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Urban Source
Category: Shopping Arts & Crafts Art Supplies Art Supplies [Edit]
3126 Main StVancouver, BC V5T 3G7
Neighbourhood: Mount Pleasant
(604) 875-1611
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 10 am - 5:30 pm
Sun 11 am - 5 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
18 reviews for Urban Source
Review Highlights
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"it's a crafty/artists treasure trove of." In 5 reviews -
"...coming in here and getting inspiration for a new project." In 5 reviews -
"Extremely awesome selection of materials." In 5 reviews
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18 reviews in English
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Review from Malloreigh M.
Vancouver, BC
3/6/2012
Urban Source is the shit. Recycled crap becomes art supplies as you fill your fit-what-you-can paper bag and dream up all of the excellent things you'll make with all that crap. Paper, foil, plastic nubbins, bike lights, stencils, fabric scraps, you name it. There's also a decent selection of new craft supplies for making everything from gift boxes to earrings to giant animal sculptures.
I have so many paper bags full of craft dregs sitting around my house. Just because I can dream it doesn't mean I'll do it. I hope you are a bit more dedicated.Listed in: Exceptional Vancouver
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Review from Cathy S.
2/10/2012 3 Check-ins Here
Top off the parking meter and check your left brain at the door. This is a right brain kind of store that you can spend an afternoon in.
Consider this the anti-Michaels. They have enough materials to make a lifetime of craft projects but no instruction book or craft kit in sight, just a glorious medley of this and that with endless possibilities. The best part is the fact that these are materials that have been diverted from a trip to the landfill and gathered for us to buy for ridiculously cheap prices.
Although you can buy materials by the piece, the most fun is to pick up a fixed price small, medium or large bag and see how much stuff you can possibly fit into it. You might consider warming up a bit before coming to the store by packing a suitcase or playing tetris to maximize your packing potential!
Vicky, the helpful and friendly owner, limits the quantity that you can get of any one individual item for the fixed price bags, but there is no limit to the total number of different items you can pick out.
The shop also has a nice selection of fancy papers and the supplies you might need to build your craft masterpieces. I will be a frequent visitor as the inventory will always be changing. -
Review from Emilie C.
1/30/2012
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Urban Source!! Scraps of paper, tissue, card, postcards, old photographs, nick-nacks, mini bottles, stamps, letterpress pieces, glass viles, wood, swatches, and all the craft supplies you can imagine ever needing (or not having realized that you needed them beforehand) you will find here. It's so much fun rummaging around and filling your paper bag with fun materials that spark crafty ideas. There are different sizes of paper bags and which vary slightly in price, but are nevertheless very cheap considering all the stuff you can fill it with! Just mind the limits on each item.
Definitely check out the sculptures the owner creates and hangs around the store and on display by the windows! So eclectic and creative.
Great for kids crafts, or anyone's crafts for that matter. Love it here! I can spend hours rifling through the bins.Listed in: Main Street Must-Visits
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Review from Kat S.
4/11/2011 ROTD 2/9/2012
A cute little shop with a rotating stock of fun surprises.
There is a little bit of everything in this place. It's a great place to find materials to make your own cards as well as super cool art projects for kids. This store makes me wish I was a kid with hours to play with all these fun supplies, a glue stick and some scissors (forget those stupid safety scissors).
Some items are a wicked deal. Like the bike reflector I got for 15 cents. Hells yes. But then there are other supplies you have to wonder why they are so pricey. Mostly this is in reference to the beads, wire and metal embellishments for jewelry making. Otherwise, the prices here are pretty awesome.
Come check out and be creative. Excellent place to pop in on a lazy Sunday afternoon.Listed in: Main Street Favourites, Rockstar Of The Day
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Review from Robin M.
5/2/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Urban Source is like every great idea I had as a kid, actualized. Buckets of leather scraps, bins of neon buttons, swatches of vintage fabrics, beautiful old keys lined up in a row -- the rotating stock of material is an endless source of craft inspiration. But it's even more than that: the walls are lined with practical tools like pens and glue, and from the ceiling hang the most amazing handmade scrap sculptures (built by the owner herself!).
This craft/surplus/thrift store carries a little bit of everything and I have yet to leave the shop empty-handed. Urban Source is my go-to place for cheap, slightly irregular, and entirely unexpected craft materials and supplies. -
Review from Sarah O.
