Friday, May 29, 2015

chasing a dream- opening a gallery part 2

There are so many things that inspire me: a colorful sunset, a trip to the museum, a great book, learning a new technique - but one of my biggest inspirations comes from hearing other people's stories. Stories of chasing after dreams, trying something new and pursuing a passion project are the things that really get my heart racing! I've got some new content coming to the blog in months ahead, and something I am really excited about is a new series where I will be sharing the stories of creative entrepreneurs chasing after their dreams. 

Today I am sharing the progress of my friend's Sara and Staci's passion project- a gallery for makers in Astoria, Oregon. When we last left them, they were deep in process of cleaning, painting and renovating the space. Their next step was working on display units, filling the store with handmade goodies and styling the space. I've been checking up on them throughout the process and today they are sharing what they have been up to.

Tell us what you guys have done to the space since we last talked

SARA: Once we got everything cleaned up and painted it was time to build display units and decorate the space. The space has such great natural light so we really wanted to keep the everything bright, open and airy.

We painted the wall behind the counter with a light grey chalkboard paint. This statement wall is a fun feature and a great way to change things up, get creative and add a handmade touch to the decor.

STACI: We added open shelving to an entire a wall- another statement feature in the space. We felt like this would be a great solution for displaying smaller collections as well as a great way to draw the customer's eye up.
We also repurposed two old radiators that were broken and had been pulled out of the space. We thought they would make a really unique base for our countertop. This was a great way to recycle something that would have otherwise been thrown out and also saved us money when creating the counter. It has become a really cool conversation piece for the shop!


SARA: It was a really big priority to stick to our budget as much as possible when it came to decor and display. Since we have a lot of really talented friends and family, we were able to build everything ourselves. Most of the tables and display items are made from plywood, repurposed scraps and fence wood. Everything else we thrifted and painted and/or reupholstered. 
STACI: Once we had all of our display and decor set, we began bringing in art and craft. We spent the last few months reaching out to local and regional artists whose work we thought would be a good fit. For the last month, artists and makers have been dropping off their handmade goods and we have been filling up the shop! 


Part of this process has involved getting really organized with a good system to record and track inventory. It has been time involved but totally worth it because it will keep us organized in the long term.




Can you share some lessons learned at this stage?

SARA: Once again, staying creative and conservative with our budget has really kept us on track. We've tried to make things and do it ourselves before spending money on something. The result has been a very creative space full of hand crafted features.

STACI: It has really helped to have a good inventory program. We are using Square for inventory management and it has made things simple and easy to stay organized with all of the products that we are bring in.

SARA: Networking both online and within the community has played a big part in our development and preparation to open. We've found that word of mouth spreads fast and has brought new artists, customers and creative support our way! 

Thanks again ladies for a peek into your project! I look forward to seeing how things grow and change over time!

Maiden Astoria is also online! You can check out their website at maidenastoria.com

You can also follow them over on Instragram at maidenastoria

For those who are in the area, stop by Maiden Astoria's grand opening party on June 13th from 5-8pm! Andy and I will be there to celebrate along with a talented group of Oregon artists.



20 comments:

Unknown said...

super cute place! hope they do well!

ladylyn said...

Hey! I'm going to be in the area during Grand Opening Week! I'll have to try to make it to the shop!

Melissa Hebbe said...

I'm so excited to hear more about Maiden Astoria! Wish I lived close enough to attend the grand opening. I'm sure it's going to so much fun! Definitely checking out your site :)

Download Lagu Mp3 said...

Download lagu mp3
Download lagu
http://adalagu.net

Unknown said...

Short SMS Messages for Father’s Day


Short Quotes for Fathers Day


Fathers Day Short Quotes


Fathers Dy Quotes for my Dad


Love Quotes for Fathers Day


Short Sms for Fathers Day


Fathers Day Sms

Amy Maricle said...

I'm so excited for these two! I am finding more and more amazing artists I love in Oregon...I am plotting to descend. Can't wait to see the shop one day. Much luck to you!

Obat Vimax said...

NICE POST.. VERY VERY GOOD

Koplak999999 said...

Tempat Download Mp3

Unknown said...

So great art!!! FRIV 1 Games - Free Online Friv 10 & 100 Games

Unknown said...

What a great gallery! Thank you for sharing. happy wheels unblocked | free online games | free online games | tom and jerry games online | super mario games online | math game | girl games | cool math games

Unknown said...

Very great, I think I've found good article. I will see and consult some information in your post. descargar gratis whatsapp , baixar whatsapp , mobogenie baixar , descargar facebook , descargar whatsapp gratis , descargar whatsapp , whatsapp baixar , whatsapp gratis descargar , mobogenie market

alicetaylor said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
alicetaylor said...

Thanks for your post , do ypu take much time for it ?Learn To Fly | Learn To Fly 2 | Learn To Fly 3 | Pacman | Pacman game | Pacman games | Mahjong | Mahjong game | Mahjong online| Happy Wheels | happywheels| happy wheel| Monkey Go Happy | Monkey Go Happy 2| Monkey Go Happy 3

Julie Bolton said...

The design is really great. Thank you for sharing the photos. It's so inspiring.
super smash flash 2 | play online games | free games | cool math | cool maths games | math game | top unblocked game | happy wheels unblocked

Unknown said...

Very good post. I certainly love this website. Keep writing!
friv , girlsgogames , games2girls

Unknown said...

This is also a very good post which I really enjoyed reading. It is not everyday that I have the possibility to see something like this.
messenger indir | messenger | messenger dowload | messenger indir | messenger | messenger indir | messenger indir

Prince said...

TLC 2015 predictions
TLC live stream 2015
TLC 2015 roman reigns vs sheamus results
TLC 2015 wwe title results
wwe tlc results 2015
wwe tlc 2015
wwe tlc results

Unknown said...

Yepi 2
Frip 2
Friv 1000

Unknown said...

This is an informative post review. I am so pleased to get this post article and nice information. I was looking forward to get such a post which is very helpful to us. A big thank for posting this article in this website. Keep it up.
Geometry Dash 2.0 | Papa Louie 2|Trollface Quest 2|Dr Driving| Sonic Dash |Square Quick | Monster High Games |

Unknown said...

It's really good information, i like your blog post. Thanks for sharing

Agario , agar io,agar.io,agar,agario game,agario free,agario games,agarios,agario online,agario skins,agario extended,agar io unblocked,agario mod,agar io server browser,agario mods,agariomods,agario cheats, agario names,agario download,agario mods,agario mobile

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails