Long lines welcome new Blick Art Materials store

The line outside the new Blick Art Materials store at 6300 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 130, stretched around the building and through the parking lot.

The promise of $100 worth of free art supplies for the first 100 people in line for the 9 a.m. Aug. 27 grand opening celebration attracted a who's who of the Las Vegas Valley arts community.

Local artist and fundraising professional Suzanne Hackett-Morgan, who serves as executive director of the Goldwell Open Air Museum, got in line about 8:15 a.m. and passed the time chatting with Nevada Public Radio artist and graphic designer Brent Holmes and Erica Deutsch, a painter whose soaring sunflowers, whinnying horses and firemen battling blazes were featured in Clark County's ZAP 6 outdoor art project in the Parkdale and Whitney neighborhoods.

"It was worth it, and we had fun," Hackett-Morgan said. "We shared artwork with each other out in line, and that made the time go faster."

Holmes said since he works across the street at the College of Southern Nevada's Charleston campus, he had already visited the store several times.

"I'm a big fan," he said. "It's really nice that it's next to my job now, but it's costing me, I'll say that. The real thing is, it's just a huge drain on my income. I'm not complaining; I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I'm just saying it's a thing."

Hackett-Morgan said she thinks the new location is great compared to site the store moved from at 290 S. Decatur Blvd.

"The other one was always hard to get in and out of and didn't seem like it was spacious enough, so I'm excited to see this one," she said.

The move to Charleston Boulevard isn't the first for the store. Deutsch, who brought her baby Willow along in a front pack to visit the new store, said she has fond memories of working in the old Henderson store.

"My first job in town was working with Dick Blick when it was over on Tropicana (Avenue) in Henderson," she said. "That was a long time ago — 12, 13 years ago. It was a good store. It's kind of like a town square where artists meet. You always run into your fellow artists here and exchange ideas or offer suggestions."

Holmes said Blick is a great resource for artists, not just for supplies but for employee and patron know-how.

"It's just like going to the hardware store," he said. "You go to the hardware store, and you need to build something, and you go to the guy and say, 'I need to fix this, this and this on my sink, and they go, 'You need this, this and this,' because they know. Going to the art supply store, frequently these guys know. Most artists are loners, and on top of being loners, we're professional novices. We very frequently go and do things we've never done before on a regular basis just because we think it might be interesting."

Hackett-Morgan, Holmes and Deutsch's dedication couldn't compare with the first person in line. Rebecca Beltran, retail events coordinator for Blick, arrived at 7 a.m. only to find a line had already formed.

"The first person in line started lining up at 4 or 4:30 (a.m.)," she said. "We have some really dedicated art aficionados here. And we're really happy to have everyone here."

Beltran said many patrons may not realize the store is a national chain with 70 locations across the country.

"The interesting thing is, since we're only one store in this market, a lot of people don't realize it's a national company. They think it's a mom-and-pop here in the area," she said. "We're really happy to have that with our customers, that following with us. Once they become a loyal customer with us, they really don't go anywhere else."

As part of the opening, Blick committed to donate $500 to Push Forward Skateboarding, a local art organization that works with at-risk youths through art and skateboarding programs.

Additional opening celebration plans included Ruzo Logic painting his Guerilla Kage panels, Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School life drawing and Skin City Body Painting demonstrations.

The new store is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Visit dickblick.com or call 702-368-0209.

— Contact View contributing reporter Ginger Meurer at gmeurer@viewnews.com. Find her on Twitter: @gingermmm.