Le Petit Matisse, 1405 Encinal Ave, Alameda, CA 94501, US

You never know what you'll find in this locally owned crafts store, so regulars stop by often. The emphasis is on crafting, from cake decorating to beadwork to silk-flower arranging to scrapbooking. For artists, Richards carries canvases, sketchbooks, Prismacolor pencils and Winsor-Newton and Grumbacher paints and brushes. A custom frame shop is in back. The rest of the store is reserved for an amazing array of imports, home decor and collectibles; look no further for a synthetic pashmina or the adorably tiny U.S.-made Hagen-Renaker porcelain animals. Staffers are all dedicated artists and craftspeople; some of their work is for sale on the walls. The shop is at the east end of the Target Center, toward First Street.

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