Hobby Shops near Oakland, CA

“This is a community place, they host gaming sessions of all different types of games d&d magic the gathering chess etc. They have things for sale, snacks it's a great little community spot”

“Love Blick. Amazing amount of supplies and helpful staff, good location.
They have supplies for every conceivable kind of art that I can think of. Student discounts available. It's really an artists treasure trove.”

“I foolishly invested 50K in another gold/silver company who sold me crap metals and pocketed my profits. Ron gave the metals an accurate appraisal (free of charge!) and actually reached out to the crooked company on my behalf. He's a dying breed and a stand up guy who I trust completely w my $. From now on, I'll be going to the United States Stamp Company for all my gold & silver needs.”

“What great service! Especially for an online order. A different online retailer decide not to tell me that a key part of a birthday present for my wife, Nutscene Garden Twine, was back ordered, which I only discovered because it didn't ship after 4 or 5 days. Scrambling, I found Arch Art Supplies had some in stock. Unfortunately the color I chose was out of stock but instead of leaving me hanging Arch Art reached out directly to ask me if one of the other colors would be ok and then quickly got it shipped to me...with a couple of days left till the birthday! It was a small order but they went out of their way to provide great service....can't thank them enough...and can't wait to visit the shop in person.”

“Has everything. College vibes abound. Prices are a little higher then the cheapest on the internet but feel fair given that there is actually helpful staff around.”

“Hello good people, this last July, 2025, myself and family was on vacation in San Francisco for a cruise
I was walking around Pier 39, and I discovered We Be Knives, Storefront.
This small business, is an excellent place to purchase any type of knife that you’re interested in.
I personally am a big fan of bench made knives,
We Be Knives, Has an excellent selection of bench made knives, if that’s what you’re into, amongst other brands of knives too.
Their customer service, is above and beyond what I expected, And the knowledge that the gentleman I talked to was above and beyond anything I expected.
And, their prices on their knives are one of the best places I have ever seen.
The next time I am at their shop, I will be purchasing another knife from them.
Just remember, Cash is King, I truly believe you will not go wrong dealing with this Company.
I hope this little review will help you on whether or not to buy from them or not, I can’t recommend them enough.
Thanks and have a great day!!!”

“We've always seen this colorful kite shop that you can't miss on Grant Ave. It is happy, fun, and full of kites, toys, and more. We've stopped by for souvenir pennies outside in front of the store. But, our last visit I saw beautiful Chinese new year lanterns in the window. I really liked it and hadn't seen this specific decoration anywhere in the 5+ stores I had already been to in Chinatown earlier that day. It is a beautiful red lantern decoration with velvet and sequins on it. I bought one to take home.

Once I got home, I soon realized I wanted to get 4 more and hang them on my stairway. SF is at least an 1hr+ drive each way for me, so I called their store to see if they could ship it to me. They took my info and charged me for the lanterns and shipping. Albert, the owner, shipped it the next day. They shipped it on Monday and we received it on Tuesday! Probably because we live relatively close, but I really appreciated the fast and accurate shipping! They also packaged the lanterns well and carefully.

Thank you Albert and Chinatown Kite Shop for our new Chinese New Year decorations! I am so happy. This is definitely a trustworthy shop and quality products and service!”

“Went into Jeff's shop today looking to buy silver. I ended up buying silver and having a good conversation. Jeff is a very knowledgeable numismatist. His shop was super nice and he was a pleasure to deal with. If you're in the area and looking for some coins I'd advise you check him out.”

“The second my partner and I saw how unassuming this shop is we knew we were in for something good. The collection in here is amazing, and the owner is very nice. You can tell there is a lot of love for collecting and anime/geek culture in here. Really wide selection spanning tons of different anime, manga, comics, games, across many decades. Japanese moomin merch (or ANY moomin merch, for that matter) is really hard to come by in the u.s., and we were able to get a cute moomin plushie from Japan, one that neither my partner and I have ever seen before despite being moomin fans for 5+ years. Even if we hadn't gotten the plushie I was honestly happy knowing that the owner at least knew what moomin was. I'll definitely be stopping by in the future next time I'm in Oakland/Emeryville.”

“I stopped by today just to pick up a couple of supplies. I ended with everything I need and then some! Jim was such a wealth of knowledge and encouragement. His joy for his craft was contagious. I had such a pleasant trip to this shop, I’m definitely looking forward to returning! A quick stop turned into truly one of my most joyful shopping experiences of my life! Thanks Jim!”

“A treasure on 4th street. Wonderful books and a great selection of gifts along with helpful, friendly staff. If you haven't been to this store, you need to go!”

“Russ is exactly the kind of plastic wizard you need if you are an innovator, maker or tinkerer. I am extremely grateful to have been a recipient of his kindness, wisdom,sense of humor and wizardry if course.
Thanks Russ!!”

“A cool little place to get supplies, paint, paintbrushes, pins all kinds of different types of paper. Like, I said, it's a cool place. The the workers are out and more than willing to assist you to get all the supplies for the art class, he's taking.”

