Where to Get Craft Supplies Without Big Box Stores

If you’re trying to avoid big box stores and other large retailers when you shop, you might be wondering where to get craft supplies without big box stores. If your favorite retailer is about to close, or you just don’t want to buy into capitalism as much, here are some options.

All of this assumes you don’t have a local craft store that you can buy from. Please support local yarn, fabric, paper craft and other hobby and craft supply stores if you have them and can afford to.

Don’t Buy Craft Supplies

Of course the first answer to where to get craft supplies isn’t about buying craft supplies at all, because the first place we should all look for craft supplies is our own stashes. Whether you’re purposefully doing a no buy experiment or just want to pare down your stash, using what you have is always a great first option.

Maybe you don’t have the exact supplies a pattern calls for but you can use something you already have that will work as well. Go through your button stash to find some old buttons that will work, or cut down a zipper from your stash to use in the project you’re working on.

Cut up an old sheet instead of buying fabric, make a drawstring out of yarn instead of buying new material, cobble something together to make it work.

You get the idea. Choose projects you already have the materials for or can make do with what you have first.

Buy Nothing

OK I know that sounds like the same thing, but instead of using what you have, you can also use what other people have. If there’s a Buy Nothing group or an art supply swap group where you live, that’s a great place to ask for supplies if there’s something specific you need.

You won’t always find it if it’s something super specific, but if you’re looking for general supplies you can score good stuff and help a neighbor clean up at the same time.

Example: we struck out asking specifically for gray pony beads, but others have had good luck asking for, say, yarn to practice knitting or crochet.

If you don’t have Buy Nothing where you live and don’t want to start one, ask family, friends, people online if they might have what you need.

Thrift Stores

Another great options available in a lot of communities is thrift stores. If you ask crafty friends you might find there’s a particular shop where you live that has a reputation for having good craft supplies, or you can spend a few hours scouting to find which stores stock crafty stuff.

In addition, there’s an increasing number of creative reuse stores across the United States (and elsewhere I’m sure) that exclusively sell craft supplies. Here you can find all sorts of things, from amazing vintage fabric to odd balls of yarn, art supplies, sewing machines and so much more.

I don’t have one of these where I live, but there are also shops you can visit online such as Swanson’s Fabrics and Make & Mend, both located in Massachusetts. Makeropolis is an online storefront for used or cast off craft supplies, and the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse also has an online shop, to name just a few. Swoodson Says has a good list that’s regularly updated.

Speaking of secondhand supplies, if you can do some hunting around, eBay is a great place for new and used craft supplies. Just make sure you check the cost of shipping before you buy (I once almost bought a vintage embroidery book that would have cost $30 to ship to my house!).

Direct from Manufacturer

Another way to get craft supplies without shopping at big box stores is to go directly to the manufacturer. Most companies that make yarn, fabric, thread and floss and other supplies have their own websites and either sell direct to customers or have a list of online and real-life shops where you can find their products.

If you’re new to shopping direct you can often get a coupon for your first purchase when you sign up for emails, which is worth it for companies you like because you’ll also learn about sales and shipping deals.

Here, too, you can see out smaller companies, woman-owned shops or whatever else you’d like to support with your dollars.

Other Online Shops

Of course there are other online retailers that sell craft supplies that aren’t the big box stores. You can decide for yourself whether these kinds of shops are for you.

Examples include Craft Warehouse (which has physical stores in the northwest US), Factory Direct Craft and DIY Craft Warehouse.

There are also small online shops dedicated to different kinds of craft supplies, from fabrics to yarn to paper goods. Sometimes these are connected to brick and mortar stores, sometimes not. It’s always better to support a small business if you can!

You can also find a great variety of craft supplies on Etsy. It’s better on Etsy to know what you’re looking for so you can search for it, because the craft supplies category includes patterns, which can be a little frustrating when you’re looking for a specific kind yarn instead, for example.

What got me thinking about writing about where to get craft supplies without a big box store was the fact that I needed some safety eyes and wondering where I would buy them if a certain craft retailer with a store where I live went out of business.

So of course I checked and you can buy safety eyes on Etsy, including from a shop called Button Bin Etsy, which has them in 14 sizes.

The moral of this story is that pretty much everything you could ever want is still available online even if you don’t have access to big box stores or don’t want to shop at them or big online retailers. It might take a little more time, creativity and money without that free shipping, but all of that will probably cause us to buy less that we don’t immediately need, which seems like a good thing.

Do you have tips for where to get craft supplies when you’re not shopping at big box stores? I’d love to add your favorites to my list!