Aboveground VERSUS Curry's

Of course every single artist has their own preferred place to buy their own preferred tools. At OCADU, most students go to one of two stores: Aboveground Art Supplies, or Curry's Artist Materials. While the two stores are very similar (especially to people who aren't familiar with supply shopping), there are a few significant differences.

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ABOVEGROUND ART SUPPLIES (commonly called "Aboveground")

Aboveground is a very funky looking place that is literally right next door to the main school building. (giant white/black box on stilts= main OCAD building, cute little colorful house= Aboveground)

The first few times in this place, it is very overwhelming. You are surrounded with shelves and stacks and staircases and it's all very confusing, and all very tempting. Basically, you only go upstairs if you need paper. You go to the left side of the store if you need pens, markers, pencils, conte, etc. You stay on the left side if you need paint or ink. Everything else you could want is sort of crammed in everywhere. 

The main thing to consider about Aboveground is that the line up is usually super duper long, and, again, confusing. They have the potential to have three cashiers running at a giant counter in the middle of the shop, and in order to form a line you have to weave through this maze of shelves. If you happen to come down the wrong staircase, it can be nearly impossible to move because you'll be stuck in the wrong spot of the line up with no way to escape.

The main perks of Aboveground are:

-A slightly wider variety of everything

-MUCH MORE PAPER (if you need a specific kind/color/size/etc)

-It's quick to get to in between classes since you don't need to cross the street

The main problems are:

-It's really crowded and hard to move around in, which can be stressful if you're like me

-It can literally take you a half hour to get through the line

Overall, a good place to go if you don't know exactly what you want and have plenty of time to look around and wait in lines.

CURRY'S ARTIST MATERIALS (commonly called "Curry's")

Curry's is about 2 minutes away from the main building. It also has branches near Campus Common and far down Queen Street, so it's usually easy for people to get to when they aren't at OCAD.

This place is significantly simpler to manage than Aboveground. They don't usually have a massive overload of stock, so you can walk past shelves and recognize what they are easily. It's basically a two lane store. The staff are very very helpful. Like, very. 

The Curry's that is right next to OCAD is a little on the small side. The products they have though (besides paper) are usually the more popular brands, so if you know what you like Curry's is the best place to go. You can be in and out in minutes. I've never experienced a line up of more than two people ahead of me. 

The main perks of Curry's are:

-You can make quick/timely purchases

-It is a cleaner shop, so it's easy to find what you want

The main problems are:

-If you are looking for a more obscure tool, you may have to go to the larger Curry's (on Queen) to find it

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Both stores give student discounts; both do giveaways on their facebook pages; both stock the same popular brands; both are near OCAD; and the prices are about identical.

I personally prefer to shop at Curry's. This is usually because I just want to make a quick stop for something before a class, and I know the staff will help me if I can't find it, and I can plan to only be in the store for a brief period of time. It's also just easier for me to handle the store; Aboveground makes me kind of nervous and stressed out because it's so cramped.

Ultimately, you'll probably end up using both stores sporadically when you go to OCAD U. It's a good idea to check out both stores before your semester starts though, so you can see where you'll be most comfortable for normal purchases.