Santa Rosa / California / United States
The 80s brought new changes in the market. This was the decade in which many other long standing art material retailers would call the "hey days". Commercial artist and designers in the graphic arts became a significant part of our customer base. Yarns, looms and macrame were being replaced with rows of dry transfer lettering, technical pens and drafting furniture. As Rileystreet went into the 90s we found ourselves in the midst of another transformation. Computers had begun to take over the graphic and drafting arts. So we found ourselves putting our energy and focus back into our roots which was fine art materials and craft materials. And you remember that guy Bill who started all this, well, after working his butt off for many years he decided to take a trip to Mexico- that lasted 8 years!!!! In 1997, Bill decided he still wanted to stay in Mexico so he needed to make a big decision. Something not noted in the beginning of this story is that along with founding Rileystreet in 1968 he also had a daughter named Jana. Now, Jana came to know this guy named Mike and eventually with Bills blessing ( we think ) they got married. To keep this story short, Bill offered them the business thus creating a second generation of this family runned business. In 2000 came one more change and it was not a small one. Due to the dedicated support of our customers and our continued success we were able to open a second location in Sonoma, Ca.. Though this was a smaller location than in Santa Rosa there was a significant need for an art material source in such an artistic and cultural city. In 2005, we opted to sell our Sonoma location to our dedicated store manager Zach McCormick and his wife Lolly. Today it is known as Fineline Art Supply and is still the favorite source for creative materials in the town of Sonoma. In 2007 another location was added. Over the decade or so Marin County has seen many changes regarding sources for art materials. Unfortunately those changes have been stores closing. While many understand that our economy during this time and retail in general was very difficult for small independents, the fact remained that Marin County was in dire need of a complete source for art materials. So after about a year of research and determing the best spot we opened on 4th Street in downtown San Rafael. To sum this all up about who we are is simple. Rileystreet is a local family run business which values their customers dearly. Every one of us here loves to listen and share with other people about their ideas and visions. And of course supply the necessary materials to achieve peoples ideas and visions.
