Where do you shop for puppet stuff?

[Buck-Beaver]

As fun thread I thought it would be interesting to know where everybody likes to shop for puppet building materials...both online and offline.

 

[ravagefrackle]

numerous local fabric shops, The Rag shop, AC Moore, Michaels,
Pearl Paint,Jerry's Artist Outlet,numerous Fabric outlets that sell more unusual stuff, Garment District in NYC,VanDykes Taxidermy,99 Cent stores,Odd Lot stores,Toys R US,Target and sometimes Walmart,CRS Crafts,a few theatrical suppllies companies,Canal Street in Manhattan,

 

[SesameKermie]

Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Hancock Fabrics and other local hobby stores.

 

[robinthecrow]

Nothing offline for me. I had to do it all online.

I get upholstery foam from a company called TW Foam, who do large quanities of foam (at custom measurements) for a fair price. Just a shame it isn't the proper stuff!

As for fur and things, I like to use ebay - some brilliant sales on Ebay. Found some brilliant brown fur - which would be excellent for Trekkie Monster. Funnily enough its the same colour as my hair....

 

[wes]

Hancocks Fabric store is where I get most fabric and foam (I know I'd should use scott foam but the poly foam is so convienant)

Home Depot- Dowell rod, arm rods, spraypaint, contact cement, wire
Lowes-Dowell rod, arm rods, spraypaint, contact cement, wire
Winn- Dixie- rit Dye
K-mart-spray paint,Ping pong balls, misc.
Wal-Mart-Monofliament (fishing line) Fabric (some times they have good fur but not fernquently) Misc.
A.C. Moore- eye Balls, Doll joints, foamie sheets.

Online
Ga Stage- Muppet Fleace

Edmunds sceintific- Flocked sticky back paper

 

[Puppettown]

I get most of my stuff at JoAnn's fabrics. If you get on their mailing list, they'll send you both e-mail and regular mail coupons for 50% off. I use these on the expensive fur and fabric. I also get some stuff from Hobby Lobby, Hancock's and Walmart (clothes and stuff). I'm going to check out some clothes at Build-a-Bear, they've got some great stuff ( tiny eyeglasses and leather jackets) on their website.

 

[spcglider]

I usually suggest that people look through their local Yellow Pages to find suppliers and forego the chain stores. The mark-up on furniture foam at most fabric stores is RIDICULOUS! Of course, you can't avoid shopping JoAnn or Hancock Fabrics for certain stuff, but I try to find back-alley places as often as possible.

Look up fabric outlets and go to them. Some of them don't really have prices lower than the chain stores, but if you are crafty, you can usually find inspirational fabrics that are better than anything you'd find at a chain.

Look up Foam suppliers in the YPages. The one near me is run by this old crusty Biker dude. He sells sheets of foam cut to almost any thickness for 2/3 or less $$ of the chain fabric stores. Not only that, but he can get reticulated foam in many different weights. And he has a friendly doggie on-staff to entertain customers while he cuts their foam.

I also try to be politically aware when I shop. As for Michael's Crafts, I shop there as little as humanly possible. The owners of the company use their money to support political agendas that I am opposed to. I don't want to give them any more of my money than I must to get a job done. Don't want to make this a political discussion, but the fact in this case is germain to the supply question so I included it here. That's as far as I will take it in this forum though.

For Fleece, I shop via the internet and order directly from Georgia Stage. They are one of the few antron fleece suppliers I've found that are reliable. And they are SO friendly! They even sent me a X-mas card!

While I am opposed to the business practices of WalMart, they DO manage to carry some pretty impressive fabrics (especialy faux fur) from time to time. And we all know that the pile and nature of a fur can make or break the overall look of a puppet, so I have swallowed my objections and shopped there occasionally. (shame on me).

For stuff like arm rods, I simply use old wire coat hangers. One of the mistakes that people make is to build the arm rods too long. I simply use the length at the bottom of the hanger with a wooden T-dowel for a grip. You can get tons of wire hangers for free, usually, from uniform supply/cleaning places. We have lab smocks delivered to work and so I ask the driver for a handful of hangers every so often. He's got a cuple of bins full of them in the back of his truck. He usually gives me WAY more than I need or can conveniently store.

I also like to pass by the UBER HARDWARE stores (like Home Depot) for smaller, independent franchises like ACE hardware. Not only do they carry stuff like RIT Dye in odd colors, but they tend to be much friendlier and customer-service oriented. They may be a few cents more on items, but the time I save being able to access a clerk who KNOWS the stock and is able to direct me, unimpeded, to what I need is more than worth the extra. We have a running gag about the local MENARDS lumber/hardware store. When you ask for anything, no matter what it is, the pimple-faced robot clerks will invariably say, "That's over near paint". When you realize that EVERY Menards store is set up so the paint department is in the exact MIDDLE, you catch on to the gag.

ANOTHER TIP: Keep your eyes open when you go to places like joAnn Fabrics. Sometimes they offer a "club card" that saves you money on items just for letting them send you junk mail. Minnesota Fabrics (now Hancock Fabrics) used to have a "punch card" thing that they did. For every $20 you spent, you'd get a punch on the card. After a certain number of punches, you'd get $20 off your purchase. Then you start over with a new card.

-Gordon

 

[spcglider]

Robin the Crow...

Cool avatar!

All hail Rassilon!!!

-Gordon

 

[Ruben]

I get most of my stuff at JoAnn's fabrics. If you get on their mailing list, they'll send you both e-mail and regular mail coupons for 50% off. I use these on the expensive fur and fabric. I also get some stuff from Hobby Lobby, Hancock's and Walmart (clothes and stuff). I'm going to check out some clothes at Build-a-Bear, they've got some great stuff ( tiny eyeglasses and leather jackets) on their website.

For clothes and such, second hand clothes store are really great, go down the kids clothes isle and you can find alot of stuff.

 

[Teenager's]

I recently found a store (really a shack) in a run down city near me that sells HUGE sheets of Great foam (like 10 medium sized puppets a sheet). It's called Michigan Textiles and it's really just a whole sale place for fabric and they have a bunch of interesting textures because they get all the old fabric and upholstery stuff from the car companies....it even better since they're going out of business.....But they also have big blocks of foam and its all pretty chep the sheets I got were $15.

other places
--Lowes--I like it because its organized better than Home Depot...and has better lighting
--JoAnnes--

*Online*
VanDykes Taxedermy
Medels Faux Fur
Dick Blick
Burman Industries