Shopping for Arts and Crafts and Hobby Supplies in Amsterdam

Everyone should have a hobby; if you don’t have one, maybe you should start looking… Spending time on doing something you really enjoy is not only relaxing and good for your health, but can also provide some extra income, if you decide to monetise it. Amsterdam is quite an inspiring city — the bohemian atmosphere will give birth to many creative ideas and you’ll need some supplies to put them into practice. It’s not easy to find the shops, especially if you moved here from another country; I know that because I had some difficulties finding what I needed when I first moved to Amsterdam, because many of the websites are (or were, a few years ago) in Dutch only, and I didn’t know how to look for them. Nowadays things are much simpler and the number of shops is a decent one, not to mention that after the pandemic most of them made it possible to order online.

This is my guide to where to buy art and craft supplies in Amsterdam — from paint, paper and canvases to yarn, beads, fabric and model-making kits — including plenty of shops with English-friendly websites and online ordering. If a shop here sparks a new hobby, you might also like my guide to creative courses in Amsterdam taught in English.

Last updated: June 2026

Shops in Amsterdam where you can find supplies for all your hobbies and creative activities:

Art supplies

• Van Beek Art Supplies — this is a dream shop for artists! It has everything you need as an artist, be itart supplies (such as canvases, brushes, acrylic paint or clay), drawing materials, paper, aerosols with paint, graphics, design and presentation materials or frames. There are a few Van Beek shops in Amsterdam and other cities in the Netherlands, but the one on Stadhouderskade is the first one, open in 1895! A lovely shop to visit!
• Van der Linde — art supplies and craft materials, from paint for every medium to clay and design materials. On Rozengracht, it has been supplying artists since 1898 — a big, well-stocked shop with its own framing workshop at the back.
• Vlieger — paper & art supplies (envelopes, foam board, plastics, book binding materials and much more). This shop’s story goes back to 1869 and it’s an interesting one (you can read it on their website). You’ll find it in an old canal house on the Amstel — said to be one of the oldest paper shops in Europe — with a lovely range of pens and calligraphy supplies upstairs.
• Henxs – a big variety of spray paint (now also known as MTN Shop Amsterdam). A long-standing Amsterdam institution for graffiti and street-art supplies, tucked away on Sint Antoniesbreestraat.

Various assortment

• Pipoos has a variety of materials, for every hobby, for adults and kids alike. From beads, to decoupage, to making soap or painting, you can find everything in this shop. When I visit Pipoos I feel like a child in the candy shop, and I want to start every hobby possible. It is a place where one could find an interesting gift as well, so check it out when you are without ideas. The shop in Amsterdam is located on Ceintuurbaan, but there are shops in many cities in the Netherlands (and online, of course).
• H. Bruinink — a big assortment of hobby materials. One of the largest and most affordable hobby shops in the Amsterdam region (out in Bos en Lommer), covering everything from embroidery and diamond painting to scrapbooking, beads and stamps — with a 24/7 webshop too.
• Crafts&Co — various items like miniature buildings, journaling and scrapbooks, textiles. As much a community as a shop: a webshop full of on-trend DIY supplies alongside workshops at their space on Overschiestraat.
• Søstrene Grene — the Danish lifestyle chain (on Nieuwendijk and Ferdinand Bolstraat) is a budget-friendly treasure trove for DIY and craft basics: yarn, beads, paint, needlework and seasonal craft kits.

Modelling and games

• Aviation Megastore, on Molenweg 249 (close to Schiphol Airport) — aviation books, aircraft scale modelling, aircraft model collections, flight simulation, pilot supplies and aircraft videos
• Harlaar Modeltreinen — a model trains shop, with everything you need for this hobby (trains, scenery, rails) and also cars models
• Warhammer – is the place for games miniatures. You can buy here all the materials you need for painting miniatures and some more
• Schaak en Go Winkel Het Paard  — chess and other games. A specialist on Haarlemmerdijk since 1987 for chess, Go, board games and puzzles — many with English instructions.
• A Space Oddity — action figure toy shop. A treasure trove on the Prinsengracht for collectors: Star Wars, Transformers and Pokémon upstairs, designer toys from Japan in the basement.

Beads

• Beadies on Huidenstraat 6 — everything for jewellery making. A friendly fixture in the Nine Streets since 1998, packed with beads, charms and ready-made jewellery.
• Beadazzled — in De Pijp, jewellery and accessories materials. On Sarphatipark and open seven days a week, with a big range of beads — natural stone, seed beads and Miyuki Delica — for jewellery making.
• Coppenhagen — beads and all the other necessary ingredients for jewellery making. A long-running bead shop on Rozengracht that also runs jewellery-making workshops.

Knitting, embroidery, tailoring

• Jan de Grote Kleinvakman — a small hidden shop at the Albert Cuyp market, a heaven for seekers of tailoring materials, but not only. The fournituren (haberdashery) specialist has been on Albert Cuypstraat for over 40 years, and sells online too.
• Hooks and Yarn – a shop on Haarlemmerdijk where you can buy everything you need for knitting, crocheting or embroidery, from an impressive wool collection to knitting hooks and books.
• Knopenwinkel (The Button Shop) — an impressive collection of buttons in all shapes and sizes. You’ll find this button specialist on Herengracht, in the Nine Streets area.
• A.Boeken — fabric and haberdashery store in Amsterdam since 1920, a family business. Here, you will find an extensive collection of fabrics and haberdashery. Three side-by-side buildings filled from floor to ceiling with rolls and bales of yarn, lace, ruffles, and many other things.
• Studio Handmade Heaven — knitting and crocheting materials. They also offer a good selection of workshops. Run by craft designer Twirre van Kraaijenoord in Amsterdam Oost, near the Dappermarkt, now focused on classes and creative concepts.
• De Afstap — knitwear and embroidery (materials and courses). On Oude Leliestraat, a long-standing go-to for knitting and embroidery.
• Stephen and Penelope — yarn boutique, selling yarn, tools, books and magazines. A bright, well-loved shop on Haarlemmerdijk with a big range of fine and luxury yarns, shipping worldwide.
• Undercover Otter — sustainable yarn, fibres, haberdasheries. Online shop. An Amsterdam indie dyer known for vivid, sometimes UV-reactive hand-dyed sock yarns, plus project bags and notions.
• Capsicum Natuurstoffen — a Nieuwmarkt institution since the 1970s (Oude Hoogstraat 1), specialising in hand-woven natural fabrics from India — cotton, linen and silk — plus bedspreads, scarves and cushion covers. Lovely for sewing and textile projects.

DIY cosmetics (online shops)

• Soap Queen — online shop for soap- and cosmetics-making supplies: melt-and-pour bases, oils, butters, waxes, fragrances and colourants for making your own soap, cosmetics and candles.
• Olie Meesters — oils and waxes for hand-made cosmetics (not in Amsterdam but you can order online).

Other

• De Posthumus Winkel — This is an amazing shop for stamps, beautiful paper, envelopes, inks of all colours and sealing wax.

Also, let’s not forget that even at “regular” shops like Hema, Blokker or IKEA there is a lot of raw material to be found for hand-made crafts.

I hope you’ll find some interesting nuggets among these, and if there are any that I missed, please feel free to suggest them in a comment.

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