Finding Art & Craft Supplies Around Frankston (and beyond)
The most common question I receive at Workshops is where do I get the materials from? Unfortunately the answer is always a little more convoluted than people expect. In reality, we work hard to find the cheapest good quality materials and no single shop (or wholesaler) has everything we need. In addition to that, we’re always looking for reliable stockists and aim to support local manufacturing and small business.
Everybody has the right to affordable creativity; so in an effort to share our knowledge we have compiled this list to help you locate what you need. Like most things in retail, items are ever changing and we will endeavour to keep this list updated. If you have a suggestion that should be on this list, please let us know!
Super Variety & Party Cart
Shop 5/582 Frankston - Dandenong Rd, Carrum Downs VIC 3201
It’s in the name! Super Variety has a huge collection of cheap embellishments and crafting materials that undercut the cost of other variety stores. They’ve recently extended their crafting area with Monte Marte Art Supplies, and sell Birch Sewing Supplies at half the cost of Spotlight. Coming from an Events background, I also have a huge appreciation for their party supplies. The catering supplies are a little pricier so if you have the time I’d suggest going somewhere else, but overall it is a great catch all for art, craft, and DIY.
The only other variety store I can confidently recommend is the Bargain Depot on South Gippsland Hwy in Cranbourne.
Senior Art Supplies
4/72 Dandenong Rd W, Frankston VIC 3199
Filled with what I would to refer to as more ‘traditional’ art supplies; I don’t often source from them for workshops, but have found that they do stock the cheapest Ezy Carve Printing Block (shout out to my Lino participants!). A great option if you are looking to invest in some quality materials and overall a very inspiring store to visit.
Officeworks
351-355 Nepean Hwy, Frankston VIC 3199
While you mightn’t necessary think to head to an Officeworks for your creative needs, they have spent the last couple of years introducing more craft and art materials to their stock. They have great priced canvas, and I often restock my acrylic paints by purchasing one of their multipacks as they have a great colour variety. Furthermore, they have the cheapest craft paper bags I’ve found and while their embellishment collection is small, it’s pretty well priced!
They have far more craft and art stock online (including well priced lino tools and tiles) and with a timeline of 1-2 days for in store pickup, it’s far less waiting than an online order.
Savers
576/578 Frankston - Dandenong Rd, Carrum Downs VIC 3201
If you approach your making with a reduce, reuse, recycle mindset then you know Savers isn’t a place to be overlooked! Something to upcycle in every isle, a wall of bagged and cheap craft resources, unloved craft books filled to the brim with inspiration, rolls of fabric, and abandoned kids craft kits that are ready for you to make your own! Majority of the wool used at our recent Pom Pom Party was sourced from op shops!
It’s the only gambling I do, and if you’re looking to get inspired by everyday objects you can take a trip down to any op shop close to you.
Leaving Frankston
Garden World
810 Springvale Rd, Keysborough VIC 3173
If you’ve never been to Garden World you are missing out. An inspiring outing; the ‘Collectors Corner’ has everything we need for Kokedama Making, as well as a plethora of crystals that featured in our Bee Bowls and will be apart of some other upcoming workshops!
I’d highly encourage Botanical Artists to make the trip. While some plants are pricey, capturing some reference imagery is free!
Art Shed
475 Warrigal Rd, Moorabbin VIC 3189
We are extremely lucky to have the only physical Art Shed location just a short drive away from us. I’ve found they have a great selection of polymer clay and polymer clay tools at great pricing, and also have cheaper print making supplies (most specifically the block ink, tools, and bryers - their blocks are on the pricer side). They also have the most diverse canvas collection I’ve ever seen! I’ve found there customer service to be extremely lovely when calling ahead to check stock, and as an Australian family owned business I’m happier to spend workshop money there rather than Spotlight.
Mandala Art
8/50-52 Malvern St, Bayswater VIC 3153
You might have seen Mandala Mosaic supplies in the crafting isle of your local Bunnings, but did you know the heart of their operations is only a short drive away from us?
The Mandala retail shop is a rainbow of glass, ceramic, and everything else you need to begin your mosaic making journey. It has a pick-and-mix approach to buying tiles (which is great if you need to buy a bulk amount of a specific colour/shape) that is cheaper than the pre-packaged packs from Bunnings. They also often have backboards, kits, and discounted tiles sets available too.
