This Amazing Indiana Art Store Is Packed With Hard-To-Find Supplies For Creative Projects
A shop cat named Barcode gives this Indiana art store more personality than I expected.
The name made me smile, but the history kept me reading.
The business traces its roots to the 1940s, when paint and glass came first. Clock repair and wallpaper followed before art supplies took center stage.
What I like most is the hands-on browsing. Markers have test paper, and paint swatches help take some guesswork out of choosing.
The shop is growing too, with a neighboring space becoming a classroom.
A former tanning salon turning into an art room feels like a great next chapter.
A Cat Named Barcode Runs The Front Desk Vibes
Every great shop needs a mascot, and Art Mart has a furry one. The resident cat, Barcode, lends a playful touch to a shop usually concerned with carefully chosen paper and brushes.
A store cat is an unexpected companion for an art-supply run.
One moment, the shopping list calls for charcoal or a fresh sketchbook. The next, there is a small animal resting among the everyday activity of the shop.
Even the name fits a place where nearly everything has a label.
Art Mart has welcomed shop cats over the years, giving the store a distinctive character beyond its product selection. Barcode’s presence, of course, depends on the cat’s own schedule. An appearance cannot be guaranteed on every visit.
Children may be especially curious, but letting the cat choose whether to approach makes the encounter more comfortable for everyone. It is also sensible to ask before offering a pat.
The appeal of this detail is its modesty. Art Mart remains a working art store, with customers comparing materials and collecting items for projects.
A resident cat simply gives that practical setting an amusing little personality of its own.
Go Ahead And Test The Markers Before You Buy
Buying art supplies online can feel like a guessing game. Art Mart offers the advantage of comparing materials up close before committing to a particular color or texture.
Test paper beside selected markers can help shoppers see a line’s width, saturation, and flow.
Paint samples make color differences easier to judge than a digital screen, especially when two shades seem nearly identical. The aim is to match the material to the project rather than relying on a product description alone.
Paper deserves just as much attention. Smooth sheets suit detailed pen lines, while papers with more texture behave differently under charcoal or pastel. A watercolor sheet has its own weight and surface, which influence how washes spread and settle.
The store carries materials for several techniques, so comparing surfaces and tools in person is particularly useful for someone moving between drawing and painting.
A swatch from an existing project can help with color matching, while a short list of intended materials keeps the visit focused.
Ask which displays are meant for testing before trying a marker or opening a package. That way, hands-on browsing stays useful for everyone.
Thousands Of Supplies Fill This Small But Mighty Shop
Small store, huge inventory. Art Mart carries thousands of items for beginners, students, hobbyists, and artists working on demanding projects.
The selection spans drawing pencils, pastels, paints, brushes, canvases, papers, and sketchbooks.
Its product catalog also includes illustration board, matboard, drafting supplies, adhesives, cutting tools, and easels.
Those less glamorous materials matter when an artwork needs mounting or a design assignment calls for precise measurements.
Different mediums require different equipment. A watercolor painter might compare paper surfaces and brush shapes, while someone working in acrylics may need a panel, palette tool, and a medium that changes the paint’s texture.
Drawing students can examine graphite hardness and the type of surface best suited to their assignment.
The store’s proximity to Ball State University gives it another useful role. Indiana students taking studio courses can obtain materials chosen for particular classes. University course lists have even directed students to Art Mart for prepared supply kits.
A specialist ink or unfamiliar pastel might suggest a different approach to a familiar project, turning an ordinary restocking trip into a new creative direction.
Can’t Find It On The Shelf? Ask About Ordering
Even a store with thousands of items cannot keep every variation of paper, pigment, or pen in stock.
Art Mart can help customers look for particular materials beyond what is immediately available on the shelves.
A product name, manufacturer, color code, and preferred dimensions make a request easier to identify. Bringing those details to the counter also helps distinguish products that look similar but behave differently.
The shop’s online store provides another route for finding supplies. It lists product categories and offers shipping, delivery options where available, and pickup for eligible items.
