Online Store is improving!
To make it easier to find the items that are available an indexed search engine has been installed that updates every day.
The soft launch had found many items are difficult to find but with this new search engine, it is far better. You can find this search engine on our main menu throughout the website as well as the top of the store itself.
Don’t be surprised by the popups, it is indexing to what you may be wanting and showing images and departments in how it is organized within the webstore. Please use the “search for art materials” engine for finding the products only. The normal magnifying glass on our site is for all posts. Still the best way to find our classes is by the “event menu” button.
A “buy now button” has also been added to the search engine findings/popups so it is faster to purchase what you may be needing. Its also learning. As more people use it, it starts to offer suggestions. Such as Daniel Smith watercolor is a very popular brand. Far more popular compared to Talens. So……..it may suggest you want to look at Daniel Smith. This is only when it is typed in incorrectly in my experience.
Please remember it is an evolving and improving store so as we are informed of the difficulties, we will be editing them as we go along as any artist should be doing when being critiqued.
One concern by the community is I, as the owner is phasing out the physical store. That is not the plan. The plan is to have available items from home to be purchased and ready for pickup due to weather, open/close hours, life scheduling and lower pricing online.
Please remember that the sales floor has its own pricing as all brick and mortar stores do compared to online pricing. This is because the items are guaranteed in stock if you are holding it. As well as our staff is assisting your purchase and knowledge of the products for a better experience. If you purchase online, the average wait time is 24 hours to process the order and let you know its available for pick-up. If its out of stock, it may take 10 days depending it is in stock in the warehouses.
How manufacturers offer better pricing for customers is by how much the retailer purchases from them. You will see in-store pricing go down as more online sales are occuring because large manufacturers will then offer better pricing in bulk purchases.
Improvements already in action are:
- the updating photos and descriptions of the items.
- MSRP and actual price of the item listed together
- More Art Materials that are on the sales floor already.
posted earlier –The Online Store is open!
I know many of our customers have been waiting a long time for the Art Store to go back online. As you all know, I, Keith Kendall the owner has been fighting for my life to survive the slim chance to live I was gifted. I can say today, I did it. Last therapy was started last week. My brain fog was cleared within hours. Ask me about it any time, its a wonderful cure. My quality of life has returned in full.
As for the online store, it is up and being edited every day for workability and descriptions. The prices are shown on all products in the present and as it is updated. The physical store on 6th street has 8000 different items. The online store is starting with 27,000! Yes, that is a lot of items. Its also a lot of variety. To do this soft launch I am not offering any shipping through the webstore at this time. I am however offering pick-up in the store which would never have shipping costs as well as I get to see my community that supported me through my trauma. If possible, I may be able to deliver in the Prescott area if there is enough staff and demand.
If your order is in need of shipping, I can request a dropship of the materials to other states in our union. Cost can be discussed in person or by phone. The goal is to have this offered at the checkout of the online store items and it will be shortly. However, as you all know, we artists work in very unusual materials at times. Shipping is tricky with multiple small items and a 24×36 canvas and a gallon of mineral spirits.
What kind of prices can you expect? Some of the items will be at the MSRP such as pencils. A lot of products are at reduced amounts. I know that our locals do not wish to order from large corporation online retailers to benefit the elites and would rather order through a local store that its owner has known and cared for their projects and assisted their practice for years. I know this because my community has requested to keep the Art Store in business. Being in business for over 25 years, this store has been the Artist’s Candy Store and will continue to be as long as it can be done. I merely needed some time to recover. In 2019, I announced then I will be modernizing the store and it’s offerings………….life can change with determination and better surroundings.
Each day the online store will be updated for the department images, item images and descriptions. It is, you can say a creation in itself and needs some creative touches as all art projects do.
Just some of the discounts you will find at this time:
- the Golden Artist Color line is at 25% off
- the Gamblin line of oil paints is at 25% off
- the M. Graham line of paints are is 40% off
- the Daniel Smith line of watercolor paints are at 25% off
- Pre-stretched canvas will be offered at deep discounts as well.
- Brushes will be offered at major discounts as well.
- You will find many other great prices as well in the paper linesPlease remember the online store will have the entire offerings of brands such as Liquitex, Grumbacher, Iwata………there are too many list.Please give us time to fulfill the order if the product is in our stock in town, it will normally take 24 hours to do so. We will contact you when it is available for pickup. If it is not in stock in the Prescott store, we will be ordering weekly and can inform you if the entire order is in stock in our vendors’ warehouse out of Las Vegas and Reno. Yes, there are shortages everywhere as you know. There are also many products being discontinued, and the online store will be updated as this is announced in the future. We also do not just order from one vendor so each week we will be checking both warehouses.
How do you access the online store? Click on the “Order Art Materials Online” button on the top left. You should be brought into the store (which I know is disorganized at the time, I promise it will get better as I have…….theres no quit in me). Or you can click the image to the right.
The items that have not been put in the online store at this time are mainly pottery clays and decorative paper.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. May we all find the new year is beyond our wildest dreams. May the new “libertyfly” that is now on the front of the store bring positive energy to us all.
