In 2014 I was looking to expand my online business (selling wedding invitations and lace-covered shoes on Etsy), so I set out looking for a studio space.
When I saw the space where we currently reside, it inspired me. Quickly my business model shifted from an online store to a brick-and-mortar shop. I knew the different rooms would make great alcoves for all the various aspects of my growing business.
Our front room became the gallery so that visitors would see local art first. In the adjacent main room, we sell fun and gift items like stationery, fountain pens, and calligraphy inks. And in the first side room, we sell a bountiful array of fine art materials.
I knew we needed a photo lightbox in order to take beautiful product photos, so the second side room became our room for that. As we weren’t using the lightbox every day, we opened it up for DIY rentals.
The back room began as our workshop, and my intention has always been to continue creating handmade products to sell. But when customers asked us if we were going to teach art classes, we immediately said “yes!” and that room has become a dynamic classroom space.
Several friends helped me get things started. We spent six months painting, laying down flooring, and building shelves. I put out a call for employees and hired a few art students from UGA. We opened to the public in November 2014.
The business grew organically as we listened to our customers. Those who didn’t want to take photos themselves commissioned us to photograph their artwork and products. We bought a printer and started making archival reproductions for artists. I learned to teach calligraphy, and we started an Art Club for teens. It has certainly been a learning experience gaining these new skills, but now those services are a large part of our business.
We have gallery shows every few months and enjoy showing the work of local artists. Each year in February we host "The Love Show" where we hang 50+ works in our small gallery space; it's regularly our largest reception of the year.
I look forward to continuing the growth that we've begun. In the short-term, my main goals are to add all of our physical products to our website and to increase our brand recognition in the local Athens area. I want people to know about the thousands of products we carry, and I want to make shopping just as easy (and way more personal) as shopping at a "big box" store. We are working hard to build-out these listings with great photographs, descriptions, and soon... product demonstration videos!
We are working with the student marketing group, Talking Dog, to up-level our branding and start our YouTube channel. We're excited to expand our knowledge, skills, and outreach even more.
The Artist Shop is truly the dream that I never knew I had. I can't thank you enough for coming on this journey with me! Here's to the next five years 🥂
