Artist & Craftsman Supply announced today that it is closing its Long Island City store permanently (Photo: Artist & Craftsman)
July 23, 2020 Staff Report
A large art supply store that opened off Queens Boulevard in 2014 has closed for good.
Artist & Craftsman Supply, which has locations throughout the county, announced today that it has shut down its 10,000 square foot store at 34-09 Queens Blvd in Long Island City. The company’s other New York City locations– Park Slope, Williamsburg, Bushwick and Harlem–will remain open.
The company issued a statement on social media today announcing the permanent closure of the Long Island City store.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the difficult decision to close A&C Long Island City permanently,” the company posted on Facebook.
The store had an enormous supply of product, which met the needs of local painters, printmakers, sculptors, knitters and crafts enthusiasts. Furthermore, there were an array of items for children.
The firm opened the Long Island City store in 2014 in response to an influx of artists.
“We opened here because we wanted to be close to the train, have a big space and be near lots of artists,” an employee of the company told the Queens Post in 2014.
The company, which is based out of Maine and is 100 percent employee-owned, said in its Facebook post today that it was unable to keep the location afloat.
“Our staff and senior managers have put great effort into the store, but due to the conditions of the local market and the financial losses we have faced, we are unable to sustain our operations to make business viable.”
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10 Comments
Once again, Sunnyside can’t keep the good ones. All Sunnyside leaders that helped gentrify sunnyside are starting to see their efforts throw up on itself. They failed you all
A store that sells spray paint and street paint would be successful nowadays.
With many people moving out of the city a lot of people are giving out their junk for free.
What a loss to our neighborhood. This was a great store run by friendly, helpful staff.
This is very sad news. This was a real art store. Yes, had some of the vibe of pearl paint on canal but better. I hope that after business occupies the new construction in the area, they could come back.
Artist and Craftsman will be missed. This store actively worked with the community and provided a wonderful place to inspire creativity for all ages. They shared their space with local artists to provide lessons. Great place to come for gifts and art supplies. For those who knew Pearl Paint on Canal Street, A&C carried on the torch of creativity.
So sad. I am glad Taylor Swift released a new album today. Music makes people feel better.
That’s too bad. Really like walking around and getting lost inside this place. Staff were very friendly and helpful.
So sad because it was a great well-stocked store for art supplies.
This is the worst. Having A&CS in the neighborhood was just the best, and I personally relied on them for the past few years- really sorry to see them go.