“Dennis is The King. I always enjoy talking with Dennis about the Days of the Fillmore, Fillmore West, Family Dog, and Winterland.
I have made many purchases from his gallery and I trust Dennis to be a man of his word when it comes to the authenticity and quality of these items. Thanks for sticking around Dennis.
Patrick McKenna”

“Ying Hobbies & Toys it's the hidden gem you never knew you needed! My wife stumbled upon this treasure while on a quest for Gunpla goodness, and boy, am I glad she did. Tucked away in a cozy spot, Ying Hobbies & Toys might play hard to get at first, but once you lay eyes on its bounty of plastic wonders, you'll be hooked. The store might be small, but it's bursting at the seams with an array of model kits that'll make any Gundam fan's heart skip a beat. Seriously, choosing just one model feels like trying to pick a favorite child - impossible and bound to hurt someone's feelings. But fear not, the guy running the place is pretty helpful. With his guidance, navigating through the sea of model kits becomes a breeze! Oh and the pricing is super fair specially for all the cool stuff you can find. So, if you're a Gundam enthusiast or just someone who appreciates the art of model kits, do yourself a favor and pay Ying Hobbies & Toys a visit. Trust me, it'll quickly become your go-to spot for all things Gunpla. Happy building, fellow plastic yelp warriors!”

“Had a great experience selling my silver coins here. Larry gave me a great price and unlike other places that were trying to rip me off he is very honest and knowledgeable.”

“I'm sure this place has been booming ever since the closing of Joanne's. I went in one weekday afternoon to grab supplies. I wound up looking around for so long, that I had to ask .. I then was pointed in the right direction by a young gentleman by the name of Jason (I think) and he did more than just point me in the right direction, we walked me over there and also assisted me in checking out. He physically scanned each item in the self-help check out line, bagged, and mostly helped me with everything. What service and a hard working, kind, young gentleman. Thank you Sir!!”

“After my popcorn excursion I decided to stay out a bit and go to Michael's, enjoy the fresh air. I've been watching Bob Ross lately. I find him to be very calming. He's inspired me to tap into my artistic side. I did not purchase anything. I just perused the art section and beading section to get an idea of what I want to start with. Anytime I had a question there was a staff member nearby available to answer my question. Pricing varies by the level of quality you are seeking. Eager to get into my new hobby.”

“Clean organized store with a friendly staff fast service on checkout quick staff assistance when needs besides target and the dollar tree it's the only craft store on the island so it is what it is the sewing section is a far cry from what I would want it to be no fabric they have some ribbons and threads sewing needles buttons zippers but and lacking allot it's not wear I would start if I were sewing a garment or something that was not needing more than Minor repairs.”

“We recently purchased an acrylic panel for our living room skylight. The staff at TAP Plastics provided excellent service on the selection of a cost effective material, In addition, the staff helped us size and adjust the large sheet dimensions to obtain a perfect fit. Awesome!”

“Great shop to check out TCGs & supplies, might as well to play a few games in the quiet atmosphere. P.S. Feel free to contact them beforehand if you are not sure they are opening or not.”

“A good LGS with friendly staff and scheduled events. Decent stock in store though I'm sure they can get stuff delivered to the store.

They just moved down the block to a larger site with more gaming space. Give it a try!”

“I have been a customer of Dennis King for over 40 years. I have purchased everything from sports cards, non-sports cards, 49er Starter jackets, 70s Warriors warm up jackets, baseball caps, sports programs and schedules. King's Baseball Cards is the one stop shop for the intelligent connoisseur who is also a smart shopper of sports memorabilia. Prices are reasonable and fair. I am certain Dennis has some items at good prices that you will be unable to find elsewhere.

Many decades ago, I came into Dennis's original shop on Bancroft, looking to fill a super rare non-sports card set. Dennis helped me fulfill a long time dream to complete my 1962 Mars Attacks set at a reasonable price. Dennis told me that I was offering to pay too much. That set alone is now worth a small fortune if you can find someone willing to part with one.

Dennis is always willing to share his vast knowledge of sport cards. He has likely forgotten more than I will ever know.

Dennis, thank you for making my collection what it is today.”

“Mr. Foster is a Numismatists BEST FRIEND!!! HE IS A TRUE EXPERT in the field of Coin Collecting!!! Mr. Foster is an expert in all things currency related actually, HE LITERALLY WROTE THE BOOK!!!! He wrote a FANTASTIC BOOK all about the TRUE HISTORY OF THE FIAT CURRENCY SYSTEM, including historical refrences to every-single culture/Country that has used Fiat in the past, and EVERY SINGLE ONE HAS FAILED MISREBLY, with the exception to the current, WORLD-WIDE FIAT "EXPERIMENT" THAT WE HAVE ALL BEEN FORCED TO LIVE THROUGH STARTING IN THE 20TH CENTURY.... His book is a TRUE EYE OPENER THAT I ADVISE EVERYONE THAT HAS EVER TOUCHED, USED, SPENT, SAVED, OR COLLECTED CURRENCY OF ANY KIND TO READ, IT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND ???!!!!!! Thank you VERY MUCH Mr. Foster for the coins you have sent me, they have truly, and honestly become THE PINNACLES OF MY LIFE-LONG COIN COLLECTION!!!!! FIGHT THE BROKEN SYSTEM, BUY AND SAVE, AS MANY GOLD & SILVER COINS AS POSSIBLE, YOU WILL THANK YOURSELF SOMEDAY IN THE NEAR-FUTURE!!!”