Design Stores
DeSerres
DeSerres is a new name on the Toronto art supply store scene even though the company has been around since 1908. In its former incarnation, it was known as Loomis & Toles but last year, as part of the company's 100th anniversary, they re-branded in an effort to unify the name through their entire chain of stores, four of which are in Toronto and a large number in the Montreal area and Quebec.
Having once lived and worked around the corner from their location near Spadina and Richmond, I'd say it definitely has a reputation for having a great selection of not only art supplies, but things like interesting paper, massive pieces of foam core, framing and other crafty supplies. But price-wise, despite their claim (see below) to be perhaps the most competitively priced option in the city, I sometimes got a bit of a sticker shock, especially when comparing things like paint, brushes and canvases to stores like Gwartzman's and Tern.
Store Manager Glendon Mellow was kind enough to let me snap photos of both floors of the extensive and well stocked Spadina location, as well as answers some of my questions about DeSerres below.
What would you say is different or unique about DeSerres compared to some of the other art supply stores in Toronto?
We veer off from traditional art supplies to other creative genres. We have a robust selection for the fine artist and as well we have products that are not intimidating to the average person who wants to try something creative. We scour the world for new products and ideas every year.
What are some of the most popular products you sell?
Fine art materials, absolutely! Paint, brushes and canvas are the staples. We have an unsurpassed selection of canvas and surfaces in the city. Being in the fashion district, our portfolios fly off the shelves and we constantly bring in new styles.
We're proud of our unique assortment of fine paper, brought in from several different countries from across the world. As an example of a very different product, we've just brought in over 200 styles of decorative wall stickers that have proven popular amongst home designers, both the professional and the amateur.
How do you feel DeSerres competes on price compared to most other art supply stores?
We are very competitive compared to all art supply stores in the city. As a matter of fact, it would surprise me if you could find items cheaper anywhere else.
For students, we offer an unparalleled discount program which incorporates not only a 10% discount off regularly priced merchandise, but also with our free Campus Club loyalty card, students receive $10 off after they spend $100.
Are there any items you carry that are unique to DeSerres?
We are the only art supply store in Toronto that offers professional custom framing.
We have a growing selection of our own house-brand DeSerres products, ranging from artist-quality paints, to frames, to eco-friendly paper. We stand behind the quality of our brand which is why it bears our name.
And our staff are unique as well! Their customer service excels because they are all artists and creative people too!
How did the store come to be located where it is?
Our Proximity to major art schools like Toronto School of Art, George Brown, Max the Mutt and OCAD as well as the fashion, advertising and design companies in the neighborhood makes for a perfect location with good energy and good conversations in the store.
How is this location of DeSerres different from the other locations in Toronto?
For the most part our selection is consistent throughout our stores, with some slight variations to reflect the neighbourhoods we inhabit.
Discussion
17 Comments
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I go in there all the time because it is conveniently located across from where my studio located and I really wish it was a Curry's store. The staff at DeSerres have no product knowledge nor do they know what or what is not in their inventory.
All I can say is, if you do go to this store...don't ask the staff foranything. You are better off looking yourself.
all i can say is, if you do go to this store... ask the staff for everything. Especially their birthdays and addresses, and then send them presents.
I am sorry about this regrettable incident. It is our policy to have bathrooms available to customers and we do constantly bring customers of any age to our restrooms. Please do not let this incident give you a poor impression on our usuall excellent customer service. As per our email sent to you last week, we would like to thank for bringing this information forward. It helps us to manage and counsel our staff to improve their customer service.
Thanks
John McTeague
Manager
DeSerres Eglinton
Your prices are high John. they really are and on top of that you are selling cheaper canvasses. Your staff would agree. Just ask.
In short,the selection at your store is mind boggling. It is so exciting to be a Dad of a toddler and come in and find very fun stuff.
I like your staff and feel almost as if I've become friends with some of them. They are knowledgable and excited for me about my art.
But your store is also very expensive (shop around, and you'll see) and you will loose me because of your cheap canvasses (that cost a lot).
do a private tally of your staff and ask them:
a) what they think of the prices and
b) what they think of the canvass quality.
It's good you're proud of your store. You should be but as a customer I don't feel as if you really care about my financial limitations, or my loyalty to the store. It's seems very business.
That aside, thanks for being in the neighborhood for me, and allowing for lots of silliness with my son. I'm happy you guys were there while I became an artist. (but you will loose me. Pricing is everything).
The manager came out to help me bring the tree back inside.
The damage is estimated at over $ 500.00 .
the manager told me today that they are not responsible for the damage and I am left with a bill of $ 300.00 ,my insurance liability to get the repair done.
Now I will have to go to small claims court to get my money back.
thank you so much Deserres for being so good to your repete customers
thank you
jean duguay
Vancouver
You're the PARENT, take responsibility for your own actions. It's hardly the store's responsibility to supply a public restroom, nor is it the clerk at fault for telling you they don't have a PUBLIC restroom. That isn't a lie.
Don't blame the clerk, or the store for the fact that you're a shitty parent who is too busy to find a toilet IN ADVANCE for their child. Let's be honest here -- you made your child urinate in public like a dog, and now you want to place your guilt on the store clerk. Oh, and if you live "right around the corner", why not a: go home, or b: pee before you leave? Lol how exactly is the store at fault for your bad parenting??
I don't blame the clerk for laughing in your face -- its an art store, not a McDonald's. I can't believe how many people like you come into stores with an utter sense of entitlement and then treat the sales staff like dirt when your demands aren't met. It's disgusting.
