Located on Madison Ave., Lakewood Art Supply has served local artists since January 2022. In its four years of operation, the shop has seen a steady flow of customers satisfied with the unique store offerings.
Artistry runs through the family of store owner Galadriel Olsen. She and her family moved to Lakewood, hoping to continue their art careers. “We’re a family of artists, and we went looking for [a] local art store, and there wasn’t one in Lakewood at that time,” said Olsen. After researching how to start a business, Olsen opened Lakewood Art Supply to share her love of art with the community.
“But my mom was an artist, my grandma was an artist. So that goes way back. My husband is an artist. Our kids are really interested in art,” Olsen said.
Gray Olsen, one of Galadriel Olsen’s children, attends Lakewood High School. She shows her passion for art through working at the store and pursuing art in school, taking AP-level art classes. “It’s kind of just like an outlet for me, it’s a way to relax,” Gray Olsen said.
One of those children is Gray Olsen, a student at Lakewood High School. Gray works at the store and pursues her own artistic interests, including AP ceramics. “It’s kind of just like an outlet for me, it’s a way to relax,” Gray said.
The store thrives on the support of local artists. Autumn Sabin, an art teacher at Lakewood High School, is a customer of the store who often looks for supplies to buy for her students.
Sabin highlighted the store’s clay, which the students use to make papier-mâché. “They have a clay that feels like Play-Doh, but then when it dries, it dries to be like cardboard,” Sabin said.
The store stocks many unique art supplies, catering to the different media needs of every artist. “I feel like here, they’ve got things that are very specific for certain creators….I know one of the things they have is polymer clay that, like people can use for cosplay,” Sabin said.
Lakewood Art Supply also offers workshops for the community to attend. “The next workshop that’s coming up is like a craft cafe, we have splatter paint for kids and families,” Olsen said.
The events interest even veteran artists in the Lakewood community. “I’ve never attended them, I always see them on Facebook or Instagram…I want to try because it’s like materials that maybe I haven’t tried out before,” Sabin said.
The store also features a “community free art gallery” where customers can get art pieces and support local artists. “We are just more community-based,” said Gray Olsen.
Lakewood Art Supply’s location was very deliberately picked, succeeding because of the support from the Lakewood community. “Lakewood has a lot of artists who live here… [the city is] really friendly to small businesses,” Olsen said. “And so that’s a huge part of why we wanted to open our shop.”
Despite the typical challenges that come with running a small business, Lakewood Art Supply has been successful and continues to grow. The store’s unique inventory and inspiring environment continue to provide opportunities for new and experienced artists.
