Who They Are:

Leslie Banta is a painter by trade, as well as the owner and operator of Staunton Art Supply at 114 N. Central Ave. The store houses everything a serious artist could need with its professional grade products and friendly atmosphere, as well as high-quality, all-natural, soy-based art supplies for the pint-sized artists of Staunton.

Entrepreneurial Philosophy:

The closest high-quality art store Leslie found when she came to Staunton was in Charlottesville. As a mom and an artist she was not looking for a typical “arts and crafts” sort of store, but one that offered quality goods she could use, without having to pack up her child and drive a long distance to get there. Something within walking distance was needed, but not offered in Staunton, which she found surprising with a community of so many full and part-time artists. When she opened Staunton Art Supply, Leslie did so to offer high-quality products to local artists, such as paint, brushes, canvas, sketch books, and so on, while also eliminating their need, and her own, to drive a distance to get supplies. In addition to catering to the young-at-heart artists in the area, Leslie also carries a variety of high-quality, all-natural, soy-based children’s art supplies ranging from play dough to wax-free crayons that offer up a great color while being used!

How did you get here?

Leslie is a painter and her husband is a writer — needless to say the pair makes a very creative couple.  They had been living in Northern Virginia, but decided to make the move to Staunton. The couple left their jobs behind, but realized they needed to take on something once they moved to their new home.  After Leslie realized there was no local, high-quality art supplier in the area, she and her husband decided they should “be the ‘man’ and not work for the ‘man’ anymore,” as Leslie puts it. Taking Leslie’s art expertise into consideration, they opened up Staunton Art Supply in their new hometown. Today they are doing well at their 114 N. Central Ave location and Leslie would love to see you there!

Meet Them

114 N. Central Ave.
Staunton, VA 24401
www.stauntonartsupply.com
540-885-1818