11/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
I adore this place: It's like walking into a storybook. Really great material and inspiration for your next craft project. Urban Source is like the gateway store for making magical creative afternoons to happen. It warms my belly thinking about this bodacious store.
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Review from Traci B.
Vancouver, BC
1/17/2012
Selection of funky random bits and pieces for unusual art projects and crafts. I went in thinking there might be printing supplies available, and walked out with nice papers and a printing block of the letter T. Definitely worth stopping in if you're in the neighbourhood.
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Review from Jenna B.
Coquitlam, BC
12/29/2011
If your ever in need to do a multimedia project, collage, art or crafts project Urban Source is the place to go for cheap materials. Items are on the cheap, and you can get a bag and fill it with items for around $6. For $6 you can't really go wrong. The will often have fabric, speciality paper, wood pieces, vinyl, film canisters and an assortment of almost anything you can dream of.
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Review from Doris C.
Vancouver, BC
8/29/2011
Half the fun of going through this store is discovering strange items that you just have to have for an art project, even though you've never seen the thing before and have no idea what it is!
The main focus of the store is industrial waste that has been rescued from the landfill and holds myriad craft opportunities. You buy a bag and fill it up with what you want. The bags come in 3 sizes; for 3 different prices, of course. This is a really good deal. You can get a lot of stuff in those bags. Items sold separately, outside the 'bag' section, tend to be a little expensive.
I agree with one reviewer, that sometimes it's rather repititive and one would think Urban Source could find some different 'waste' to offer us, rather than the same thing, over and over. The limits on how many pieces you can put into your bag is also annoying. If you are a teacher, you will never be able to get enough items for your whole class, which is too bad because I think this place could be an incredible source for cash-strapped teachers.
All in all, though, this really is one amazing store. If the service wasn't usually so rude, I would have given it a higher score. Sometimes the staff simply chat amongst themselves, even while they're ringing up your purchase, never even acknowledging your presence.
Good note, though: The last time I went there (about 6 weeks ago) there was somebody new working and she was fantastic! First time, in 10 years, anybody really tried to offer good customer service. Maybe the tide has turned!
Never mind the lacklustre service, though. Visit it for the surprise treasures you're going to discover. -
Review from Wendy C.
Vancouver, BC
4/18/2010
This is a great place to find things to get u inspired. Random attack!!!!
Prism paper HELLO!!! And I love the buttons and tacks and the pretty paper. If you want a chinese food takeout box...here it is.
The "fill a paper bag" deal is absolutely what you should do.
Make crafty magic out of stuff you never thot possible! Go for it!Listed in: I like-A-Lot!
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Review from Kreag S.
Vancouver, BC
1/15/2009
If you're crafty then you have to get your butt over to Urban Source..it's a crafty/artists treasure trove of..well..crap really...but what only looks like a bunch of garbage and crap can have the potential for greatness if in the right hands...
They sell tons of stuff that is normally just thrown away..it's like recycling for arts sake..if you need..let's say...10 feet of telephone wire...80 CD cases...4 pieces of clear Lucite and 90 buttons...them Urban Source would be your one stop shop of choice!
It's truly a creative minds utopia!Listed in: My Main Street Mainstays
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Review from Miranda L.
Vancouver, BC
8/10/2010
Urban Source is this crazy little Main Street shop that somehow takes unwanted industrial scraps and similar junk and turns it into a crafter's dream.
You can always find things here that you've never even thought of, and that you will never find anywhere else. My only complaint is that I find that much of the store is full of the same stuff time and time again, otherwise I would go more frequently.
Disclaimer: unlike Michaels *choke* or the like, this place will actually require you to get creative to come up with new ideas for what the heck to do with the stuff you find... It's like cooking from scratch with whatever you find in the garden rather than popping in a TV dinner and calling yourself a cook.
Enjoy the process!Listed in: Crafty Vancity!
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Review from Anita C.
Vancouver, BC
6/15/2009 1 photo
i miss the black kitty cat that used to wander around the store. I'm told that one day the kitty just left and decided to start a new adventure.
not much I can add to what others have said before. lots of leftover stuff that needs to be recycled by future crafters! Other than this kinda stuff, they have nice small boxes for gifts (that are new), very pretty and unique ribbon and the prettiest pretttiest (wrapping) paper! so pretty that I would buy a sheet just so I can frame it!
