Art Creations' new location near Hamilton Place is selling a lot more than art supplies.
"We are excited about bringing upscale framing and education to the area and being able to give the area a true arts shop," said owner Tony Mines.
Art Creations art teachers Mollie Haynes and Sandra Washburn pose with Art Creations employee Casey McIntyre, from left. The new Art Creations location is home to two art education classrooms. A list of classes being offered is available at www.art-creations.com.The new 7351 Commons Blvd. location features a variety of home décor items, a custom frame shop with certified framers, a variety of art classes and an expanded product line of fine and graphic art supplies.
"This area had a real need for a good quality, upscale frame shop," said Mines.
The frame shop will include the latest equipment and upscale molding, and Mines said it will be the only one in the region to employ a guild certified framer.
The new store location has also enabled Art Creations to begin offering art classes, a service Mines said people have been asking about for years. Classes are being offered on a variety of topics and are taught by nine local artists whose expertise ranges from silk painting to multicultural design. For a full list of classes, times and costs, visit www.art-creations.com.
Although the new location has allowed Mines to expand his business, he said his products and services will continue to serve local artists.
"Art Creations is geared towards the artist: people who paint, draw and create," he said.
Mines said the downtown store will remain more of a professional artist store since so many of the city's professional artists live and work in that area, but the Hamilton Place store will also carry an expanded line of art supplies that may be different from those offered downtown.