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Heather joi's avatar

There are too many stories like this, unfortunately. Seems like the only art stores around are plaza and dick blick. I know Jerry's has a storefront in NY somewhere I think. I really dislike shopping online for art supplies. They don't even do catalogues anymore which was tolerable. Ugh.

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Dumb Pollock's avatar

“ I have always wanted to grind my own pigments.”

One of the most frustrating changes since 1995 has been the closures of many excellent art supply stores in NYC as it was transformed from a Irish middle class town (Daredevil comics hinted at this) to a rich man’s playground. You would think you went to heaven if you saw Pearl Paint in Chinatown. All 8 floors of art, art, art. Everybody were artists, staff, students, teachers, customers. On the fourth floor was oils, nothing but oil paints, linseed oil, mediums, gesso, everything in their hundred of brands. There were jars from small to giant jars of pigments along with mixing bowls.

There were other good states like NY Central Art Supply with beautiful stock of art papers from all over the planet. But nothing like Pearl Paint. The international rich then started buying up real estate as a safe haven for their money after Rudy crushed crime in 1995. Many families saw the astonishing offers for their houses and moved to Florida. With bigger asset prices came bigger loans and bigger interest on them. Which pushed up the demanded leases. Suddenly, the artists and workers and middle class couldn’t afford the housing so more move out. Art world narrowed to a very few spots in the City.

Pearl Paint tried mail catalog and other locations in big cities, but I guessed that the family lost interest after closing their store. A pity as this was THE legend in the art world.

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