It’s a deceptively small retail space that is kind of curated, if you need more than what is on the shelf don’t be afraid to ask and they will likely produce more from the warehouse.
Resource Rescue
Unit 1/42 Burgess Rd, Bayswater North VIC 3153
While in Bayswater to get your mosaic supplies, think about having a wonder in Resource Rescue! A not-for-profit space that rescues materials from going to landfill, the items are ever changing, and would help beef out the creative supplies of a school, kinder, or specific prop making project. And the best part, you can fill a 54lt bag for just $30.
Go in with an open mind and you may just find yourself VERY inspired.
Arbees Craft
48-58 Overseas Dr, Noble Park North VIC 3174
Arbees is a wholesaler that supplies a lot of it’s craft stock to Spotlight and others. They have an Outlet Store that is open from Tuesday-Thursday 10am-2pm that is filled with crafting materials, beads, and more for as low as 50 cents. They occasionally have ‘fill a bag’ events where $20 you can get you an obscene amount of stuff (you’ll be swimming in it).
Because it is an outlet store the stock is forever changing so you can’t go with a specific thing in mind, but I will tell you about a few things I’ve collected from there in the past to give you an idea: Felt that has been in Christmas Ornament Workshops, packs of Wool Roving for Needle Felting, Pom Poms for Piñata Making, Wooden Christmas Ornaments for Wreaths, Chain and Jewellery items that’ve been used at Polymer Clay Workshops, and SO MUCH MORE. Not recommended for shopaholics!
Happy Craft Supply
20 Hill St, Pakenham VIC 3810
I stumbled across this shop when trying to source a local stockist for Glass Etching Cream, and while I haven’t used them very much I’m very excited by their huge variety of cheap acrylic and product blanks that are ready to be personalised. Great for people doing some event DIY, or who love crafting with a Cricut or Silhouette Machine. I can’t wait to visit them again soon.
Online
Riot
https://riot.com.au/
When I first started Frankston Craft Club, Riot (which then had a warehouse in Moorabbin) was usually my first point of call. They had a huge collection of craft materials that they sourced from local manufacturers at excellent prices, and much of that is still very true of their online storefront.
My only critique is the availability and reliability of stock. If you find something you like, buy it and don’t be surprised if it’s never back in stock!
Notes on the ‘regular’ places
Bunnings
If you’re heading to Bunnings for paint, think about purchasing a sample pot of the colour you want instead of the tubed paint in the craft aisle. It’s slightly more costly than a tube of paint, but you’ll get an opaque cover faster. If you’re not too precious on the variation of the colour, don’t forget there is usually a trolley with a bunch of available mistints. They also have the cheapest packs of Supa Glue.
Kmart
Kmart arts and crafts section offers great value for money. Their seasonal stock turnover means materials and kits are often on sale, either in the section or the assigned clearance area. Therefore you can get everything you need for a fully fledged project like lach-hooking for under $5. The only fall back is that they have been know to appropriate small artist/business’ work when it’s trending. I typically purchase hard to find materials from them over the pre-designed items.
Spotlight
I think for most of the everyday creatives, this is your first point of call and doesn’t really need to be on this list. What I will say is that the fabric costing/variety is good and I love that they support Australian fabric designers, but there are far better places (like those listed above) to locate party ware, lino printing items, canvas, and more. They do often have sales on their Cricut accessories that are the lowest I’ve seen in the name brand.
People often recommend Temu and Amazon to me if I comment on struggling to purchase a specific item, and while I don’t judge people for purchasing from there (we’re in a cost of living crisis and craft is an expensive hobby!) I do try my hardest to support small and local first. The only thing I would recommend (as I have been unable to find it anywhere else) is that Amazon have a great Needle Felting Starter Kit, and Temu have a some great Glass Mosaic Packs. Again these are materials so I know I’m not purchasing something that has ripped off someones IP.
I hope this list has alerted you to even one new location to check out for creative inspiration and materials, and I can’t wait to populate it with even more suggestions as we continue to grow and the creative industry evolves!
If you have any questions or suggestions let us know, otherwise….
Get Craftin’
Brooke