Decades-old art supply store is closing its Kansas City and Johnson County locations
A family-owned art supply and framing retailer is closing after decades in the Kansas City area.
Creative-Coldsnow Artist Materials and Framing started a closing sale at 10 a.m. Monday at the Overland Park location, 10456 Metcalf Ave.
It will have 20,000 art and graphic design supplies at 40% off, including oil, acrylic and watercolor paints, brushes, drawing materials, stretched and unstretched canvas, drafting materials, printmaking inks, blocks, carving knives, easels, sculpting clay and tools, decorative paper, sketch pads and notebooks.
The Overland Park store is on a month-to-month lease and scheduled to close in mid-May.
The Westport location, at 808 Westport Road, is open for framing only. The Westport building, 6,300 square feet, is listed for sale at $825,000 by Block & Co. Inc. Realtors. Daniel Brocato is listing agent.
“The closing is a culmination of different things. Online presence has struck the industry with incredible consolidation. COVID taught people how to shop at home and they have stayed online, and just years of decreased margins because of big box and art supply chain stores,” said Greg McKean, co-owner with his sister, Michelle Bland. “And the cost of technology. Small businesses don’t have a lot of resources.”
Bland was diagnosed with ovarian cancer more than four years ago and has had five surgeries since. She recently learned the cancer had spread to her brain.
Creative-Coldsnow traces its roots to the 1940s.
In 1942, Keith Coldsnow and Max Morris were co-managing the Kansas City Art Institute’s tiny bookstore. But they wanted to serve artists throughout the metro. So they opened Coldsnow-Morris Art Supply in Midtown in 1946.
Five years later, Coldsnow opened Keith Coldsnow Ltd., also in Midtown. The business grew and then expanded into a 7,400-square-foot space at 104 Westport Road in 1972. He later opened the Overland Park location.
Greg and Michelle’s parents, Bill and Marianne McKean, owned Creative Crafts and Hobbies at 808 Westport before purchasing the assets of Keith Coldsnow Limited in 2006 and consolidating it at their store. They changed the name to Creative-Coldsnow Artist Materials and Framing.
Even then, they faced competition from big box retailers who could offer lower prices.
Greg McKean and Bland worked in the business and became owners in 2012.
“It’s been a grind for a number of years, especially with Michelle being sick. As with any family business it’s difficult,” he said.
