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Personal Thoughts and Ideas about
Getting Started All Over Again in a New Direction.
I can’t believe that forARTSake has been in
existence for almost three years now! When
we first opened our doors in June of 2001 we had no idea what to expect.
I had been an art teacher all my life and had little business experience.
Art had always been an important part of my life and I felt that it had
enriched my life in so many ways that I wanted to share some of that with the
community of Malone – my hometown. The
idea germinated for several years before it became a reality.
As I researched small businesses, I realized that, in order to be
successful in a small town like Malone, I would have to offer a number of
services. So, I came up with the
combination of retail sales, including consignment of artwork, antiques, art
supplies, matting & framing, workshops & lessons and ongoing gallery
exhibits. I’m finding that one
service feeds off the others and the interaction of all of them seems to be
working, at least so far!!
One of the most important pieces of the puzzle when I first started
thinking seriously about opening a shop was who I would hire to work in the
shop. I was still teaching and thus was limited to after school and weekend
hours. I was very fortunate to find
two women, about my age, who only wanted to work part time. I remember so well how the three of us took off for New York
City to attend the Art Expo and the Framing Expo.
This was before we even opened our doors. Were we ever green!! But
we learned a lot and had fun at the same time.
We
were becoming a team! And that team
has only become stronger the more we work together.
One of the other pieces of the puzzle was finding a place to rent.
I had two requirements. I
wanted to be on Main St. and I wanted the building to have a certain charm.
It also had to be big enough to house everything I wanted to offer.
I found the perfect place. It had been a photographers studio for almost
100 years and had a wonderful upstairs studio with a vaulted ceiling and huge
panels of glass. That room probably sold me on the place!!
The only disadvantage was that the whole place was in sad
disrepair. Being the naive person I was, I didn’t let that stop me. With the help of friends and family (my poor son had just returned from
playing hockey in Europe and hadn’t found employment yet, so he volunteered
over 70 hours – I’m sure he thought his Mom was crazy), we, oh, so slowly,
transformed the place into forARTSake.
I think the
best part of my shop is having the opportunity to meet so many people and watch
how art has enriched their lives. Probably
the most rewarding service we offer are the workshops and lessons. Many of the
participants are enjoying the experience so much that they sign up for class
after class. I’m beginning to feel that they are my extended family!!
And its amazing how they have improved in their skill level.
Many of them are now entering different exhibits on a regular basis.
I plan on
retiring this June from teaching and am very much
looking forward to the extra
time I will be able to spend at forARTSake.
I have so many ideas – I’m anxious to implement them.
The creative energy flowing through forARTSake is truly inspiring!
If you haven’t stopped in yet, please do!!!
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