“The Arts Connect” Conference Continues: Part XXVIIII – Artist and Craftsman Supply
November 5, 2009Arts Connect Conference Supporter Artist and Craftsman Supply
Since it first opened its doors in 1985, Artist and Craftsman Supply has outfitted the creative culture in Portland, Maine with art material and spirit. Though the company has grown to embrace 14 retail locations and web-site commerce, the basic principles of operation have remained true. The flagship store is still located on Deering Avenue under the guidance of the company’s founder and president Larry Adlerstein.
Tom Konieczko is the head of school sales at Artist and Craftsman Supply’s flagship store and has worked with Larry, general manager Steve Kenney, and the rest of the staff for the majority of six years to help foster the continuing growth of the creative spirit in Portland.
When the city’s artists unified in 2003 to paint fiberglass lighthouses to be displayed around the city and auctioned for charity, Artist and Craftsman Supply sourced the correct material and just the right varnish so these artists could protect their creations. When the University of Southern Maine’s Office of Community Service and Civic Engagement partnered with local school children to paint murals about Martin Luther King Jr., Artist and Craftsman Supply helped provide material for the project and traveled to the painting site to lend support.
Having attended the Martin Luther King Day event Tom was tremendously impressed by the sense of community in Portland and enjoyed helping the city’s children articulate big ideas into form.
Artist and Craftsman Supply has hosted art shows with work from local schools. In April of 2009, they featured ‘Zombies on Exchange Street’ by the students at Portland Arts and Technology High School.
These are a few examples of the ways Artist and Craftsman supply has helped support the growth of the arts in Portland. More importantly, however, is the fact that they like to grow with their customers. This year, Artist and Craftsman Supply sponsored the Arts Connect Conference for Educators. In Tom’s words:
“I had the opportunity to reconnect with our customers on their soil. Whenever I attend an event like this, I am truly impressed by the seriousness with which our state’s art teachers conduct their classrooms and the camaraderie displayed by this group of individuals. I have long marveled that a small city like Portland can support a retail store the size of Artist and Craftsman Supply on Deering Avenue. It is still the biggest store in our company. We hear from customers on regular occasion that they have moved to Portland to have better access to our wares. It is difficult to find a ‘real art store’ north of Boston. I believe that the presence of Artist and Craftsman Supply has helped the city of Portland grow into an epicenter of art reminiscent of the size and scope of its bigger brothers further south.”
Artist and Craftsman Supply
540 Deering Avenue – Portland
207.772.7272
http://www.artistcraftsman.com
me arts ed 
Thank you for attending our conference. The little green paintbrush “freebie” has proved quite popular in my classroom! I appreciate all you do for schools and artists, providing high quality “field-tested” materials for schools and a wonderful selection of artist materials.
Sounds like I need to email Tom and get my “little green paintbrush”.
I am one of the lucky people who live within walking distance of Artist & Craftsman. It’s an invaluable resource and a great place for gifts, not to mention a wonderful walking field trip when our daughter was very small and needed some materials for fun, artsy, projects or hand-made gifts. The staff has never steered me wrong with their advice when asked on the advantages or disadvantages of certain products or in explaining how something worked. It’s rare to find sales people who know about the products they are selling. Although it’s now part of a larger number of stores, the Portland location still feels like a little neighborhood store always committed to helping its community.
Thanks for adding your local perspective Barri Lynn to the Artist and Craftsman Supply post. Must be fun to live so close to them