Tinkertopia – Alt. Art Supply + Creative Reuse Center

Best place if you just need trinkets to finish a project and don’t want to spend the money at big chain stores. Great recycling idea, always there with self made signs to fuel imagination. Offers classes so the kiddos are occupied. Bummer is that once something is there, you need to buy it or it’s gone. Downtown on the bus line and near the college so it’s hard to miss.

What a fun store! I love being able to buy items in bulk, and stuff a bag full to take home. They have tons of items, and the staff are friendly and helpful. Haven’t figured out how I’m going to use the stuff I bought, though.

So much yes. If you haven’t been to this place you MUST go. Loved it so much. We brought our little ones in here and they had so much fun filling up bulk bags. I also found a chalkboard that my son can carry around with him for like $ 4, and you can’t beat a craft bargain like that! Can’t wait until he’s a little older so I can take him to the Workshops.

Wow! I love this place! It is so adorable! This art supply store repurpose a huge amount of things to make art pieces! The range of merchandise goes from buttons to pieces of used electronics and almost anything else you can think of!
They apparently do classes in the back of the store. It says tickets are required to go back there so I’m not quite sure how that is set up since this was my first visit here and I was busy absorbing everything here.
I bought some old Marvel comics here which I was very excited to see! They weren’t necessarily in a condition picky collectors may find acceptable but they were intact. You can actually use these comics for art projects as well. They had a great idea with a comic being framed with a awesome border going around it that complimented with the comic quite nicely.
I didn’t buy those comics for that. I was just excited to get old back issues of the Hulk to read as well as reclaim an old issue that got destroyed when my brother and I were little kids.

So let me begin with, this was the most amazing birthday experience I have ever had so far in my motherhood career (lol). I have been to many places that were terrible or subpar and most were over priced. But my son’s 6^th birthday was a hit not only with the kids but with my buget and enjoyment as a parent. They know kids and made sure every moment something was going on. The kids loved the Tinker robots they made and the tinker bags that got to take home. It was stress free and they were uderstanding when I messed up the times on the invitations a half hour early. I would suggest them to everyone for a fun day with your little artist or engineers and Tinkerers to, and even more so for birthday partys!!!
Thanks Tinkertopia for letting me enjoy my sons party for the first time! (And holding the presents I left behind on accident for a few days! You guys really rock!!)

This place is so cute and quirky! I went here with my boyfriend and his friend after being intrigued by it in passing, and decided to stop by! I thought the concept of this place is wonderful. There’s a lot of random things that can spark up so much creativity! I’m not an artist/​crafter by any means, but I got some yarn and buttons for crocheting. I think everything is organized very well and the staff are very friendly.

A lovely place for a ladies tinkering art night! Ms. Darcy was a wonderful hostess and we had a fabulous time creating works of art! Thank you for allowing is space, bits, and baubles to make our creative juices flow. We will certainly be back for more tinker time!

I’m not an artist so I will defer on any opinions about the utility of the materials for sale. However, as a spot to host a birthday party this place can not be beat, not just in Tacoma, but in Western Washington. A fun and vibrant space with a friendly staff, and the price is reasonable.

Lots of really nice science-​y ephemera. Also a lot of useful things for arts and crafts, all jammed into a cozy but well laid out space. There’s probably something there for you!

Tinkertopia is one of the coolest things in Tacoma. Period.
Come to Tinkertopia & find re-​purposed, re-​cycled items for art projects. Buy by the bag or by the piece. You’ll find everything here. Donate here as well — they’ll take pretty much anything. You’ll find bits of fabric, paper, industrial/​office supply castoffs, lots of gently used art supplies (paint, brushes, pastels, etc), game pieces, books, corks & bottle caps… it really goes on and on.
Tinkertopia is an amazing link for my current life going between Vancouver BC and Tacoma because it is a direct descendant of Urban Source in BC. Really — the owner of Tinkertopia went to Emily Carr College in Vancouver and wanted to bring Urban Source to Tacoma. (see:
)
She’s succeeded in spades.
Tinkertopia is actually larger than Urban Source and has space for classes & parties — which are great for kids of all ages. Parties are reasonably priced and I highly recommend them for events.
Kudos also for how well organized this space is… it’s difficult to keep this mountain of bits & bobs so tidy! Also — kudos for the creations on display. There are wonderful inspirations all over Tinkertopia… just a peek at these is worth a trip.
Thank you, Tinkertopia, for being here!!!

This is my daughter’s new favorite place! I love all the options for crafting. What a creative place, and a neat way to recycle & reuse materials. For $ 7, you can craft for an hour and use the materials, supplies & tools in a specific craft area. She had a ball!
We will be back!

