Magpie Art Supply: Bozeman's first reuse craft store

A store dedicated to art and craft supplies has recently been brought to Bozeman in a sustainable and inclusive fashion. 

Magpie Art Supply, Bozeman’s first thrift art and craft store, opened in early June 2026. According to Chris Fastnow the owner of Magpie Art Supply, volunteers and donations have become the backbone of the store, allowing the community to drop in and craft for free, use reused supplies and buy secondhand. 

“I jokingly call my role the ‘chief magpie’, but I’m the owner of the business, the primary staffer, the volunteer wrangler, social media expert — all the things,” Fastnow said.

Before opening the shop, Fastnow worked for MSU for over 20 years at University Data Analytics. She parted ways in 2024 to tend to elderly family members while also taking time to see her son attending college. 

“I visited a store called the Texas Art Asylum — which is still the best name in the creative reuse business, in my opinion,” Fastnow said. “There's about 200 independent creative reuse stores around the country — I had no idea they existed. I walked into the Texas Art Asylum and I immediately fell in love. I could not get the idea out of my head.” 

She spent the next year fighting the desire to bring a reuse store to Bozeman. She said she hoped someone she talked to would run with the idea, but she came to realize it’d have to be her. 

Fastnow said the name came to her due to magpies' proclivity for scavenging. “Magpies are just like second-hand shoppers: local, clever, collaborative [and] beautiful scavengers,” she said.  

“My overarching goal is community,” Fastnow said. “This was not about money, this is a passion project in a community that deserves it.” 

To better facilitate community, Magpie Art Supply emphasizes inclusivity. The statement: “We welcome all gender identities, economic backgrounds, abilities, ages, races and belief systems. We actively invite others to teach us and learn with us how to keep doing this work,” can be found on every page of its website.

The true warp and weft of Magpie Art Supply are the donations and volunteers. 

“We’re 100 percent volunteers. I'm not paying myself, but in addition to me, I've got about 25 to 30 people who have signed up to volunteer,” Fastnow said. “We’re set up as an LLC, but I'm running it as a social enterprise. So, I'm just trying to cover costs and then any additional funds will get poured back into art education and more.”

According to Fastnow, Magpie Art Supply has become rather successful, with word of mouth doing most of their advertising for them. 

To bring in regulars and build on the reuse and crafting culture, Fastnow has put on various events: Crafternoon, held on Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Createvening, held on Fridays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.. 

“Both are just open times where people can come in, use the reusable supplies like needles or brushes or things, bring their own projects, buy a project here. I always have a free paper craft, ” she said. 

Additionally, Bozeman Weavers Guild (BWG) celebrates National Weavers Week each year by demonstrating in local stores. This year Magpie Art Supply and local fiber art supplies store, A Show Of Hands, will be hosting BWG demos on Oct. 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., which will be free to the public. 

Fastnow said she plans on expanding her workshops, inviting people to learn new techniques with the help of experienced artists. Her next plan is a mending workshop, which will be useful to many. Finding motivation or time to start a new project can be tiresome, but Fastnow said having a set time each week to hold oneself accountable can make doing so more attainable.

Fastnow has built connections with not only workshop goers and customers, but those who donate as well. 

“Most of my large quantity donors are seniors because they're starting to destash. And so they're bringing in big quantities of things — and it's delightful, because then I get to hear about what they've made in their lives,” Fastnow said. 

With an abundance of materials, Magpie Art Supply has seasonal and holiday crafts to offer. According to Fastnow, this is a sustainable and affordable option in comparison to big-box stores for fall season or Halloween shopping. 

Fastnow noted all supplies on the shelves are donations, and she does not provide inventory. Even the shelves and tables used for display and crafting were sourced from local thrifts or Facebook Marketplace. 

“I don't make a huge distinction between craft and art. There are supplies in here for almost every discipline that I can think of that is thought of as a craft or an art or both,” Fastnow said. “But it's also a place where if you are a kid who needs a bag of googly eyes or pom poms or something, it's here too.”

For more information on Magpie Art Supply, visit magpieartsupply.com.