Where do you work?
Thanks you for all your comments, both positive and constructive.
For the bathrooms, it is not only DeSerres policy that customers are able to use our bathrooms, there is a bylaw in Toronto the states that retail stores greater than 3000 sq feet, must have them available. In the past we had concerns about customer safety as our bathrooms are in our receiving area. You should have no problem with bathroom breaks now.
Thanks for also bringing up the price perception at DeSerres. Once I read your concerns I went on-line and checked out our prices relative a couple of other major and minor Art stores in Toronto. I randomly checked 11 branded common items ranging form Artist and student paint, different canvases, brushes, watercolour paper, pads, mediums etc. Again thanks for getting me to do that as I did find 2 items that our competitors were more than 5% lower than DeSerres, and I will have that corrected.
Out of the other 9 items,
5 items DeSerres is has better prices by more than 5%
4 items DeSerres the difference was less than 5%-+
I'm sure there are other items on both sides, and would be more than happy to hear about them. I also checked more general arts and crafts retailers and I am happy to say that in general, our prices are far better.
We do consistently check our pricing in the marketplace strive to constantly keep our prices competitive. There may be some fluctuation and I am confident that the fluctuation is usually minor versus a major discrepancy as seen above. If there is any items in particular you have concerns about please let me know.
I am confused about the canvas as there is one major supplier of Canadian made canvas and we all primarily use them for the majority of our higher quality canvas. We all carry economic qualities of canvas as there is a customer demand for them. As you requested I did ask my staff about the quality of our canvases, they recognize that the higher quality canvases we carry are machine made in Canada, and that when it comes to "artist quality" in canvas it does depend on the artist. After this level, the requirements for each artist differs depending on their needs and personal preferences and it is usually recommended that the canvas should be hand made to the individuals specifics.
I hope I have responded to your concerns and feel free to contact me directly the next time you're in the store.
Thanks
John
Thanks you for all your comments, both positive and constructive.
For the bathrooms, it is not only DeSerres policy that customers are able to use our bathrooms, there is a bylaw in Toronto the states that retail stores greater than 3000 sq feet, must have them available. In the past we had concerns about customer safety as our bathrooms are in our receiving area. You should have no problem with bathroom breaks now.
Thanks for also bringing up the price perception at DeSerres. Once I read your concerns I went on-line and checked out our prices relative a couple of other major and minor Art stores in Toronto. I randomly checked 11 branded common items ranging form Artist and student paint, different canvases, brushes, watercolour paper, pads, mediums etc. Again thanks for getting me to do that as I did find 2 items that our competitors were more than 5% lower than DeSerres, and I will have that corrected.
Out of the other 9 items,
5 items DeSerres is has better prices by more than 5%
4 items DeSerres the difference was less than 5%-+
I'm sure there are other items on both sides, and would be more than happy to hear about them. I also checked more general arts and crafts retailers and I am happy to say that in general, our prices are far better.
We do consistently check our pricing in the marketplace strive to constantly keep our prices competitive. There may be some fluctuation and I am confident that the fluctuation is usually minor versus a major discrepancy as seen above. If there is any items in particular you have concerns about please let me know.
I am confused about the canvas as there is one major supplier of Canadian made canvas and we all primarily use them for the majority of our higher quality canvas. We all carry economic qualities of canvas as there is a customer demand for them. As you requested I did ask my staff about the quality of our canvases, they recognize that the higher quality canvases we carry are machine made in Canada, and that when it comes to "artist quality" in canvas it does depend on the artist. After this level, the requirements for each artist differs depending on their needs and personal preferences and it is usually recommended that the canvas should be hand made to the individuals specifics.
I hope I have responded to your concerns and feel free to contact me directly the next time you're in the store.
Thanks
John
While I won't discount others experiences, I have always found DeSerres to have above average customer service. Probably because their employees seem to actually have an interest in what they are doing.
Positive:
Within walking distance to home (or 2 subway stops)
They have 4-day sales every week, Thurs-Sunday
Found some basic camel-hair watercolour brushes for 60 CENTS each
Also a couple of other brushes for less than 4 bucks
Got a plastic paint palett for $1.15, canvas board for $3.00, 4 different sized canvases $.80 - just over $2.00
A pretty decent arts & crafts section with a nice DIY jewelry and soap making supplies (gave me idea to try in the future)
Got a free reward card that came with $5.00 worth of credits
That's the good part. Now the bad:
Not a big selection of brushes (compared to Currys near College St).
I was looking for some loose watercolour paper, found none
Staff were too busy chatting, no one on the floor to look after customers
Store seemed a bit unorganized
Was looking for a Derwent pencil set, didn't find it
Not a huge selection of things, many familiar brands missing
Will I return? They seem to have the same prices as Currys and similar sales on similar items. But less selections. Though very convenient location-wise, I'd stick with Currys unless there's a reason I can't make it to downtown.
Both girls seem to be quite passionate about what they do and it showed tremendously in how they approached my needs and concerns regarding the care of my art. Couple that with a surprise custom framing sale and the fact that they managed to get my order finished in two days... Well, I'm a happy customer.
I've had work done at other frame shops and I've been pleased, but after visiting this location, I'll never go anywhere else. My dad's art looks like something that should be hanging in a gallery!
My advice to anyone that wants custom frame work done: Make sure you listen to what these ladies have to say. I did, and I'm thrilled!