H
e thought a little more, called on his experience
operating a traditional art supply store for five years,
spoke to a web design company, and together they
came up with his new online store – Artsupplies2u.
“Every time we used to go to Christchurch, the first place
I wanted to go was the art supplies shops,’’ he said, adding
he realised many of his artist friends were doing the same
whenever they were away from home.
But that still didn’t solve the issue of running out of the
product you needed when it could be a month before you
were next in a major city.
The more he watched his wife Rhonda buy her quilting
and craft supplies online, the more he realised ‘on-line’ was
a service he could offer artists throughout the country. No
longer having the overheads of a traditional shop meant
his pricing could be highly competitive, with the customer
being the winner.
He admits he has been hugely lucky being able to call
on Draw Art Supplies’ Gareth Evans, when it comes to
understanding why different paints and mediums act the way
they do. Between them they are able to answer most of the
more “interesting” questions artists have a habit of asking.
“It is really important to know about the products you sell,
and to have ‘played’ with them yourself, so you can explain
how to get the best results out of them,’’ Steve said. He has
a policy of only stocking products he personally is willing to
use when he does find time for his own art.Squeezing that last dollop of paint
from the tube, and still needing more,
used to frustrate the heck out of
Steve Manson. It was that frustration
- and the four hour round trip to
get another tube - which started the
Timaru artist thinking: How good
would it be to be able to order your
paint and art supplies online from
someone who really knows their
products, and then just sit back and
wait for the courier to deliver them?
The font page of the new Art Supplies 2 U web page.ADVERTORIAL