i swear to the gods of tuition that I never would have gotten through art school without Pat Catans, and there's no way I could afford my life without them either. Sometimes I even go here when I just need a nice little retail therapy browse.
The prices on craft materials, art supplies, (and all kinds of other things) cannot be beat. You do need to learn the store because finding a helpful employee can be hard. But the tradeoff is worth it. If you are self-employed or own a business, get the Tax Exemption card for additional discounts. Same with the regular club card.
Also, can you really beat a place that has an airbrushed 70s van in the parking lot? No. You cannot.