knitting but finding it difficult to get knitting accessories including yarn. I came across your article while searching for stores selling knitting yarn. I would be happy if I can do anything for you.

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  15. Thanks Anonymous for the offer. I'm only a dreamer not a doer unfortunately. But all this interest in this post is actually fueling my imagination some more and now I think maybe this is doable. Hmm.. need a vacation to think about this. Hey wait, I AM on vacation!

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  16. hey.. i'm interested in glass bottles painting.. but i don't find a place to get the glass paints, and all the other stuff required for glass painting.. Hope your such store will help out!! Thank you...

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  17. can u give me this shops address

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  18. As far as I know the best craft store in Bangalore is Itsy Bitsy.
    Itsy Bitsy carries the largest variety of scrapbooking supplies & an amazing range of crafts for professional crafters & great products for school projects

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    1. Thanks ,Bitsy is a very nice store, i got what i wanted :) thanks again

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    2. Thanks ,Bitsy is a very nice store, i got what i wanted :) thanks again

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  19. Yes I have been to Itsy Bitsy & I believe that they are the best in the country as I have lived in Mumbai & Delhi

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  20. Itsy Bitsy is the best craft shop in Bangalore

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  21. Rathar than wasting money and time at itsy bitsy you better take some time and go to avanue road. That the only place where you get variety of everything along at very reasonable prices.Make a good list of all the materials you want as you cna just buy some interesting things extra to be used for future as per your craft-interest.

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  22. does anyone know a place or shop in bangalore where i can get big thermocol balls say 10cm diameter ones... badly looking out for some of them

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  23. Great thread!! I would like to know if anyone's interested in opening a yarn shop in Bangalore.... Please contact me lubnamba@hotmail.com

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  24. I totally agree with you Vinita, I used to search high and low for things, having lived in the US before coming to Bangalore. I found it hard to even find tissue paper because it was available in "book shops" aka stationery shops and called kite paper.

    Last time I was in the US I spent hours in the big stores thinking we need one of these in Bangalore and how come someone hasn't opened one yet and maybe I should do it!

    Then yesterday, I found to my delight, a shop called Itsy Bitsy that sells a little of most things. Not a huge selection but I was astounded - they had some jewellery making supplies, lots of scrapbooking stuff and basically all neat in packets hung on aisles. I found out from staff that they have two shops in Bangalore and one in Delhi and they export mainly, but don't supply to other stores in India.

    Anyway I hope this helps others who want the easy life and not have to search in the bylanes of bazaars.

    And yarn shops or any other speciality shop _ I'm still waiting.

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  25. Hi iam new to Bangalore and iam looking for lace with hanging beads. Please give me the details where i can find this lace..

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  26. Hi all, The new exclusive HOBBY IDEAS store will be launching on 12 Sept 2012, at Indiranagar 100 feet road, opp Barbeque nation. You can get a lot of stuff related to art & craft there. Please do visit :-))

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    1. Thanks Anonymous, for your info on the craft related stores in Bangalore. I will be visited Bangalore on 10dec. I need a rotary cutting mat . Hope I am able to get one there. Thanks once again

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    2. Thanks Anonymous, for your info on the craft related stores in Bangalore. I will be visited Bangalore on 10dec. I need a rotary cutting mat . Hope I am able to get one there. Thanks once again

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  27. Now a days peoples are liking to buy supplies through online. Because they don't want to waste their valuable time. online office stationery shop in India

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  28. Good blog with useful information. Thanks for Sharing. Browse and find the right colors, get popular colors, preview your colors virtually in your own room with Paint Your Place, Paint Dealers In Bangalore | Plumbing Materials Suppliers

    ReplyDelete

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