Sometimes I come in here for inspiration when card making or just looking for some cool ways to wrap presents. They are also really helpful with ideas! -
Review from Isabelle G.
Vancouver, BC
2/21/2011
I sometimes find Michael's to be uninspiring when it comes to crafting unless you know what you're looking for. I got to Urban Source if I am in the Main Street area and even though the stuff is 100% recycled, it's a great source of inspiration that has made awesome Holiday and B-day cards for under $1, unique 'zine covers and awesome party art. I am all about crafting, however, I am all about waste management and recycling material and making it new. I get the small bag which is $6 and you can fill that bag with more than enough material, my last bag lasted around 4 months and I do some heavy crafting. Extremely awesome selection of materials. The trick is to squish the stuff down as much as possible down in the bag. I have also been guilty of ignoring their min requirement selection which often they don't seem to really care about if you're honest.
Listed in: Favorite Places on Main to…
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Review from Jay S.
5/31/2009
If you're visiting from the US and you love Re-Store or SCRAP in Portland, OR - i.e., you like buying 2nd hand supplies for crafting - this is your stop. If you are a crafter - you really must come here...Urban Resource is amazing.
This place specializes in selling cast-offs from local businesses & manufacturers that can be used to realize your artistic vision: scraps of wood, big color chips from a hardware store, hard cardboard shapes, the edges of diecuts to use as stencils, foil, sponges, keys, tons of paper, containers, string, etc. etc. etc...it goes on and on.
You can buy by the piece or - BONUS - you can buy a bag, stuff it with everything you possibly can, & get it for a flat price. One side of this small-ish store front is dedicated to the recycling, the other side sells the things you need to assemble or finish your project: different adhesives, stickers, envelopes, letters, etc.... It's amazing what they fit in here.
The examples of items created at Urban Source are very cool & inspiring. The space itself is laid out like a boutique and feels kinda fancy compared to other stores of its ilk.
If you're into funky crafting, Urban Source is a must! -
Review from Tara T.
BC
11/27/2008
If you're a crafty type you'll love Urban Source. This place has art project goods galore! The most nondescript and unusual items can be found here form cardboard, to bangles, to pieces of laminate. They have sparkly things, tactile things, colourful things, and sticky things. A friend of mine comes here to collect bits and pieces she can use to make her Christmas cards with - a great idea.
If you've got children and have run out of babysitting ideas, head to Urban Source and let them run wild. Take a brown paper bag (one of three sizes), and let can fill it up with whatever takes their fancy. The price per bag is fixed, so they can run amuck with what they choose to put inside.
This is a great place to feed yours or your children's imagination and creative qualities. Another great Main Street original. -
Review from Emily H.
Vancouver, BC
11/3/2008
What a treasure trove. I LOVE coming in here and getting inspiration for a new project. The little signs they put up with suggestions on how to use the materials they sell definitely help get the ideas flowing too. I'd say 50% of their items are nifty little things you wouldn't know where to find otherwise, and 50% are more common items you see fairly often, but never thought about it a crafty context-- until you stepped into Urban Source, where everyone can get their Martha Stewart on. Seriously. Makes me want to quit school and just glue things to other things all day long.
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Review from J G.
Vancouver, BC
9/19/2008 2 photos
Urban Source is a crafter's or a parent's dream come true. This store carries reclaimed materials for artistic re-use. What, you may ask, do they carry? Just about anything that you might have used as a youngster to prettify a homemade card to make a collage or a mobile to hang over your bed. If you are looking for such things as magnets, film tins, thread spools, telephone wire, used ceramic tiles, the plastic containers that keep your flowers in water while they're being delivered, pieces of unusual fabrics, metallic paper stock, glue guns or just about anything else, they have it here. And it's all inexpensive. You can even put together your own little grab-bag of selected goodies for a few dollars depending on the size of your bag. This place is perfect for anyone who makes crafts or is, perhaps hosting a party for little ones who like to glue and paste. In an era of pre-fab everything, Urban Source will bring out the crafty originality in anyone.
