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Jan Hankel from Designs by Jan in Gladstone, Missouri

“We’re a home-based retail business. Customers buy products from us to use in the workshops we have here and for their own projects. People especially like the stamping workshops because there are so many different techniques to learn about.

“The rubber stamps (1) from Paula Best are unique. For example, there are dogs and cats with wings, and within the wings there may be a face or words. There are stamps with different body parts or fun quotes. They are unlike anything you’ve seen before; they’re really fabulous.”

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Patty Musgrove from The Bead Store in Carrollton, Virginia

“Crafters like G-S Hypo Tube Cement (2) for making jewelry because it has a tiny needle nose that is great for applying glue to small spaces without overflow. It’s a permanent glue that dries fast and holds well. It can be used for a variety of art projects besides jewelry.

“Ott-Lite TrueColor lamps (3) really bring out the true colors of pastels, watercolors, or whatever medium the artist is using. Artists can even work at night, and it’s like working en plein air.

“There are several products that I use for my own artwork. Yupo Paper (4) is a non-absorbent, synthetic paper that’s great for watercolors and acrylics. It has a really interesting texture, almost like plastic. You can also make copies on it, use it for collages…I haven’t finished exploring all of its different uses!

“The Rotring art pen (5) distributed by Chartpak is a refillable pen that’s made for calligraphy, but I like it for drawing as well. It comes with two extra cartridges of black ink. The handle of the pen is shaped like the handle of a brush, which makes it easy to use. It’s a very interesting tool.”

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Georgette Carroll from My Scrapbook Shoppe in Port Charlotte, Florida

“One of our most popular vendors is QuicKutz, which is an entire personal die-cutting system (6). The whole line does fantastic, but customers seem to like the shapes and alphabets best. They’re high quality and have a good price point. We like them because they’re so easy to store. The die cuts are wafer-thin, so we keep them in plastic sheets in three-ring binders. It’s great because they don’t take up a lot of room in the store.”

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Kerry Kemp from Art Outfitters in Little Rock, Arkansas

“People drive here from all over to check out our selection of easels (7) from Mabef. They’re exceptional quality, and there is a wide range of sizes and prices available. We try to keep a variety in stock because it seems the wider the selection, the more we sell. I like working with Mabef because they’re friendly to small retailers; they give us the same deals that they give to larger stores so we can compete.”

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Jack Walser from Walser’s in Torrance, California

“ColArt makes Reeves mini easels and mini canvases (8) that retail for $2 each. The easels are about 5 inches, and the canvases are about 3 by 3 inches. We started carrying them around Christmas, and I think artists like them because they’re new and unique, and cheap. They come in a small, countertop box so they’re easy to display and sell.

“In the middle of last year we brought in a French line called Fragonard (9) from Pebeo. New lines always take a while to catch on, but customers really seem to like this one. The line includes a variety of products, like oils, watercolors and dry pigments. They’re high quality artist-grade materials, and they’re doing really well.”

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Scott Rote from Herweck’s in San Antonio, Texas

“Gamsol from Gamblin (10) is an odorless solvent that can be used for thinning mediums and cleaning brushes. It’s a less hazardous solvent. Many of the college professors have been buying it because it’s a better option to use in closed environments like classrooms.”