from FREEwilliamsburg -January 15, 2011 Open in late April of 2010, ART ADDICTED quickly became known as the quirky art supply store where you can try out any product, and where kids are free to finger paint on the walls-at least in their own area. Classes in everything from watercolors to altered books are offered on a regular basis, as long as the interest is there, and the store is comfortable and welcoming.
Store owner Madden (though she prefers Mad) Reid invites customers to sit and have a cup of tea or coffee, talk about their days, and doodle in the notebooks left out just for that purpose. She claims you can tell a lot by the doodles people draw and she often picks up the notebooks to see how her favorite customers are doing that day. A smile crosses her face as she takes in my scribbles-roses and eyes. "Common themes," she says, picking up a soft pink colored pencil and shading the edges of a rose. "Classic. I'd say you're pretty well-balanced. Congratulations." She grins at me from her space-themed armchair.
Well-balanced isn't necessarily the norm in ART ADDICTED. Mad herself uses art as a means of dealing with her self-described "severe" bipolar disorder, and she tells me that the secret of the world is that all artists are a touch crazy. She's "just a little more open than most". She curls her legs up to her chest and tells me stories about paintings she's done and asks me about my life. It's suddenly simple to see why customers and students of Mad Reid keep coming back. She's the real deal. Honest, open, and inviting. We talk and laugh for over an hour, and when I get up to leave, I'm already making promises to come back soon.
All in all, ART ADDICTED may be my new favorite art supply store and local hang out. Definitely give it a try. I promise you won't be disappointed!
-review by Ashley Kinsington

The back right hand side of the store


More of our displays


One of our four classrooms!


Mad's "Bipolar Flooring" and everyone's favorite planet chair!