Okay this was the most fun experience, ever! It’s like a giant garage sale of everything you might ever want but never seem to have even in your junk drawer! From buttons, to sewing notions, to mechanical pieces parts, nuts, bolts, straws various kinds of papers – this place is a cornucopia of fun! The bulk pricing makes this a truly worth it experience! And the staff/​owner was so completely helpful as I picked thru bins, fondled the notions and came home with the value of the enormous bag just in books – making all the other items I stuffed into that bag a complete bonus!
I highly recommend this repurposed art materials experience! Thank you TinkerToy!

What a great idea and fun experience for the kiddos! My godson and I went here today for the first time and were able to put our creativity to the test! It was reasonably priced and we had a good time! Wish they had elmers glue so I didn’t have to glue everything though! We will definitely be back! Staff was excellent as well!

Oh Em Gee. This place is AWESOME! I totally want to take my daughter back here and see what SHE thinks, because I think the little birthday party area in the back looks amazing. Meanwhile, if you just want to check out rows and rows of funky, cool, weird stuff, get a cup of coffee nearby and come into Tinkertopia to peruse the endless array of stuff. It’s a real hoot in here — and so clever! Hipsters would definitely love it, but this old mom loved it too.

yes, yes, yes!
I feel in love with this shop because of its uniqueness and great idea. Did you know for a small price, you can use their space to create art using their supplies… how cool is that! I think I love that the most about this shop. While it has fun bins of odds and ends, its the creativity that screams to me!
Check it out!

INSPIRATION CENTRAL!!! I don’t even know how long I spent in here with my $ 20 bag perusing through all the bins. They have lights, old CDs, metal pipes, fabric samples, old construction supplies, the list goes on and on. I frankly don’t even know how much stuff I put in my bag with anticipation to use it for future crafts. This place is seriously a GEM. If you need to refresh your brain or find something fun to do on a nonchalante day, then come here and fill a bag with random goodies to construct into awesome crafts.

If you are looking to be inspired or looking for a very specific something to complete a project, then you should probably head on over to Tinkertopia in Tacoma.
They have an enormous variety of the most random and unique things. All arranged in a very clear and organized way, at least it’s as organized as they could possibly get it.
While the prices are much higher than that of SCRAP in Portland (which I will love until my dying day), this is a great place to walk around, dig around in, to find something that you absolutely had no idea that you needed in your life.
When you first walk in, along the left wall there are stacks of bags of varying sizes. The deal is that you grab a bag, and fill it up with items from several of your bulk bins, and then you pay one flat price.
You can find leather remnants, paper, bubble-​mailers, vintage cameras, needle-​nosed pliers, tiles, unused/​unfolded ice cream containers, jewelry, buttons and oh soooo much more.
They also have birthday parties for kids, which sounds like a very fun, creative and unique idea.
If you’re going to stop by (which you should), then you should save some time to wander aimlessly around the store and not rush yourself.
Think of it as a curated garage sale of crafting/​building supplies.

Such an amazing place to let your creativity flow! My kids were in heaven! They could have stayed all day long building and creating and imagining…
There are so many trinkets to work with, everyone is guaranteed to leave happy!

Walked by after eating at Savor Creperie, which I think was right next door.
I was a little confused when I walked in because everything is so random, stuff that most people would typically discard as garbage or unusable. What kind of store is this? Creative reuse? What does that mean?
There’s something about the whole shop that is inspiring. I am not often motivated to be creative but this place opened my eyes to how easy and fun it is to repurpose old things into new things.
I spent a lot of time in the back digging through the tile, glass, and granite samples. There so many nice samples, I had a hard time choosing… so I left with quite a heavy bag. I’ve been on the hunt for good coasters because I’ve gone through quite a few sets that either broke or just did not stand up to condensation. So I made my own using materials from here, and they are the best I have ever owned.
Can’t wait to visit again for more inspiration for other projects! This is really a wonderful store.

Tinkertopia is an amazing place to be if you have a strange project, craft or part you are looking for. I first heard about Tinkertopia through Spaceworks and was excited by the first few photographs posted on the blog.
I am a first grade teacher, photographer, homeowner, business owner and dad. So, to say the least I am in the market constantly for things… things that you can’t get anywhere else.
This place has it all! Frames, wood scraps, tile, altoid tins, marbles… you name the random item and chances are they have it. Old bowling pins… YEP.
Additionally, they are always getting more strange and random items in. I 100% local businesses that provide a function product/​service to the community, in addition to being environmentally friendly. Most of the items that are in store are thrown out on a daily basis, which makes me appreciative I can locate items not typically for sale.
THANK YOU TINKERTOPIA!!!