WEST CHESTER — Computers changed things. Most of those under 30 years old don’t know what a library card catalogue looks like. With a nod to the past, Moriah Hoque of the newly opened art supply store Nightingale Materials at 118 N.
High St. sells art supplies from an old card catalogue and an apothecary cabinet. From within the shop, which opened April 12, those two wooden cabinets house almost all the colors of the rainbow.
Art materials colored beige, dark brown, warm gray, slate gray, sepia, sienna brown and light umber are all available. “It looks like it’s been around forever and that’s how I wanted the store to feel,” Hoque said. “It was my vision for the store.
“Art supply stores should be inspired. The shop is warm and inviting with lots of little nooks and crannies. I wanted to make sure everything we have in the store is special, not generic, but all new and exciting.
” The shop sells a variety of art materials, including, paints, stationary, paper, canvases, brushes, oil pastels, colored pencils and markers. There is plenty for kids, with artist-grade material for children. “Older kids can make something and not just scribble,” Hoque said.
The shop also hosts a full studio where Hoque’s sister, Elisa Francomb, leads art classes. “It’s for people who aren’t necessarily artists or don’t feel artistic,” Hoque said about the classes. “It’s all about releasing yourself to just be creative.
” A huge variety of classes are offered, i.
