Setting up for tomorrow’s installation. 

It’s the first Final Friday of the year, and I hope you’ll visit. 

Facebook event, if you please:

http://www.facebook.com/events/172958396141509/

Winter Sale starts today:

25% - 45% off sketchbooks & paper, paint & mediums, knives & blades, triangles & t-squares, and much more! Come visit!

Happy New Year!

Thank you so so much for all your support these first few months! Looking forward to 2012, and wishing you all the best!

Closed January 1st and 2nd. Back Tuesday 12-7pm.

Holiday Hours

Thursday Dec. 22nd: 11am to 7pm

Friday Dec. 23rd: 11am to 10pm (Final Friday before Christmas!)

Closed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Happy Holidays!

Since you asked so nicely…

more gift bundles for you! Thanks for liking them so much!

We made some gift bundles for you! Pairing Copic Multiliners with Field Notes, Klein Heritage Cutlery with gorgeous fabric, and all sorts of other goodness. We would love to help you put together the perfect bundle for someone special on your list. 

A huge thank you to Cincinnati Magazine for featuring our Ohio edition Field Notes in the 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! Be sure to check out all of their fantastic gift ideas. And speaking of Field Notes, we now have the perfectly wintery, white and silver Northerly edition, and the awesome 2012 Calendar in the shop!

lovely lovely intern

There will be a new face around the store, but I’ll let her introduce herself. She is fantastic and I’m thrilled to have her help. Just one more thing to be thankful for. Hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving! Without further ado, this is Regina.

I walked into Smartfish Supply for the first time last Final Friday. I’m a student of industrial design at UC—the same program Alisha graduated from. My classmates’ masks were on display, so after a good post-critique nap, a group of us came downtown to see the store and have some Final Friday fun.

I’d never been inside the store. I had peeped in the windows once after hours; I had seen Alisha’s card at DAAP on the bulletin boards. It seemed cool, but I’ll admit to being skeptical. Most things advertised as “sustainable” are so far out of my price range as a student. When I found out about the student discount, I was sold.

That evening, I met Alisha—and before long, we were discussing the possibility of an internship. Details fell into place, one after another. Now I’m at the store for the first time as the official intern!

This place feels so cozy today in the rain. I love being surrounded by art supplies. Even though I’m studying industrial design now, my background is in graphic and fine arts. The supplies in here feel like home!

Aside from being excited just to be in this place, I can’t wait to see what the work here is going to lead to in the store and in my own path in design: I love my industrial design program, but I don’t see myself designing manufactured objects ultimately. In fact, I want to use my skill set for design focused on something bigger. I’ve been lucky enough to get involved in humanitarian design in Tanzania, historic preservation in the wider Cincinnati community, and sustainability movements on UC’s campus. Sometimes, intensive studios can foster a narrow perspective. The very act of leaving studio a few times a week to work here will be great—and that’s just the beginning.

Cincinnati Unchained

Tomorrow (Nov. 19th) is the fifth annual Cincinnati Unchained.  Smartfish Supply is one of 80 local businesses offering specials for the day. Head over for 15% off all paper rolls, sketchbooks/pads, and 35% off all paints. I’m so pleased with how many shops are participating in Over-The-Rhine. Hooray for shopping small and local!

baboons, bats, and longhorn cattle, oh my

Just three of the twenty paper masks that have taken over the store windows. These were done by DAAP Industrial Design Sophomores, and are so impressive.  

The masks will be up for the next few weeks, so be sure to stop by shortly if you didn’t make it on Final Friday.

And thank you to all the students for coming down, it was so nice to meet so many of you.

Happy November everyone!