BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – A new art supply store, the Little Art Supply Store, recently opened its doors for business at 3 Westminster Street in Bellows Falls, owned and operated by local artist Ashley Cormack. Cormack recently transitioned her art supply shop to Bellows Falls from nearby Chester, where she originally opened the store in 2021.
“I originally opened then store in September of 2021, at the Annex Building in Chester,” Cormack said in a recent interview. “It all started in one little room, hence the name, but after a year in that space we expanded to an adjacent room. However, this past winter I realized that I now needed even more room, and started looking around for a larger space in the Chester-Bellows Falls area.”
Ashley’s ultimate decision to choose downtown Bellows Falls for her new art shop location is two-fold. “I chose Bellows Falls because I really enjoy and am familiar with the area. I am a Bellows Falls Union High School graduate, and have a lot of personal connections with the town. I’ve always enjoyed my shopping and dining experiences in downtown Bellows Falls, and I wanted to become a part of that.”
The Little Art Supply store offers a wide range of mediums at varying price points, including both student and professional brand lines of fine art supplies such as Windsor & Newton, Gamblin, Golden, and Holbein. Additionally, they offer an extensive “kids section,” with products for toddlers through teens.
The craft section includes embroidery supplies, Cricut products, Mod Podge, plus a lot of other odds and ends as well. They also carry products made by artists, including tote bags, washi tape, greeting cards, gift bags, and stickers designed by artists all over Vermont, the U.S., and the U.K.
“One big reason I know people will choose to shop with me is convenience. If you’re in the middle of a project and you need something fast, we are here to help. If there are particular products that you love and we don’t have them, let us know and we can stock them for you,” said Cormack. “Or, perhaps you want to try something new…we can look for resources to help you. I was a high school art teacher for 11 years, so helping and cheering people on with their art has become pretty engrained in me.”
Part of the new space will be designated for art classes and lessons, and Cormack plans to start classes in the very near future, and once the space is set up and settled in, she also wants to have other artists and craftspeople come in to share lessons and demonstrations.
“I want people to feel like this space is just as much theirs as it is mine,” Cormack concluded. “Our classes will be aimed towards both teens and adults, and I look forward to all the opportunities moving forward.”
You can visit the Little Art Supply Store’s website at www.littleartsupplystore.com. The current store hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.