Synopsis:
We talked about the long history of Gwartzman's and how they moved from the drapery to art supply business. Jackie shared how they have pivoted by doing virtual meetings with artists and their weekly Instagram lived demos. Stay tuned to see what new and exciting products they are introducing over the next few months!
About:
In the 1960’s Spadina and College was the place for artist to live and work, crammed with studios at every block. At the time Gwartzman’s was a Discount Drapery and Fabric store, owned and run by Mr. G. Often artists would come into the store looking for canvas, so the Gwartzman’s brought in canvas of all different types and widths to accommodate the artists.
Once we became known for our discount canvas, the artists then came looking for paint, brushes, and all types of art supplies. The drapery and fabrics were eventually moved to make room for a larger selection of art materials, and we started sourcing products from around the world. Finally, we took on the name, Gwartzman’s Discount Art Supplies. We've been in the same building at 448 Spadina Avenue since October 2nd, 1945. Almost 50 years later, 2nd and 3rd generation Gwartzman’s are still carrying on the business.