Availability varies, and specialty requests should be discussed before assuming that a particular product can be obtained quickly.
For a complicated project, it may be worth checking supplies in stages. Start with the paper or surface, then choose compatible pigments, adhesives, or tools.
The benefit of a local supplier is being able to discuss exactly what the project calls for. A specific question about a brush or drawing surface can lead to a more appropriate choice than a rushed purchase.
Friendly Experts Will Talk Art With You All Day
Got a question about paper weight or paint blending? Art Mart is set up for the kind of conversation that helps turn an uncertain shopping list into a workable plan.
The staff works with fine-art supplies rather than only general craft merchandise.
Someone starting with watercolor can ask about paper and brushes, while a student working on a large presentation board may need help choosing a sturdier surface.
Art Mart’s connection with the local art community extends beyond its sales counter. University students use the shop for course materials, and local creative programs have included its supplies in public art activities.
Its ownership also has a background in art education, which helps explain the store’s interest in teaching as well as selling.
Bringing a project description is a practical way to begin. Mention the medium, surface size, and tools already on hand, especially if a class has specified certain materials.
For Indiana artists who regularly experiment with different techniques, that kind of conversation can be as valuable as finding a fresh canvas or a well-balanced brush.
A Tanning Salon Is Becoming An Art Classroom
Out with the tanning beds, in with the easels. Art Mart is expanding into the former tanning salon next door, with plans for a spacious classroom dedicated to creative work.
The renovation was underway in July 2026. It involved dismantling twenty former tanning rooms, replacing flooring, and constructing new interior walls.
The purpose is to create room for hands-on instruction and small groups working together on projects.
The possible subjects are varied. Painting methods, basket weaving, and pottery have been discussed as potential offerings, while customers have been encouraged to suggest the kinds of workshops they would like to attend.
Exact classes and opening arrangements depend on the completed space and the published schedule.
Rather than making every visitor assemble a studio at home before trying something new, a dedicated classroom could allow people to explore techniques with guidance and shared equipment.
What once held a collection of individual tanning rooms is being reshaped into a communal place for making art. For a shop with such close ties to its creative neighborhood, the change makes sense.
Its Family Tree Goes Back To Muncie Paint And Glass
Few art stores have a backstory this twisty. The roots of Art Mart reach into Muncie’s older paint-and-glass business, which eventually developed into an art-supply and framing operation.
By 1989, the business had become closely associated with the art store and framing shop that later operated under the Gordy name.
Over time, the framing side and the supply side developed different priorities. In 2003, the art-supply operation became a separate business, while the original downtown location continued specializing in framing.
Its present shop serves Muncie’s Village area near Ball State University rather than the older Main Street premises. The sequence also reflects how local creative businesses can adapt.
Supplies for students and studio artists require an evolving selection, while framing has its own specialized equipment and services. Having distinct stores allowed each side to concentrate on its work.
A business whose history includes paint, glass, and framing now aims to give customers more room to learn techniques themselves. It is a fitting continuation of Indiana’s community arts tradition.
Plan Your Trip Around These Handy Hours
Late-night project panic happens to everyone. Luckily, Art Mart stays open until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, making an after-class supply run possible on several evenings.
Weekday doors open at 8 a.m. Friday hours finish at 6 p.m., while Saturday runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday offers a shorter window, from noon until 5 p.m. Seasonal or holiday changes may affect those times, so checking the current schedule before a special trip is worthwhile.
The shop is at 409 North Martin Street, Suite 2, in Muncie’s Village district near Ball State University.
Its setting suits students and neighborhood shoppers, with parking available close to the storefront.
The product catalog can help visitors identify useful categories before arriving, but an in-person visit allows a closer look at paper texture, brush shapes, and paint selection.
Anyone preparing for a class can bring the course supply list, while a hobbyist may simply want to browse for ideas.
The expanded classroom project adds another reason to watch the shop’s schedule as it develops.
