We know: you live in NYC because of the incredible diversity and character of people, shops, services, and the local businesses that make up your particular corner of the city — your neighborhood. However. Sometimes you visit relatives or friends in the ‘burbs and are just amazed at the variety of sprinkles they have to choose from at the chain craft store, not to mention all the cute paper products. Brownstone Brooklyn, rejoice: Crafting (and more) mecca Michaels just debuted a new store on Atlantic Avenue, and it’s ready to fill all your glitter, party decor, rainy day activity needs and beyond.
Brand Spankin’ New in Brooklyn
We’ll be the first to admit that those of us at Red Tri NYC HQ are not the craftiest of types. Still: we love us some competitively-priced festive holiday decor, cake decorating options, rainy day craft activities and the like. So when we saw that a real live Michaels was breaking ground in our general neck of the woods (the store has relatively recently-opened locations on the Upper West Side and in Chelsea), we were pretty psyched. (The chain has also set up shop in Midwood and Woodside, Queens.)
The new spot occupies a formerly vacant lot on Atlantic Avenue (at Boerum Place), a stone’s throw from the Cobble Hill/downtown Brooklyn hotspots of Trader Joe’s, Smith Street, Borough Hall and Fulton Mall.
The Layout, The Goods
If you’ve been to a Michaels, there’s nothing particularly new at this location. It’s a Michaels. That said, it’s a Michaels, which means you’ll find every possible crafting/decorating/party planning supply you might need, in addition to many you didn’t even know existed.
This location’s offerings are spread out over two floors, with both elevator and escalator access to the second level. The first floor is home to a classroom/birthday party space, checkout, and products for jewelry making (so many sparkly strands!), cake baking and decorating, paper products and decor, the bins of inexpensive tiny little doo dads made for impulse buys, and more. (Plus: as always, for some reason, an impressive variety of vintage candy.)
Go Up To Go Deep
Things get pretty heavy and Technicolor on the sprawling, maze-like second floor. It’s here you’ll find everything from knitting supplies to over a dozen kinds of lights — delicate fairy lights for decor or larger string lights for outside — to kid-friendly crafts and kits for clay, tie-dye, Perler beads, American Girl projects, drawing and painting, model cars and much more.
If you want the raw materials to devise your own craft (say, a few dozen pipe cleaners, a bag of colorful pom-poms, ribbon of any color, texture or thickness, glitter) you’ll find it here as well, in addition to blank canvases of all kids: wood houses and treasure chests, foam crowns, letters in all sizes and types — including kits to make your own oh-so-on-trend lighted marquee letter (or, you can buy one pre-made). But if you or your child are getting serious about an artistic or crafting hobby, the store also stocks supplies for advanced and sophisticated pursuits of drawing, painting and beyond.
Extra, Extra
In addition to every kind of crafting supply under the sun, Michaels also sells a mish mash of stuff like puzzles, hoola hoops, fake foliage and flowers, educational science kits, decorative boxes for stashing all your stuff (like craft supplies) etc., etc., etc.
And don’t forget: the store features a wide range of picture frames of all sizes and is home to a custom framing studio as well.
Classes, Kids Club & Parties
For the month of April, the new store will be hosting a variety of free classes in subjects such as jewelry-making, crochet, painting, cake decorating and more. (If you’re interested, sign up online.)
Following the month of promotional classes, the store will host one free class a month in each category (food craft, yarn, painting, etc.) and additional classes covering a variety of techniques and projects for $25/each. A special Wilton cake decorating class ($45) will meet every Saturday for a month.
The store’s Kids Club offers workshops for kids in different age groups every Saturday on the half-hour from 10 a.m. to Noon, for just $2 (with supplies included!)
Finally, Michaels may offer one of the best birthday party bargains around. For $120 you can host a two-hour party for 8 kids in the classroom/party space, with your choice of theme (pirate, princess, monster, superhero) and related project, and a Michaels staffer to help facilitate. You provide the food and drink. If you want to DIY your party with your own craft, it’s just $50. (There’s an extra charge of $10 for each additional guest, with 12 being the maximum number of kids allowed.) You can book parties online, but it’s recommended people come into the store to review a menu of options.
Michaels
252 Atlantic Ave. (at Boerum Pl.)
Downtown Brooklyn
347-442-7606
Online: michaels.com
Are you and the kids itching to hit up the new Michaels and get your craft on? Let us know in the comments below!
—Mimi O’Connor
