To create an art piece, you need the supplies. And for the supplies, you need a store to find them.

Here, I’ll be listing a few art stores I’ve been to, and will rank them by the pricing of a specific product, the accessibility (online store, locations) and range of products, and then will give it an overall rating along with a description of the vibes.

The art stores are grouped by location below: Băneasa Mall, Promenada Mall, and along the DN1.

ProfiArt – Băneasa Mall

Pricing of specific product (Faber-Castell Apollo 2325 mechanical pencil): 19.00 lei

Accessibility: 8 stores, has an online store, shipping is available

Brands available: Huge Faber-Castell and Copic selection, along with other big name brands like Sakura and my personal favorite sketchbook brand Canson (specifically the XL ones), but also a section for a specific paint called egg tempera, which was used by artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Overall rating: 8.9/10

Honestly, this one’s perfect. It’s a big store, the locations not bad, and there’s so much inside. The vibes were the only thing that brought the ranking down. It was a Sunday at Baneasa, so it was crowded, loud, the lights were not helping, I was already fairly overstimulated at that point, and some stock was missing. But on any other day, it would’ve been a solid 10/10, mostly because it’s a professional art store, and it’s pretty hard to compete with that.

After ProfiArt, I don’t have many photos, simply because the next stores aren’t really art stores, more craft or school supply stores, but added them because they were easier to travel to, compared to most that were in the city.

Carrefour Stationery Aisle – Băneasa Mall

I didn’t take any photos for this store, for some reason, but I’m sure you’ve taken a stroll through one at some point. These aisles are there so that people have a quick and convenient way to pick up a pen, binder, or maybe a calculator whenever you need one. 

Pricing of specific product (Faber-Castell apollo 2325): 29.90 lei

Accessibility: One of these aisles is in just about every Carrefour, even the express ones, but it’s just a small shelf, and there is a website

Brands available: A lot of BIC, the Carrefour brand, along with some Staedtler, Rotring, Pilot, Posca, and the only Faber-Castell product I found was the mechanical pencil.

Overall rating: 7/10

It’s alright. It’s got all the items you’ll need to start the school year, but overall, the pricing is pretty steep, a whole 10 lei more for the same mechanical pencil. The vibes were about the same as any Carrefour, but because it was in the spot away from the grocery section and by the outdoor furniture section, it was much quieter, and I had a nice sit.

Rembrandt Art Centre – Promenada

Pricing of specific product: Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the same mechanical pencil. Or anything Faber-Castell.

Accessibility: There is an online store, but I was unable to access it for some odd reason. It just wouldn’t load. There are three stores according to google maps, but one is temporarily closed.

Brands available: There were Poscas, but also a little art section for kids, and a huge wall of colored pencils, along with a lot of themed products, like Harry Potter or Dragon Ball.

Overall rating: 3/10

It’s a little sad to be in. I was the only one in there besides the person behind the counter, when you walk in, the stock was pretty low, as shown by my photos. The vibes were not the best; when I walked inside, the store was at least 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the mall, and it was super awkward to be the only one in there.

Autograf – Promenada

Pricing of specific product (Faber-Castell apollo 2325): 25.15 lei

Accessibility: There is an online store, and they do seem to deliver. There’s only one location, though. The other search result that pops up when checking on Google Maps is what appears to be a warehouse with no photos besides a metal wall, no reviews, and no other information that could possibly connect the two together besides by name.

Brands available: Brands like Derwent, and Fimo, which is a good type of modeling clay that I would buy at a place like Blick in the States, and some Faber-Castell

Overall rating: 5.5/10

It’s a school supply store for the most part. It has those toys and games you’d see at an airport toy store, and a lot of backpacks and science kits for kids. The vibes were not bad, the staff seemed very nice, though I didn’t talk with them because they were busy helping another customer. There were a few other people there besides me, and the stock was pretty put together.

Diverta – DN1

Pricing of specific product: There is one Faber-Castell product that I could find, and it was only online, and not the correct one.

Accessibility: Only four Diverta stores are still open in Bucharest; multiple stores have been closing down so that the company could be entirely online. The online website is very slow, and a little difficult to use.

Brands available: they have Poscas, the Sakura outliners, but it’s more similar to a store like Carturesti, and mostly had books, toys, backpacks, and products for TV shows and movies.

Overall rating: 5/10

It’s not bad. It’s small, but the stock was good. The store was indeed empty, and I was the only one there besides the person behind the counter. The vibes were rather awkward, and I felt a little pressured to buy something from the way the worker checked all the shelves, and the location makes it more difficult to access, so it brings down the overall rating.

But these are just my impressions. What are your favorite art supply stores in Bucharest? Leave a comment below!