There's a reason Wet Paint wins this category hands down every year: This Grand Avenue arts emporium, an independently owned store with deep roots in St. Paul, should be the first stop for the professional and the dilettante artist alike. Wet Paint's crowded aisles boast a reported 30,000 products, everything from oils, acrylics, pens, and charcoals to fancy decorating paper and craft kits to sketch pads and journals. There's also a vast selection of different types and qualities of paper (perfect for that counterfeiting operation you've been cooking up in your basement). What sets Wet Paint apart, though, is that the smart, mostly college-kid staff is always around to help you navigate the store's embarrassment of riches.