154 GOODS & SERVICES SEPTEMBER 25, 2025 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2025.C0M | BEST OF PHOENIX 2025 printing workshops hosted by the shops. If getting your hands dirty and spinning the wheel yourself isn’t your thing, the shop will create beautiful custom prints to your liking. Plus, if you stop by the shop during an event, such as the Grand Avenue Festival or First Friday, you might be given a sneak peek into what one of their classes looks like and how to operate the printmaking machinery. And on your way out, be sure to flip through the free prints in the newspaper stand by the door; you might just find something that calls your name. e e e B E S T F A B R I C S T O R E SAS FABRICS 1111 E. INDIAN SCHOOL ROAD 602-279-2171 1700 E. APACHE BLVD., TEMPE 480-966-7557 SASFABRICS.COM When all of the Joann stores in metro Phoenix folded in April due to the chain’s bankruptcy, local cosplayers, crafters and DIY fashionistas wiped their tears with sequined tulle and wailed into the clearance bin. But their mourning was likely short- lived. The Valley still has two SAS Fabrics locations, each a glorious labyrinth of bolts, scraps and weird treasures where creative types can score everything they need, and plenty they didn’t know they wanted. SAS sells its wide variety of fabrics by the pound, often at competitive rates, while offering discount days and random specials on the regular. Just ask Ashley Maul, a local costuming guru and sewist who swears by the price and selection of accessories at SAS. “They’ll discount fabric by the base type and their notions are usually at great price points,” Maul says. “(Plus), there’s lots of buttons and trims there that I wouldn’t see at Joann.” The organization at both the Tempe and Phoenix SAS locations leaves a bit to be desired, but the affable and helpful employees can assist you in locating what- ever your crafty little heart desires. e e e B E S T K N I F E S H O P KNIFE HOUSE 4837 E. INDIAN SCHOOL ROAD 480-946-2758 KNIFEHOUSE.COM It’s an odd sensation, openly carrying a meat cleaver into a public business. But when we wanted to give our parents’ old knife a good tune-up, we knew we needed to take it to Knife House. The Arcadia-based shop knows what to do to get your blades in tip-top shape and doesn’t bleed you dry to do it; it’s only $8 to get a knife sharpened. If you’re in the market for something new, Knife House has a huge selection of blades from top brands including Wüsthof, Ryusen and Mazaki. Besides the knives, the store carries other things that will get you personally or profes- sionally set up in the kitchen, including Smithey cookware, sharpening stones, small kitchen tools and chef uniforms. e e e B E S T A R T S U P P L I E S JERRY’S ARTARAMA 4421 S. RURAL ROAD, #1-3, TEMPE 480-775-6787 JERRYSARTARAMA.COM Jerry Garcia may be the best-known Jerry G. of the 1960s, but we can thank another Jerry G. — Jerry Goldstein — for founding Jerry’s Artarama stores in 1968. Originating on Long Island, Jerry’s Artarama was founded to provide affordable art supplies to the local- community, and that remains its modus operandi to this day. The Tempe location has served the Valley’s artistic community for decades. It’s the go-to shop for artists, instructors and art fans because of its massive selection of art and studio supplies, great sales and custom framing services. A bulletin board near the registers displays fliers for local artists, art classes and events, and art by local artists is for sale, as well. e e e B E S T P L A C E T O S U P P O R T L O C A L A R T I S T S PRACTICAL ART 5070 N. CENTRAL AVE. 602-264-1414 PRACTICAL-ART.COM Start with the very name of the place. A wag could argue that “practical art” is either an oxymoron or a redundancy. In 2025, the latter feels more apt. Art is neither a luxury or a nice-to-have: It’s a necessity, and every- thing it’s good for is better for when your artists are local. In this shop just north of Camelback Road, you’ll find wares from some 200 local artists and artisans: shirts, jewelry, wooden toys, handpainted planting pots, framed photos, mugs, pottery, dish- ware, cards, soaps. You’ll find framed prints by the likes of Jake Early, Leah Kiser, Eric Lindquist and Antoinette Cauley; ceramics by Bettina Chow and Lisa Olson, Mike Farabee, and Becky Altman; and eminently pettable felt journals by Molly Koehn. Artists foremost are creators who observe, and the many folks whose work populates Practical Art’s store and website are people who do their observing in the places where you live. If you see your own life reflected back to you in their works, this is by design. Carry one of these artifacts with you in the world and you’ll be practically home.
