Tell us a little about your small business (+URL).
We do custom framing and feature artists' artworks. We offer art classes and workshops for an array of artists, plus sell art supplies.
How long have you been running your small business?
Since July, 2008.
How did you get into starting a small business?
It all started with my husband wanting me to put my art into Art Galleries. Due to my illness some classes or workshops I could not attend. So I started opening my home for art classes and it developed from here. We turned our basement into an art gallery, art store and framing for artists.
Next year we will be doing trails with sculptures and funky benches for anyone to enjoy. We even formed "The Consolidated Group of 7s". This means fourteen artists.As we go through our journey, we hope to get people to come and see our work from around the world. We even have a website that reaches people from around the world.
Describe your starting a small business experience.
Challenging...
I had to incorporate custom framing with a group of artists and art class and workshops with art supplies and expanding to nature trails in the spring to bring traffic...
Now we have to expand to a not for profit group to enable us to get the necessary funds to help us acheive our goals, for private business do not get the help that not for profit groups get enabling them to promote artists and their work in the hope to make a living...
So much for that...
Lessons learned
- Long hours with no pay.
- If I had to do it all over again I would not bother. It is exhausting.
- Buy a franchise; at least you have a team of people working with you... and move to a big city...
- What I am trying to do is promote artists in the North and remote parts of Ontario in a country setting.
